Institute for Energy Research

What Institute for Energy Research does

The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. (1155 15th St. NW, Suite 525). It operates as a free market energy policy research and advocacy organization, producing studies, commentary, policy briefs, congressional testimony, and formal regulatory comments on U.S. energy policy. Its analytical positioning supports domestic fossil fuel and nuclear production alongside an "all-of-the-above" energy approach, and critically examines renewable energy mandates, EV policies, and climate regulations.

IER's product portfolio spans core content (Studies & Data, Commentary, Policy Briefs, Regulatory Comments, Testimony), multimedia (Currents Energy News Podcast, Plugged In Podcast, Policy Videos, Energy Encyclopedia), and special projects (Fueling America, Big Green Inc., Pipeline Protection Project, Natural Gas Bans tracker, Story of Electricity). Interactive tools include BlueStatesHighRates.com (state-level electricity price analytics launched July 2026 in partnership with Always On Energy Research) and EV Focus (an EV policy news aggregator launched December 2024). The organization does not develop proprietary technology products and does not sell goods or services.

IER's business model is donation-based: it accepts tax-deductible contributions from individuals and organizations, and distributes all content free of charge. Revenue is derived from charitable giving rather than commercial transactions, and it serves a horizontal audience comprising federal policymakers, media, the general public, and research collaborators. Leadership includes President Tom Pyle, Senior Vice President of Policy Daniel Kish, Vice President of Policy Kenny Stein, and Manager of Policy and Communications Alexander Stevens.

Name

Institute for Energy Research

Legal name

Institute for Energy Research

Website

https://instituteforenergyresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute for Energy Research is a nonprofit, free-market energy policy research organization that produces studies, congressional testimony, podcasts, and interactive tools for U.S. policymakers, media, and the general public, funded by tax-deductible donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Policy Research

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Policy & Regulatory Strategy (National/State/Local) (EUAMANAA)

Keywords

• Energy policy research
• Think tank research
• Policy analysis
• Free market advocacy
• Energy commentary

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: IER is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals and organizations. The organization states that all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Institute for Energy Research is a nonprofit organization that conducts energy policy research and analysis grounded in free market principles. It produces studies, policy briefs, regulatory comments, congressional testimony, podcasts, policy videos, and an Energy Encyclopedia, along with special projects such as Fueling America, Big Green Inc., Pipeline Protection, BlueStatesHighRates.com, and EV Focus. All content is distributed free of charge, with the organization funded through tax-deductible donations.

Product overview

IER is a free market energy policy research organization offering a portfolio of research products including studies and data reports, commentary and analysis, policy briefs, congressional testimony, and regulatory comments. The organization publishes multiple podcasts (Currents Energy News Podcast and Plugged In Podcast), maintains an Energy Encyclopedia, and produces special projects including Fueling America (celebrating 250 years of U.S. energy innovation), Big Green Inc. (examining environmental lobby funding), Pipeline Protection Project, and Natural Gas Bans tracking. IER also operates interactive tools such as BlueStatesHighRates.com (analyzing state electricity prices) and EV Focus (aggregating EV policy news). The organization advocates for free-market energy policies and domestic energy production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fueling America: A project celebrating 250 years of American energy innovation, showcasing the timeline of key advances, interviews with industry leaders, and narratives of energy pioneers.
• Big Green Inc.
• Pipeline Protection
• BlueStatesHighRates.com

Products and services

• Energy Encyclopedia

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Always On Energy ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIER collaborates with Always On Energy Research (AOER) on joint research projects including the 'Blue States, High Rates' electricity price analysis and the BlueStatesHighRates.com website. The partnership produces shared research on state energy policies and electricity affordability.
• American Energy AllianceminorOthersIER references the American Energy Alliance (AEA) as an affiliate in its Privacy Policy. IER encourages users to review AEA's privacy policy and notes it makes no representations about other websites accessible through links from the IER site.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Americans for Prosperity: Americans for Prosperity is a large free-market advocacy organization with an active energy policy program that opposes mandates and supports domestic production. It is comparable to IER in ideological positioning and policy focus, but with substantially larger grassroots and lobbying infrastructure.
• Cato Institute: Cato is a libertarian public policy research institute with a dedicated energy and environmental policy program. It overlaps with IER in opposing energy mandates and government intervention, though it covers a much broader policy portfolio.
• Manhattan Institute: Manhattan Institute is a right-of-center policy research organization that produces energy and climate policy analysis. It overlaps with IER in advancing market-oriented energy policy recommendations, but at a much larger scale and broader issue scope.
• American Petroleum Institute: API is the largest U.S. oil and natural gas industry trade association, producing research, advocacy, and regulatory engagement on energy policy. IER and API frequently align on opposing restrictions on fossil fuel production, though API is industry-funded and significantly larger.
• Heritage Foundation: Heritage is a large, well-funded conservative think tank that produces energy and environmental policy research from a free-market perspective. It is comparable to IER as a producer of policy research, regulatory analysis, and testimony, but with a much broader issue portfolio and significantly larger budget.

Direct peers

• R Street Institute: R Street is a center-right think tank that produces energy and environmental policy research with a market-oriented orientation. It is comparable to IER in producing studies, commentary, and policy recommendations aimed at state and federal policymakers.
• Competitive Enterprise Institute: CEI is a free-market think tank with an active energy and climate policy program that critiques regulation, mandates, and climate policy. Like IER, it produces studies, commentary, and regulatory comments aimed at federal policymakers.
• American Energy Alliance: AEA is a 501(c)(3) affiliate of IER that focuses on energy policy advocacy from a free-market perspective. The organizations share office location (1155 15th St. NW) and effectively operate as a paired research-plus-advocacy pair on the same ideological side of energy policy.

Emerging players

• American Legislative Exchange Council: ALEC is a membership organization of state legislators that drafts and disseminates model energy and environmental legislation. It is comparable to IER as a producer of model energy policy and regulatory frameworks, with a focus on state-level rather than federal engagement.
• ClearPath Foundation: ClearPath is a clean-energy-focused nonprofit that supports market-oriented policies for nuclear, carbon capture, and clean firm power. It is comparable to IER as a free-market-aligned energy policy advocate, though ClearPath is technology-specific rather than all-of-the-above.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IERenergy
• Facebookfacebook.com/instituteforenergyresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Energy Research