Highlights from the 2009 Northeast Energy Efficiency Summit
by Catherine Stanley, Communications Manager
On May 27 and 28, NEEP hosted its fourth annual Northeast Energy Efficiency Summit. Nearly 300 participants including influential policymakers, business leaders, efficiency advocates and efficiency program administrators gathered in Albany, New York to discuss the Summit’s theme: Maximizing the Efficiency Solution. This day long event featured an in depth conference, efficiency exhibits and a luncheon celebration honoring regional business commitments to advancing efficiency.
NEEP thanks everyone who made the 2009 Summit a great success including our sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, municipal leaders and business leaders. For complete details about the Summit, please visit the Summit website.
The Summit kicked off with a series of opening remarks from several major voices for efficiency in the Northeast region. Garry Brown, Chairman of the New York Public Service Commission, called efficiency the “cheapest, best, most environmentally compatible resource” available to address our energy needs. Likewise, Paul DeCotis, New York’s Deputy Secretary of Energy, told the audience that energy efficiency will support the “new economy of the future.” And Penni McLean-Conner, Vice President of Customer Care for NSTAR (and NEEP Board President) discussed the value of partnerships in advancing energy efficiency to address our energy, environmental and economic needs. In particular, Penni noted that we are in “unprecedented times” where “talk [of efficiency] is now being turned into action” through the adoption of national, regional and state policies. She went on to tell the audience that as we prepare to take efficiency programming to the next level in response to an increased policy effort, the regional collaboration facilitated by NEEP will help all parties in the Northeast set direction, establish consistent strategies and definitions, and coordinate the research of new technologies.
Summit participants were also welcomed by New York Governor David Paterson who noted, via a videotaped message, that maximizing energy efficiency is important because it addresses a convergence of issues including a sinking economy and rising energy prices. Saying that “we need to change the way we do business [and] the way we produce and use energy,” Gov. Paterson remarked that energy efficiency will help us to be “at peace with our environment as we move forward with our energy needs.”
From left to right: Frank Murray, President, NYSERDA; Garry Brown, Chairman, NY Public Service Commission; Penni McLean-Conner, VP of Customer Care, NSTAR
Keynote speaker Frank Murray, President of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority spoke of New York’s efforts to advance energy efficiency. He also told the Summit audience that regional cooperation is an “essential element of [the State’s] strategy” to increase energy efficiency. He noted that the region has an obligation to seize this opportunity of intense focus on energy efficiency to transform our economy, protect our environment and establish a sustainable, intelligent energy policy for the future.
Following the keynote address, the Summit focus turned to successful examples of energy efficiency applications in practice. In this session, panelists talked about the approaches, challenges, successes and opportunities in applying technologies and best practices to maximize energy efficiency in a variety of sectors.
Bridgett Neely, New York City Economic Development Corporation
Bridgett Neely of the New York City Economic Development Corporation opened the conversation by detailing New York City’s efforts to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Because 79 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in New York City come from the energy used in buildings, the City has made efficiency in existing buildings a top priority. The City is addressing many obstacles including accessing capital, split incentives, lack of data, and workforce needs through leadership by example with a goal to decrease energy consumption in municipal buildings by 30 percent by 2017. Additionally, Neely explained that four bills have recently been introduced within the City Council focused on shifting the market for efficiency in buildings in New York City. These include policies to eliminate building energy code loopholes, require energy benchmarking, mandate lighting efficiency upgrades at the time of renovations and a requirement for mandatory building audits and retrofits for central energy systems.
Also on the Applications Panel, Rich Lechner from IBM discussed efforts to make IT systems and data centers more efficient. Noting that IT energy expenses are expected to increase by 35 percent in the next four years, Lechner cited examples of organizations and companies who have applied energy efficiency to IT areas to reduce costs by up to 40 percent per year.
Similarly, panelist Frank Marella of Sharp Electronics Corporation outlined for the Summit audience his company’s commitment to designing, manufacturing and selling high efficiency televisions. In addition to discussing Sharp’s “super green” product strategy and “super green” factory, Marella highlighted Sharp’s focus on proper product recycling.
David Thurm, Sr. VP of Operations, New York Times
During the morning program, NEEP recognized two municipalities for their commitments to energy efficiency: the Town of Andover, Massachusetts and the Village of Amityville, New York. This year’s Summit luncheon honored ten businesses for their leadership to implement energy saving measures and achieve demonstrated cost reductions and productivity improvements. New York Congressman Paul Tonko was on hand to welcome attendees to the luncheon and to “thank [the business leaders] for providing inspiration to policy” makers to commit to energy efficiency. Following Rep. Tonko, David Thurm, Senior Vice President of Operations at the New York Times, spoke about the efficiency features of the paper’s new headquarters building, noting that innovative design and technology to maximize efficiency is possible due to public/private partnerships.
For a full list of the 2009 Northeast Business Leaders for Energy Efficiency, and to view short video clips about their achievements, please visit www.neep.org/Summit.
From left to right: Richard Sedano, Regulatory Assistance Project; Amy Ignatius, NH Office of Energy and Planning; Stefanie Brand, New Jersey Rate Counsel; Garry Brown, NY Public Service Commission; Tim Woolf, MA Department of Public Utilities
The Summit’s afternoon session focused on energy efficiency policy issues across the Northeast. In a roundtable style, participants discussed their experiences and impressions about policies to maximize the energy efficiency solution. Amy Ignatius, Director of the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning; Tim Woolf, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities; Garry Brown, Chairman of the New York Public Service Commission; and Stefanie Brand, Director of the New Jersey Rate Counsel discussed topics including the ramp up to deliver increased efficiency; the smart grid; cost effectiveness; efficiency program incentives; and whole building approaches.
Tom King, Executive Director of Electricity Distribution and Generation for National Grid USA
Finally, the 2009 Summit concluded with a call to action by closing keynote speaker, Tom King, Executive Director of Electricity Distribution and Generation for National Grid USA. King declared that “energy efficiency should be the cornerstone of a national approach” to combat climate change, saying that success in advancing efficiency will “be about the action we take collectively.” King called on the audience to “be aggressive” and to treat efficiency as a “first dispatch resource” to address economic and environmental challenges.
For more information about the Summit including a full list of sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and to register online, please visit http://www.neep.org/Summit
