Press Releases

New Bipartisan Energy Efficiency Bill Will Save Americans Money,
Create Jobs, Boost U.S. Global Competitiveness

Washington, D.C., May 12, 2011 – The Alliance to Save Energy today joins its honorary Board chair, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and her colleague Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) in unveiling a bipartisan bill that aims to help our nation regain its economic footing and global leadership by deploying energy efficiency widely across the United States.

“At a time of extremely acrimonious partisanship on Capitol Hill, Sens. Shaheen and Portman have reached bravely across the political divide to help American consumers and businesses that are reeling from rising energy costs,” commented Alliance President Kateri Callahan. She continued, “The Alliance applauds Sens. Shaheen and Portman for their statesmanship in putting our economy, our energy security and our environment ahead of party politics. We urge Congress to follow their important lead by enacting the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011 (ESIC) as quickly as possible.”

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and an honorary vice-chair on the Alliance’s Board of Directors, stated: “I commend Sen. Shaheen and Sen. Portman for their bipartisan work on effective energy efficiency policies, including updated provisions on the building codes sections and appliance standards first found in the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009. I look forward to working with the senators to schedule a hearing on their bill.”

By driving job creation and lowering energy demand and costs in the buildings, utilities, appliances, manufacturing/industrial and federal government sectors, the bill seeks to save consumers and businesses tens of billions of dollars, create jobs and bolster our global competitiveness and energy independence.

The Alliance estimates that American households will spend about $5,700 this year on energy for their homes and vehicles, up nearly 25% over the past two years. These rising costs threaten the fragile economic recovery underway. The Shaheen-Portman bill, if enacted, may take a big bite out of these costs by cutting energy waste in buildings, in the industrial sectors and in the appliance and equipment we use every day, the Alliance said.

Read more on the Alliance to Save Energy website.

ANNOUNCEMENT

DOE Webinar Scheduled For Thursday, February 4th

On Thursday, February 4th at 3pm EDT, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host a webinar on “The Community Energy Challenge in Whatcom County, Washington”. This program models creative uses of funding (including ARRA funds) and local partnerships to create a full-service retrofit program for businesses and residents. The Community Energy Challenge is being coordinated by two non-profits functioning as a “one stop shop” for energy efficiency services. Sustainable Connections will launch a community-based social marketing campaign to inspire participation and will aggregate demand for energy efficiency services among their 650+ small business members. The Opportunity Council will leverage their 25+ years experience implementing the low income weatherization program to provide audits, assistance with rebates and incentives, contractor training and scheduling, and project quality control to the non-low income residential housing market. Both commercial and residential programs will take advantage of a loan program seeded by EECBG and SEP funds, which leverages significant private investment.

This session features:

• An example of leveraging ARRA funds to attract private capital
• Tips for attracting the participation of both small businesses and home owners
• How to work with local non-profits and other partners to offer a full-service retrofit program

Presenters:

• Shawn Collins, Opportunity Council
• Jessica Geenen, Puget Sound Energy
• Alex Ramel, Sustainable Connections
• Allison Spector, Cascade Natural Gas
• Tara Sundin, City of Bellingham

Please join us for:
The Community Energy Challenge in Whatcom County, Washington
Thursday, February 4 at 3:00-4:15pm EDT

Registration

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Thank you,
Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program

United States Department of Energy

NEWS RELEASE

Federal Dollars Fuel Local Efficiency: Cities Ready to Lead

Washington, D.C. (December 23, 2009): In a new report released today, ACEEE presented profiles of over 40 municipal energy efficiency programs as a guide for cities and counties preparing to implement federally-funded energy efficiency and conservation plans.

"The passage of the ARRA economic stimulus package was the largest single investment in energy efficiency to date, and the first time federal money has been directed specifically to municipal energy efficiency efforts," said ACEEE policy researcher Michael Sciortino, referring to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). "It is essential that local governments use proven program models like those featured in this report to ensure success."

Cities and counties have long been active developers of successful energy efficiency programs, and with the release of EECBG funds, local governments are poised to further their critical role. ACEEE's new report, Energy Efficiency Program Options for Local Governments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 examines a number of innovative energy efficiency programs implemented by American towns and cities prior to the passage of ARRA. The EECBG program will dispense more than 3 billion dollars to cities and states, creating jobs while improving U.S. energy efficiency through a variety of initiatives, including building retrofits, incentives, and audit programs. Some block grant recipients have already received funding to execute their chosen "shovel-ready" projects; however, many cities and towns are still waiting to put project plans into action.

"The EECBG program is an opportunity for all municipalities to become leaders in energy efficiency," said Sarah Black, report lead author. "This report provides concrete examples of how American towns and cities can take action now to launch innovative and meaningful programs that save energy and create jobs."

Full Report>>

NEWS RELEASE

Glendale Water & Power to Launch Energy Conservation Program for Kids

Glendale Water & Power (GWP) will soon debut Green Allowance, a new web-based service that gives kids the tools and motivation to champion energy conservation and help them actually earn a Green Allowance. The free program is being developed through an agreement between the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) and Green Allowance LLC in New York. The program includes an innovative and kid-friendly website, www.greenallowance.com, which provides practical ideas and customized assignments for kids -- showing how they can save energy and, in turn, save money. Kids are encouraged to make a deal with their parents to share the savings on their electric bill – savings that are calculated and programmed to show up on their home computers every billing cycle. The Green Allowance program website is scheduled to be launched this month. See the demonstration website at www.greenallowance.com.

DOE is now accepting applications for up to $454 million in EECBG competitive grants. The competitive grants Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) was issued on October 19, 2009 and applications will be accepted through Grants.gov until December 14, 2009.

DOE is releasing this FOA seeking innovative state, local government and Indian tribe programs funded under the Recovery Act. This FOA will use up to $454 million in Recovery Act EECBG funds for these competitive grants awarded in two topic areas - (1) the Retrofit Ramp-up Program and (2) the General Innovation Fund.

The goal of this competitive FOA is to stimulate activities that move beyond traditional public awareness campaigns, program maintenance, demonstration projects, and other "one-time" strategies and projects. DOE seeks to stimulate activities and investments which can:

Fundamentally and permanently transform energy markets in a way that make energy efficiency and renewable energy the options of first choice; and Sustain themselves beyond the grant monies and the grant period by designing a viable strategy for program sustainability into the overall program plan.

In this FOA, DOE is seeking applications which:

• Leverage the participation and support of multiple local jurisdictions, regional planning agencies, and state energy offices
• Prioritize energy efficiency and/or energy conservation as first in the loading order before investments are made in new generation; however, DOE is interested in applications that integrate cost-effective renewables with efficiency
• Move beyond the planning stage and ready for implementation
• Clearly articulate and demonstrate the ability to achieve measurable stretch goals and that have the potential to make an impact at the regional or national level; and
• Maximize the creation and/or retention of jobs in the United States.

The first topic area, the "Retrofit Ramp-Up" program, will award up to $390 million for innovative programs that are structured to provide whole-neighborhood building energy retrofits. These will be projects that demonstrate a sustainable business model for providing cost-effective energy upgrades for a large percentage of the residential, commercial, and public buildings in a specific community. Possible approaches could include innovative partnerships between the public and private sector, utility retrofit and audit programs, alternative financing, retail partnerships, and others. DOE expects to make 8 to 20 awards under this topic area, with award size ranging from $5-75 million.

The second topic area, the "General Innovation Fund," will award up to $64 million to cities, counties and State-recognized Indian Tribes that were not eligible to receive population-based formula grant allocations from DOE under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. These funds are intended to help expand local energy efficiency efforts and reduce energy use in the commercial, residential, transportation, manufacturing, or industrial sectors. DOE expects to make 15 to 60 awards, with award size ranging from $1-5 million.

For more information, please see the summary developed by CEEP and for complete details please see the FOA.