in a five-year commitment to this coalition and believes strongly in the value of transformative partnerships and investments to drive innovation. As we move forward with increased investments in emerging technologies, Intermountain Gas is also proactively reducing the carbon intensity of the product we deliver today by introducing RNG into our system. As of April 2021, Intermountain pipelines transported more than 480k Dth of RNG from three dairy digesters to end-use customers, or enough to power 14k homes for a year. We look forward to adding more RNG into our system as it becomes available. In addition to decarbonizing the fuels placed in the gas pipeline, local distribution companies are managing upstream and fugitive emissions through programs such as Call Before You Dig 811, Common Ground Alliance, and continual exploration of other voluntary actions to reduce methane emissions from excavation damage. Programs such as EPA’s Natural Gas Star Methane Challenge Program, of which Intermountain Gas is a founding member, also support comprehensive actions to reduce methane emissions. Together, this suite of actions ensures that gaseous fuels, along with the thousands of miles of existing infrastructure that move it, remains available to customers to provide the Northwest with reliable energy for space and water heating, cooking, agriculture, manufacturing, and many other essential end-uses. But even the least carbon-intensive energy is only as reliable as the equipment used to harness it, and the efficiency of the building that relies on such fuels. Decarbonizing Buildings AIA members are no strangers to innovation in the design of highperformance architecture. As the newest member of AIA, Intermountain looks forward to leveraging our partnerships with GTI and other leaders in energy innovation in support of greater adaptation of the building and energy sectors to meet modern challenges. We have already begun this work as recognized leaders driving energy efficient residential construction across our service area, receiving the 2021 ENERGY STAR ® Market Leader Award for efforts that resulted in an additional 1,536 homes and/ or apartments being certified as ENERGY STAR ® in 2020. Advances in building design inclusive of gaseous space and water heating equipment can help further drive our industries towards the achievement of high energy performance and carbon neutrality. Research from GTI demonstrates that gas heat pump technology can result in significant reductions to energy consumption with efficiencies greater than 100%.6 The Utilization Technology Development (UTD) group of GTI is in the process of further developing and demonstrating this technology as well as next generation combined heat and power systems leveraging the resiliency, reliability, and economy of gaseous fuels. Intermountain looks forwarding to continuing to partner on these efforts as well as with the North American Gas Heat Pump Collaborative, which seeks to transform the market to state-of-the-art natural gas heat pump technologies. Such opportunities can be leveraged to benefit the AIA membership as we strive towards deeper efficiency and NZE buildings. This strategic partnership of building professionals, equipment manufacturers, and fuels suppliers is essential to ensuring balanced and effective pathway towards decarbonization. Intermountain is proud to join the AIA in its efforts to elevate the way energy is used in buildings. The path ahead is complex, but we are confident that together, we can help realize the vision of AIA’s 2030 commitment. We are proud to take this journey with our fellow AIA members. b Intermountain Gas Company is a natural gas distribution company serving approximately 391,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 76 communities in southern Idaho. Alyn Spector is Manager of Energy Ef ficiency Policy for Cascade Natural Gas Corporation, sister company to Intermountain Gas. He has been in the energy industry for over 15 years and developed energy ef ficiency programs and decarbonization strategies for his organization since 2008. 1 According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2018 released in April 2020 as well as the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). 2 Northwest Gas Association, 2021 Natural Gas Facts https://www.nwga.org/wp-content/ uploads/2021/03/NWGA_Facts_2021_Final.pdf 3 Analysis of Oregon’s Cap-and-Reduce Program GHG Emissions Reductions, Provided to Avista Corporation and Cascade Natural Gas Corporation, October 22, 2021 4 Case Studies of Future Residential Natural Gas and Electrification Scenarios in Leading Low Carbon Regions https://www.gti.energy/ wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Future-ResidentialNatural-Gas-and-Electrification-in-Low-CarbonRegions-Technical-Paper_Liss-Jun2018.pdf 5 Hydrogen Technology Center — Low-Carbon Resources Initiative • GTI 6 Bridging the gap: gas-fired absorption heat pumps in America — CIBSE Journal Together, this suite of actions ensures that gaseous fuels, along with the thousands of miles of existing infrastructure that move it, remains available to customers to provide the Northwest with reliable energy for space and water heating, cooking, agriculture, manufacturing, and many other essential end- uses. But even the least carbon-intensive energy is only as reliable as the equipment used to harness it, and the efficiency of the building that relies on such fuels. 19
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