Alliance Recognizes Unsung Energy Efficiency Hero: Dub Taylor
Regional Hero Added to the Energy Efficiency Hall of Fame
Each year, in conjunction with the Great Energy Efficiency Day, the Alliance recognizes up to three unsung heroes who have dedicated their careers to the pursuit of an energy-efficient world. Most recently the Alliance was able to formally bestow that honor on William “Dub” E. Taylor, the director of the Texas State Energy Conservation Office. On Dec. 3rd, Brian Castelli, Alliance executive vice president, presented Dub with the Unsung Hero Award for his dedication in front of his peers at the National Association of State Energy Officers – an honor he originally won back in 2010. Dub joins 26 other unsung heroes in our Energy Efficiency Hall of Fame, but is the first regional recipient of the award in its nine-year existence.
Big Energy Efforts in the Big State
Texas is the nation’s second largest state and consumes over 11,000 trillion Btu of energy each year, about 12% of the country’s energy consumption according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), so energy efficiency is paramount. Dub has pursued efficiency strategies within his home state with initiatives ranging from upgrading HVAC systems in public schools to promoting the Lone STAR energy efficiency program. Between the years of 2001-2009, these programs have helped to save over 1.8 million dollars in electricity savings and Texas saw all sectors - transportation, residential, and industrial - decrease their demand for energy. By promoting ground-level dissemination of information through educational workshops and materials, Dub’s energy office was able to garner higher levels of understanding and compliance-support for regulations to achieve energy efficiency. These pioneering programs set the standard by which others can follow, and exemplary leaders like Dub provide a pathway for all states to follow. We applaud this effort and thank Dub for driving these and other initiatives.
This article was made possible by contributions from Ashley Paulsworth.
