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Across the board, participants said the devices and systems needed to shift electricity use in response to grid conditions already exist or are close to ready. What’s missing is clarity on how rates will be structured, what technical standards devices must meet, and whether state agencies have the political will and staffing to enforce any of it.

Virtual power plants and automated demand-response programs have increased across the U.S., though the industry still hasn’t figured out how to talk to the customers it needs to enroll.

Commercial customers in California lack support when purchasing advanced energy efficiency products and distributed energy resources. These decisions are complex and reliable product performance information, particularly for comparing specific products, can be difficult to find. Yet, these customers are crucial to advancing the state’s electrification and energy efficiency goals.

Space heating and cooling account for 41% of total commercial energy use nationwide, and in California, most of it still runs through gas-fired rooftop units. New research presented at the 2026 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, based on two CalNEXT pilot incentive programs, finds that higher efficiency heat pump rooftop units, known as HP RTUs, are increasingly available on the market. The bigger obstacle to adoption is that current incentive levels don’t cover enough of the added cost.

New research on heat pump water heaters was presented at the 2026 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings tested a smarter approach in real homes, and found it can meaningfully cut costs and emissions, but only where the equipment has room to work.

WCEC researchers have published a new study on a liquid-cooled modular data center design for high-density computing and artificial intelligence applications.

WCEC has published a new study evaluating a low-cost ventilation control strategy designed to reduce energy use and improve indoor air quality in school buildings.

CalNEXT recently launched its Knowledge Sharing Webinar series with a residential energy technologies event featuring three projects led by UC Davis researchers.

WCEC researchers traveled to San Diego to participate in the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, where they presented a modular, high-efficiency approach to data center design and cooling.