Efficiency First

In today’s heated Washington, DC environment, it’s not often that groups like the Center for American Progress and the Chamber of Commerce are on the same page. But that’s what is happening with the “SAVE” Act (Sensible Accounting to Value Energy), which could be a key long-term driver of growth in energy efficiency retrofits. Check [...]

We are excited to have Melissa Pawson join the Efficiency First team as Project Coordinator and Development Associate. Like other Efficiency First staff, Melissa will be spending much of her time working directly with you — Efficiency First member companies. So if you end up working with Melissa on a project, or if you call [...]

On August 4th, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo signed On Bill Financing legislation into law, meaning that by this time next year many New Yorkers will be able to pay for energy efficiency improvements the same way they pay for energy–on their utility bill. Since the bill’s passage, the Efficiency First New York Chapter has been [...]

Hey Efficiency First members! Are you on LinkedIn? By joining our Linked In group, you can connect to other members of the home performance industry, engage in professional networking, and search for career and business opportunities, expertise advice and recommendations. Use it to build business relationships and participate in discussion about home performance and energy efficiency. [...]

On Tuesday June 14th, the Pentagon announced an innovative energy plan for all military operations. The “Operational Energy Strategy,” (OES) under the Defense Office of Operational Energy, is a comprehensive effort to cut energy costs for the military and to reduce its dependence on oil. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn and Assistant Secretary of [...]

On July 20, 2011 the PACE Assessment Protection Act was introduced into the House, which is another attempt to revive the bill after it failed to get passed last year. The bipartisan legislation would enable local governments to offer PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) programs to finance home energy efficiency improvements. Homeowners pay the funds [...]

Efficiency First California has stepped up to have a say in the Energy Upgrade California program. This past year, several large utilities across California launched “Energy Upgrade California,” a statewide incentive program that, among other things, provides rebates for homeowners who hire participating companies to retrofit their homes. Since the program’s inception, Efficiency First California [...]

Everyone has heard about the recent debt deal debates between Congress and the White House, but what does it all mean for Home Performance and clean energy programs as a whole? The debt deal includes up to $2.4 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade, but the deal’s specific impacts on energy programs remain [...]

Efficiency First Kansas members have been working over the last 2 weeks to save ARRA funding for Efficiency Kansas, an audit incentive and retrofit financing  program in the state. Companies participating in the program got notified in July that the state had asked the U.S. Department of Energy to approve transferring most of the remaining funds [...]