Seen & Heard: An overview of NEEP's activities in the field
This quarter, NEEP staff participated in many meetings, conferences and other public forums around the region. Here is a sample of places NEEP staff were "Seen and Heard" in the first few months of 2008.
Executive Director
Sue Coakley continues to participate in the New Jersey Master Planning process to reduce the state's energy consumption by 20 percent. She is leading a team of consultants and other project partners including utilities, advocates and energy service companies to develop a program strategy.
To maximize regional partnerships for energy efficiency, Sue Coakley has also lead a range of meetings with NEEP sponsors across the region to discuss plans for 2008.
Finally, Sue participated as a guest lecturer at both Fordham University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the topic of building energy codes and standards.
Regional Initiatives Team
Residential Programs Manager Melissa Lucas led the ENERGY STAR Products Working Group Meeting (at National Grid, Northborough, Mass.) and the High Efficiency Home Solutions Working Group Meeting (at NSTAR, Westwood, Mass.), both this March. David Lis, Initiatives Program Associate also participated in those meetings and attended the Consortium for Energy Efficiency 's (CEE) Program Meetings in Long Beach, Calif. in January.
Research and Evaluation Manager Elizabeth Titus participated in the Association for Energy Service Professionals (AESP) Annual Conference in Florida in January by presenting a poster, chairing the annual meeting of the Evaluation and Market Research and Greenhouse Gas Topic Committee and by moderating the evaluation session on Protocols. Elizabeth also facilitated two ENERGY STAR Windows retailer training sessions in February (in Delaware and Illinois) and in March she participated in the Massachusetts All Energy Efficiency Parties meeting to address policy and planning procedures.
Public Policy Team
NEEP staff was invited to participate in climate change action advisory committees in two states during the first quarter. Public Policy Director Jim O’Reilly brought recommendations for building energy efficiency through codes and progressive codes to the New Hampshire Climate Change Task Force Working Group on Residential, Commercial and Industrial Buildings, which commenced its work in February, and was also asked to contribute building energy code and appliance standards strategies to a Climate Change Task Force meeting convened by the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources in January.
Public Policy Outreach Manager Julie Michals was asked to present on the topic of measurement and verification in the ISO New England Forward Capacity Market during the annual National Energy Services Conference and Exposition hosted by the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP) in January in Clearwater, Fla.
Public Policy Director Jim O’Reilly and Policy Outreach Manager Julie Michals were invited to participate in a meeting on March 27 in Boston convened by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 office, Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) and the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources (DOER) to address “Regional Strategies for Advancing Energy Efficiency in the Northeast.” Julie Michals was one of the session’s presenters, discussing both the role for common measurement and verification protocols and NEEP’s regional activities.
NEEP Building Technologies Team Leader Don Fudge was a presenter on the topic of “Green Grow the Buildings…Sector by Sector,” at the annual ACEEE Market Transformation Symposium in Washington, D.C. in late March.
Policy Research Analyst Natalie Lovett testified before the New Hampshire legislature’s Committee on Science, Technology and Energy Committee on January 10 to make allocation recommendations for the proceeds of that state’s share of allowance proceeds from its participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and followed up that testimony at the request of a committee member by providing written recommendations on additional strategies to capture more savings from energy efficiency. She also presented comments to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection on its proposed regulations relative to RGGI.
On February 28, Codes Project Manager Isaac Elnecave testified in front of the Business, Research and Economic Development Committee of the Maine Legislature. The testimony focused on bill LD 2179, “An Act to Promote Residential and Commercial Energy Conservation.” LD 2179 would make the International Energy Conservation Code the statewide code, require an automatic upgrade whenever the national model code was upgraded and establish requirements for inspections by trained and certified energy code inspectors. NEEP testified in favor of the legislation and added suggestions that the energy code add a section for an “informative appendix” that would contain a code 30 percent more stringent than the national model code.
NEEP was seen and heard as a sponsor of the 30% Solution at the International Codes Council Energy Committee hearings during February in Palm Springs, Fla; Codes Project Manager Don Vigneau represented the input of Northeast states. Many of the advanced efficiency code change proposals were favorably received, and recommended by the Committee for approval by the membership in September. NEEP's Don Vigneau has also participated in the Massachusetts Energy Advisory Committee deliberations as they consider further recommendations to the Bureau of Building regulations & Codes (BBRS) for updates to Mass. energy codes.
In January, High Performance Schools Exchange Manager Carolyn Sarno participated in a National CHPS Strategic Planning meeting and a CA-CHPS Climate Change stakeholders meeting. She was invited by the EPA regional one office to take part in a panel at the Rhode Island league of Cities and Towns Conference, and she participated in a presentation to the City of Keene, New Hampshire's Cities for Climate Protection Build Smart Workshop. In February Carolyn was a guest lecturer at the Rhode Island School of Design. She also made presentations on high performance schools to the City of Claremont, NH; the King Open SChool (Cambridge, Mass.); and the Vermont Green Building Network's Annual Conference. Furthermore, in March, Carolyn took part in the New England School Development Council (NESDC) planning committee for their fall conference.
