energy efficiency

Retrocommissioning Program Toolkit for Local Governments

In its Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) established a strategic framework for helping local governments advance sustainability within their jurisdictions. The Plan calls for local governments to influence the community, leverage local authority and lead by example by improving resource efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and cutting energy bills in their own facilities.

New Year, New Guide to Evaluating Impacts of State and Local Energy Efficiency Programs

The State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action), an effort facilitated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has released a new guide to evaluating the impact of energy efficiency programs at the state and local levels. This guide updates the 2007 National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency Model Energy Efficiency Impact Evaluation Guide.

The new Energy Efficiency Program Impact Evaluation Guide covers key issues, practices, and steps for calculating energy savings, avoided emissions, and other non-energy impacts of efficiency programs. The primary audiences for this guide are state regulators, public and private energy efficiency portfolio administrators, program implementers, and evaluators looking for guidance on:

• Planning evaluation efforts, and approaches for determining and documenting program impacts
• Improving the efficacy of energy efficiency portfolios
• Comparing demand- and supply-side resources.

Download the guide (PDF, 180 pp, 2.8MB).

New Milestone: 1,000 Businesses Use ICLEI's Green Business Challenge Web App

More good news on ICLEI’s Green Business Challenge program: One thousand businesses across the country have now used our Green Business Challenge Web App to accelerate their environmental performance, saving incredible amounts of energy, money, water, and waste.

Local Governments Help Businesses Win

The Challenge is the nation’s most exciting and innovative green business program. This fun and friendly competition between local businesses rewards those who make the biggest gains in environmental performance over the course of a year. The Challenge is one of the most successful and cost-effective ways that any local government can help its local businesses go green—and make progress toward community-wide climate and energy goals.

ICLEI’s Web App is the centerpiece of any successful Challenge program—from Chicago and Houston to Bellevue and San Diego—and 1,000 users shows that this is a proven tool.

Energy Code Resources to Pass on to Your Community

For every kilowatt hour of electricity that is consumed, roughly a pound to a pound and a half of GHGs are released into our atmosphere. Many carbon emissions are due to home energy use – around 25%. If homes are built efficiently from the beginning by complying with the state or locality’s energy code, homes will save over the life of the building.

Success Story: The Greening of Grand Rapids

Photo credit: ADAM BIRD, reposted from the Rapid Growth website.

Reposted with permission from the Rapid Growth website:

Recent national awards have positioned Grand Rapids as an environmental leader known for its commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency and climate protection. The city’s focused efforts to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions began a few years ago and are already showing significant cost savings and numerous social and environmental benefits.   

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) awarded Mayor George K. Heartwell first place in the large city category of the 2012 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards. The award recognizes mayors for their innovative practices to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

New Residential PACE Launch Is a Success in Southern California

Guest blog post from PACENow:

The Home Energy Renovation Opportunity (HERO) Financing Program, sponsored by the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG), was launched in Riverside County (CA) in September 2011 for commercial projects and three months later in December for homes.  HERO is shaping up as a success on both residential and commercial fronts.

Energy Efficiency for Commercial Buildings in Focus

The Existing Commercial Buildings Working Group of the State and Local Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action) has developed best practice recommendations to improve energy efficiency in public and private commercial buildings through whole-building approaches. These best practices can save energy, save money, and create jobs. For example, retro-commissioning offers 10% to 30% energy savings, dollar savings of 2 to 10 times the cost, and can add up to millions of dollars saved across a building portfolio. Retro-commissioning programs create an estimated 5 to 15 green jobs per $1 million invested. SEE Action fact sheets are available on:

• Energy benchmarking to measure the energy performance of buildings, improve information transparency in the market, and identify good candidates for energy audits and upgrades.
• Strategic energy management to reduce upgrade costs across a portfolio of facilities and institutionalize practices to sustain long-term savings.
• Retro-commissioning to “tune up” a building’s equipment to increase efficiency without a major capital investment.
• High performance leasing to overcome the “split incentive” problem faced by tenants and property owners by incorporating energy efficiency benefit- and cost-sharing practices into lease terms.

About SEE Action

SEE Action is a state- and local-led effort to achieve all cost-effective energy efficiency by 2020. Facilitated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), SEE Action offers knowledge, resources, and technical assistance to state and local decision makers as they advance energy efficiency policies and programs in their jurisdictions.

Sustainable Funding for Local Energy Efficiency Initiatives

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), has released a new research report titled, "Keeping It in the Community: Sustainable Funding for Local Energy Efficiency Initiatives." Here's a quick summary of the report:

Initial investments have already been made by thousands of local governments in energy efficiency projects, programs, policies, and expanding staff capacity, but most federal funds that have supported these efforts are expiring. Some communities have considered or adopted sustainable funding mechanisms for their energy efficiency investments. These efforts provide important examples for other communities hoping to sustain funding for their efficiency efforts.

This report describes several of these local funding options and provides examples where each has been adopted. Options discussed include utility partnerships; licensing, service, or waste fees; energy or carbon taxes; systems benefit funds; bonds; and options to capture the value created by avoided energy costs to create self-sustaining funds through revolving loan funds or other mechanisms. Additional items discussed include leadership and management practices that have made the establishment and continuation of these funding mechanisms viable, such as champions, issue framing, dedicated staff, performance benchmarking, and measurement and verification. 

Download Now (free registration require)

Houston Mayor Parker Announces Green Office Challenge Winners

City of Houston Creates Largest Challenge in U.S.

Mayor Annise Parker (right) congratulates members of Smith and Associates Green
Team, which took home the Overall Winner honors for "Greatest Implementation of
Green Building Innovations." Photo credit: Richard J. Carson

The City of Houston, in partnership with ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Clinton Climate Initiative and over 25 Houston nonprofits, announced the winners of the City’s first annual Green Office Challenge on Wednesday, April 18, 2012. The Houston Green Office Challenge officially began January 1, 2011 becoming the nation’s largest.

Since that time, the City of Houston has provided training opportunities and other resources, including financial incentives, to assist office building owners, property managers, management districts and tenants to increase their environmental and economic performance in the areas of energy conservation, waste reduction, water efficiency, cleaner transportation choices and property management/tenant engagement.

“The Green Office Challenge has been a success because of community commitment,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “More than 375 buildings and tenants participated representing approximately 75 million square feet.” In just the last year, with 176 buildings achieving LEED status, Houston rose from number seven to number four in the nation with the most LEED certified buildings and is quickly closing in on a top three spot. 

LBNL's New Clean Energy Program Policy Briefs

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory released three new clean energy financing policy briefs today on Clean Energy Works Oregon, the Indianapolis Ecohouse Project Loan program and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program.