Alliance to Save Energy Congratulates Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance for Spurring Efficiency in Its Region With $500K Award to Charlottesville, Albemarle Co., Va.

Washington, D.C., July 20, 2009 – The Alliance to Save Energy today congratulated the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) for significantly advancing energy efficiency in its region by awarding Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Va., $500,000 for their winning entry in a regional competition to save energy and money and create jobs.

A panel of national experts selected theirs among 16 proposals submitted based on depth of community involvement and support, comprehensiveness and innovation in program design, and reasonableness of project objectives.

Alliance President Kateri Callahan, a member of the SEEA Board of Directors who also served on the proposal review committee, commented, “SEEA’s competition is a bold and creative way to further energy efficiency in the Southeast, an area that has not yet lived up to its potential for using energy efficiency to spur economic development while protecting the environment, extending our nation’s limited energy supplies, and enhancing our national energy security.

“As a kindred organization that was instrumental in SEEA’s own creation, the Alliance to Save Energy Save Energy takes great pride in SEEA’s latest initiative to seed and catalyze expanded energy efficiency in its region,” Callahan added.

Charlottesville and Albemarle County drew on the best energy efficiency programs and practices from around the country to create the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) that will feature building retrofits and renewable energy technologies in all end-use sectors. LEAP is designed to save money for consumers and businesses by achieving unprecedented energy and water savings as it also reduces carbon emissions and creates jobs.

Both of the jurisdictions will supplement the SEEA award with federal economic stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. LEAP programs are expected to be in place by early 2010.

SEEA will provide technical assistance to the winning city and county as well as to the other 15 entities that submitted proposals: Asheville, N.C.; Bowling Green, Ky.; Charleston, S.C.; Decatur, Ga.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Huntsville, Ala.; Miami, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; Jacksonville, Fla; Baldwin County, Ala.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Celebration, Fla.; Bessemer, Ala.; Plug In Carolina; and Renewable Energy Mississippi.

The award is funded by the Kresge Foundation, Kendeda Fund, Overbrook Foundation, and Southern Company Charitable Foundation, Inc.

For further details about the competition and the winning entry, see SEEA’s news release at www.seealliance.org.