GEED II: Setting the Stage for Federal Energy Efficiency Policy Recommendations

Date: Oct 10, 2012

At the Great Energy Efficiency Day - Part II (GEED II) on Oct. 3, 2012, members of the Alliance Commission on National Energy Efficiency Policy – a landmark taskforce led by the Alliance to Save Energy – unveiled research that will frame policy recommendations that the group will take to the federal government.

The EE Commission is a bipartisan group of leaders in politics, business, academia, and nonprofits from all economic sectors who are working together with the goal of identifying policies that they all agree can double U.S. energy productivity by 2030, and make the United States one of the most energy-efficient countries in the world.

“The Commission set an audacious goal… and we have a long way to go to become the most energy-efficient economy in the world,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “But the Commission’s recommendations will stand on what can be adopted, what is actionable, and what is implementable.”

At GEED II, which was sponsored by National Grid, the EE Commission revealed successful public policies that will serve as models for “next generation” energy efficiency policies, and discussed energy policy pitfalls that the nation should eschew. The the EE Commission will make policy recommendations based on the research to the next administration and 113^th Congress in early 2013.

A Blueprint for the U.S. to Double Energy Productivity

“This issue of energy productivity is a central plank in the nation’s energy policy,” said Susan Tierney, managing principal at Analysis Group and EE Commission member.

Tierny led a roundtable discussion on the EE Commission’s new research reports to explore how current practices in investment, technology, human behavior, and systems integration are helping – and hurting – energy productivity, and what the government can do about it.

Power Generation

Dr. Dan Arvizu, director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, explained that the electricity sector’s generation capacity is twice as much as national energy consumption. “This business model is inefficient,” he said simply, adding that smart grid technologies offer the greatest potential to help the electric sector reach the level of efficiency needed to double U.S. energy productivity. Arvizo stressed that change will only stick if it is market-driven. And for this market change to occur, the federal government must enact policies that reduce the risk of private-sector investment in energy-efficient technologies.

Manufacturing

Susan Story, president and CEO of Southern Company Services, discussed the need for energy efficiency in U.S. manufacturing in order to boost energy productivity and the economy. “Higher industrial productivity can lead to stronger businesses with higher paying jobs right here in the U.S. if we do it correctly.” And doing it correctly, according to Story and research by the EE Commission, means industry structure, as well as tax and depreciation rules, must change. Strong energy policies in manufacturing also are needed to support waste-heat recovery and energy management systems.

Buildings

Curt Rich, vice president of energy and environmental policy at United Technologies Corporation, reminded the audience that homes and buildings account for 40% of all U.S. energy use. But new and existing buildings can become energy-efficient enough to allow for a doubling of U.S. energy output through policies that support energy building codes, energy-efficient building technologies, and energy efficiency retrofits. Policies to educate the people who live and work in those buildings are essential. “In advancing building energy efficiency, particularly in the residential sector, policies that allow consumers to make the right choices are incredibly important,” Rich said.

Transportation

Anthony Eggert, executive director of the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy at UC Davis, said that doubling U.S. energy productivity by way of the transportation sector lies in making vehicles more efficient – mostly via conventional, “off-the-shelf” technologies, but also with electric drive vehicles – as well as making improvements in infrastructure so our homes, jobs, and entertainment are more accessible. “Investment incentives and technical guidance for doing really good land-use and transportation planning at the state, regional and local level will provide opportunities to improve the efficiency of our land-use patterns,” Eggert said. “The government can act as a leader in terms of its procurement strategy – what it chooses to buy for its transportation services – as well as where it sites government buildings,” he added.

Keynote Remarks from the White House & Department of Energy

In addition to sharing results from EE Commission research, GEED II featured keynote remarks from White House Council on Environmental Quality Deputy Director Gary Guzy on the administration’s extensive efforts to bring energy efficiency to the forefront. Guzy noted that the White House sees energy efficiency as such a valuable resource that it pushed forward initiatives like the Green Button, which makes home energy data available to 36 million consumers, and a recent executive order that accelerates investment in industrial energy efficiency equipment and systems. “Promoting energy efficiency is a sensible way of meeting the country’s challenges. Whether it’s new energy efficiency standards for appliances or new fuel efficiency standards for the vehicles that we drive, this is something that just makes sense,” Guzy said.

At GEED II, the Alliance also honored Roland Risser, building technologies program manager in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the U.S. Department of Energy, with an “unsung hero” award. The Unsung Hero Award series is bestowed upon individuals who have advanced the cause of energy efficiency but have yet to be recognized in measure to their contributions. Risser was awarded for his decades-long dedication to the energy efficiency movement, which includes pioneering advanced building technologies, accelerating codes and standards, and promoting highly efficient commercial buildings and homes. In his keynote remarks, Risser said that EERE’s current priorities focus on advancing electric-drive vehicles and power grid integration, as well as bringing technology to the market, especially in manufacturing.

About GEED

This year marked the Alliance’s 10^th installment of the GEED, a biannual event known as the “go-to” public discussion in the nation’s capital on the most pressing issues and advances in energy efficiency, including the cross-cutting benefits of – and need for – energy efficiency in all areas of the economy. GEED draws hundreds of stakeholders from business, industry, government, academia, and media.

GEED II was held on Capitol Hill, and in conjunction with the 20^th annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards Dinner.