By Brian Buckley | Tue, December 16, 14
Even the mighty black bear must take its yearly rest, arising as the winter’s snow melts away with a feeling of renewed vigor, eager to tackle the challenges of the coming spring.
Awakening from its own brief hiatus during 2013, NEEP’s Public Buildings Leadership Group has re-cemented its footings as a driver of collaborative processes to promote public sector energy efficiency throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in 2014.
Rumblings of this reawakening were evident to those stakeholders who attended its May 28 and September 10 webinars focusing on best practices for public building operation and maintenance. More recently, with its November 12 in-person meeting, the Public buildings Leadership Group reaffirmed its dedication to tackle exciting new challenges in the public sector.
Taking place at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Headquarters in Boston, the group welcomed additional community-level stakeholders to supplement state and national participants that historically composed the group. This new group of stakeholders represents a conscious shift, meant to reach deeper into communities and connect them to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Resources.
Focusing on a new series of challenges, NEEP helped facilitate a discussion around a number of public sector issues including: building energy benchmarking initiatives; methods for streamlining utility data access; building asset rating programs; revolving loan funds; and high efficiency street lighting conversion strategies.
Be on the lookout for more community-based resources from the Public Buildings Leadership Group as we make our way into 2015, and please reach out to BBuckley@NEEP.org if your community is interested in participating in the discussion.