Efficiency First

A recent article by Angela Carter of the New Haven Register provides a real-life example of how stimulus funds invested in green workforce development really can pay off for America’s unemployed. The article profiles Connecticut resident Gene Bartholomew, who lost his job during the recession after 30 years in the heating and air conditioning industry. [...]

For a limited time, homeowners in the state of Delaware have access to substantial rebates for home energy improvement measures thanks to a new program modeled after the HOME STAR energy retrofit program now pending in Congress. The $5.3 million program operated by a state-sponsored nonprofit, Energize Delaware (www.energizedelaware.org),  leverages federal economic stimulus funds and [...]

This past Tuesday, Efficiency First members in Virginia launched their new state chapter by holding their first meeting ahead of the Virginia Governor’s Energy Summit. The meeting brought out member companies from around the state, as well as program designers and state legislators who are working on energy efficiency issues. The chapter launch comes as [...]

Last week, I attended the ACI Regional in New England. It was the largest Regional ACI that has ever been hosted. It was a great opportunity for Efficiency First because it gave me the rare chance to meet with over 100 members of Efficiency First. Being together at the same event allowed us to further [...]

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the nation’s leading nonprofit environmental groups, filed a federal lawsuit this week accusing two national regulatory agencies of illegally blocking implementation of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs. PACE financing, which has been authorized in more than 20 states, is an innovative financial model in which [...]

The network of Efficiency First state and regional chapters is growing quickly, thanks to members across the country who are stepping up and becoming active at the local level. This week, the Efficiency First members in Virginia will launch a new statewide chapter at a meeting on Tuesday alongside the Virginia Governor’s Energy Summit. Find [...]

At a meeting of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB) earlier this week, President Obama reiterated his support for the HOME STAR energy retrofit program now pending in Congress, describing the proposed legislation as a “top priority” for the administration. “This can have a terrific impact at retail level among small businesses, and among [...]

Hundreds of millions of dollars in public money are flowing into programs to support improvements in home energy efficiency. Ensuring that these funds have their maximum impact by motivating homeowners to seek out home energy improvements is the subject of a new report from researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) called “Driving Demand [...]

There’s a Home Performance Resource Center Webinar on Monday, Oct. 4, at 12 noon Eastern time (9 a.m. on the West Coast). Please join us for this free event to learn more about how the Resource Center is giving working contractors a voice in the design and implementation of retrofit subsidies, consumer financing programs and [...]

Efficiency First leaders in New Jersey, together with other Home Performance contractors, have drafted a set of proposed changes to the New Jersey Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program for 2011. The memo of proposed changes may be downloaded here. The memo will be submitted to the Board of Public Utilities and the Office of Clean Energy. Please get [...]