Efficiency First

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 our office and she picks up the phone, please extend a warm welcome!

Here’s a little about Melissa, from her bio:

Melissa Pawson joins Efficiency First as a Project Coordinator and Development Associate. She is responsible for supporting Efficiency First membership, as well as managing accounting and administrative activities. Melissa has a background in climate science, energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

Most recently, Melissa has served as the Sustainable Communities Associate at Strategic Energy Innovations, where she supported home performance workforce development. Melissa has also previously worked at the Redwood Coast Energy Authority and Sonoma County Regional Parks. She graduated with honors, from Humboldt State University, earning a bachelor’s of science degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis on Energy and Climate Change.

Melissa can be reached at melissa@efficiencyfirst.org.

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 hard at work communicating Home Performance industry priorities to NYSERDA, and educating NY members about how the program will function (including a recent webinar presentation).

A bit of background:

Due to the work of Efficiency First members — and a broad coalition  of supporters across the state — New York’s legislature passed On Bill Recovery legislation back in June. It was the result of a LOT of hard work — member companies sent letters, made phone calls, met in-person with legislators both in Albany and in local districts and more. And Efficiency First New York leaders worked directly with legislators and staff in Albany to get the bill passed.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

So check us out on LinkedIn, and let’s get the conversation going!

On Tuesday June 14^th, 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 Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs Sharon Burke outlined that the plan will make acquiring and using energy a priority in all war planning efforts. Energy will become a basic strategic priority in the same way that planning for troops, weapons, vehicles, etc. are now.

According to the National Journal’s report, the “US military is the largest industrial consumer of oil in the world” and is dependent on oil for the majority of that energy. Moreover, the Department of Defense consumes 80% of the energy used by the federal government. The OES has made the reduction of energy consumption in the military a priority, in addition to increasing the diversity of energy sources. The Department of Defense’s press release states that the military will no longer take readily available energy in the battlefield for granted.

The plan itself consists of a restructuring of the way the military views the use and importance of energy in war strategy. The prerogative is to reduce the amount of energy consumed and to cut spending on energy without putting soldiers’ lives at risk. This will require the adoption of alternative energy sources, such as solar, biofuels and others, and finding simple solutions for cutting dependence on energy use in the field. Reduction of energy costs translates into more resources for other war efforts, increasing the capabilities of troops and commanders on the ground. The new energy plan could potentially put fewer soldiers at risk as the military’s strategy moves away from protecting vital oil sources.

Many clean energy advocates groups have supported the OES and celebrate its widespread implications for the energy economy of the nation as a whole.  Because the military is such a disproportionally large consumer of energy, the restructuring of its energy strategies will generate commercial innovation and has the potential to motivate other industries to restructure their energy priorities as well. This demand for innovative technology can accelerate the use of new and alternative sources of energy through the economy.

The ultimate goal of the Operational Energy Strategy is to create a platform for military strategists to incorporate energy use into all campaign plans in the future, which will impact long-term priorities and structures within the military itself, as well as other industries in the economy.

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 back through a special property tax assessment over time, giving municipalities the first lien on PACE homes if they are foreclosed.

Last year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees the largest mortgage finance companies, effectively suspended PACE programs claiming they would have negative impacts on the mortgage industry.

If passed, federal housing regulators will generally not be able create policies that completely ban local property assessed clean energy programs. The legislation would boost job creation and improve the efficiency of America’s homes. High upfront costs often inhibit homeowners from making energy efficiency upgrades, but PACE programs would make long-term investment costs more manageable for private owners.

The House Financial Services Committee has reviewed the bill but no timeline for action has been announced. As members of the PACENow coalition, Efficiency First will keep members informed as we monitor the bill’s progress through Congress.

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 has been pushing for improvements so the program can work effectively for Home Performance companies and homeowners. We’ve made progress (albeit slowly) in some areas: some have reported that job approval times have gotten faster, and pilot coop marketing programs have launched. We’ve been working on these issues for months, starting with letters that were sent to the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) expressing our concerns with the Energy Upgrade California program.

But there’s A LOT more work to be done. So Efficiency First California has asked Home Performance companies in the state to help out by providing some feedback about their experience within the program. We have created and distributed a survey to home energy contractors across the state, to gather info that we’ll share with program administrators about how the program can best spur growth in the home industry.

Are you a Home Performance company in California? If so, click here to take Efficiency First California’s survey.

It’s just one part of how Efficiency First California is representing the voice of Home Performance companies in the state. Contact california@efficiencyfirst.org to get involved.

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 unclear.

What we do know it that Weatherization, State Energy Programs, and DOE’s dept of Energy Efficiency and Renewable energy are under fire for deep cuts in next year’s budget (click here and take action to protect energy efficiency funding). It is important the policymakers remember the energy efficiency saves consumers money that stays in the economy while home improvements creat contracting and manufacturing jobs. Cuts to residential efficiency programs are shortsighted non-solutions to long term problems.

Strong Voice in DC for Home Performance

Over the next several months — and likely the next couple of years — Congress and the White House will be identifying spending priorities. And as the voice of Home Performance companies, Efficiency First will be there, advocating for policies that will boost industry growth, create jobs and deliver energy savings to households across America.

Priorities for policies that support energy efficient promotion, sound spending on good energy efficiency home performance initiatives and common-sense tax policy to provide credits for quality home improvements are on the Efficiency First agenda.

Moving Forward at State and Local Level

Some of the work of ensuring efficient and sustainable energy use will likely continue to shift to state and local governments, some of which have begun to put building blocks in place for growing energy efficiency industries, including utility rebate programs in California, Illinois and many other areas, a statewide on-bill financing program in New York, a new green infrastructure bank in Connecticut and many other examples.

State programs such as these have the potential to expand clean energy and adoption of energy efficiency measures while creating local green jobs and promoting economic development. They also open opportunities for technology innovation projects and workforce training. According to a report from the Brookings Institution, clean energy has been one of the fastest growing sectors in the past ten years. However, many energy and technology research programs throughout the country may face difficulties because of the federal spending cuts.

As debates over funding continue, Efficiency First will continue to advocate for the priorities of the Home Performance industry. We’re already seeing signs that some members of Congress are interested in pursuing job growth initiatives that include Home Performance industry priorities. Stay tuned for more — we’ll keep you informed as everything moves forward.

For two related articles click here and here.

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 — about $22 million — to biofuel and ethanol projects instead.

Efficiency First Kansas members met with Harold Stones from Sen. Roberts office, asking for his help to protect federal ARRA funds for Efficiency Kansas

The newly-formed Efficiency First Kansas City Chapter (as well as the EF national office) mobilized local companies to protect the funds. We’ve sent letters to Governor Brownback, and followed up with the Department of Energy in DC. And local member companies are meeting this week with the Governors office — as well as the Kansas congressional delegation. It’s still unclear whether there’s a possibility the funds can be restored. What IS for certain, though, is that the Home Performance industry in Kansas is coming together through their new Efficiency First Chapter and getting stronger, so that Home Performance companies will have a clear and unified voice in decisions about Kansas’s energy future.

Does your company work in Kansas? Click here to sign Efficiency First Kansas City’s letter in support of protecting the Efficiency Kansas funding.

And contact kansascity@efficiencyfirst.org to get involved.

Read the text of Efficiency First Kansas City’s letter to Gov. Brownback after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »

Redirecting to the New York On Bill Financing blog post.