Details are still being worked out between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE), but I wanted to share the update with you ASAP.

Help us say thanks:

Send a thank you note to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and ask them to finalize the agreement soon.

Late last year, we asked you to endorse our letter urging EPA and DOE to reconsider their decision to discontinue use of the ENERGY STAR label, now that Home Performance with ENERGY STAR has moved to DOE Management. Almost 500 companies endorsed the petition — and it looks like they’ve listened.

Click here to send your thank you note.

This is a testament to the work we can do as an industry when we act together.

There’s no doubt, of course, that we have larger challenges ahead of us to grow the building performance industry and retrofit America’s homes. I’m looking forward to working with all of you on those solutions.

View our press release here.

Best,

Jay Murdoch
Efficiency First

Efficiency First is supported by our members: home performance companies and industry allies all across America.

Not a member? Visit www.efficiencyfirst.org/join to learn more and sign up.

Get Local: Learn about Efficiency First chapters in your area, and opportunities to work with other home performance companies on industry growth initiatives: www.efficiencyfirst.org/chapters.

Member benefits: Efficiency First members have access to special members-only benefits: discounts on tech tools, trainings, conferences, branding and web services, business insurance, debt collection and more.

Take advantage of these deals by visiting www.efficiencyfirst.org/home/member-benefits.

CSG chosen to provide quality assurance for BPI Accredited Contractors

Malta, NY, January 2, 2012 - The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) has selected three organizations to provide Quality Assurance (QA) services nationally to its Accredited Contractor network. The National Quality Assurance Providers are Conservation Services Group, Energy and Environmental Training Center of Kansas City, and Everblue Energy, Inc. 
“BPI is proud to announce our partnership with these three organizations that have each been widely recognized for their outstanding delivery of quality assurance services in home performance,” said Larry Zarker, BPI CEO. “With the growth of BPI’s Accredited Contractor network across the nation comes our obligation to provide rigorous third-party QA services the market demands. BPI staff can’t be everywhere at once. Thus we are confident that these three firms will provide the quality assurance in their respective regions the industry needs to maintain BPI’s standards.”
As part of BPI Accreditation, these firms will deliver QA services that ensure adherence to BPI Standards and Accreditation requirements. They will conduct QA home visits for a minimum of five percent of annual work volume of jobs completed by Accredited Contractors, as well as a Quality Management Introduction (QMI) office visit and an annual QA office visit. In addition, they will provide detailed recommendations to enhance contractors’ QA infrastructure.

Service territories

• Conservation Services Group: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington.
• Energy and Environmental Training Center of Kansas City: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
• Everblue Energy, Inc: Alabama, California, Delaware, District of Columbia (DC), Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia.
• BPI will continue to cover New York. 

About BPI Accreditation and QA

BPI Accreditation gives contractors the edge against low-bid competition. It differentiates contracting companies by offering clients house-as-a-system solutions backed by building science and a third-party Quality Assurance Program. Accreditation helps contractors expand their business model and earn more revenue doing home performance assessments and home energy retrofits.    
 

About the Building Performance Institute
The Building Performance Institute, Inc., (BPI) is the nation’s premier building performance credentialing, quality assurance and standards setting organization. BPI develops technical standards using an open, transparent, consensus-based process built on sound building science. BPI is approved by the American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) as an accredited developer of American National Standards.  
 

BPI offers the following:  

• National standards to ensure top quality, consistent protocols are being followed throughout the home performance and weatherization workforce
• Certification of individuals in building analyst, heating, AC/heat pump, shell/envelope and multi-family designations
• Accreditation of contracting companies committed to delivering quality home performance improvements
• Quality assurance to verify conformance with BPI Standards and provide feedback for continuing improvement
• Partnership with testing organizations that deliver BPI services in their market 

__________________________________________________________________________

Looking for a job in the home performance industry?

Visit BPI’s Green Jobs Connection Page!
 

See green collar job opportunities at:

- Jobs with Accredited Contracting Companies

- Jobs with Industry Partners

- Companies Seeking Certified Professionals

- Jobs with BPI

 
Looking for qualified workers?
Check out our list of BPI certified professionals seeking employment.  
__________________________________________________________________________ 

For more information on BPI, visit www.bpi.org.
Building Performance Institute, Inc.
107 Hermes Road, Suite 110
Malta, NY 12020
Phone: (877) 274-1274
Fax: (866) 777-1274
info@bpi.org
www.bpi.org

For the full story or to listen to the interview click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBWi3NtND68&feature=youtu.be

Syndicated columnist

Full story at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2016599564_harney30.html 

Columbia Basin Bulletin

Report Shows Energy Efficiency Efforts In 2010 Marked Biggest Megawatt
Savings Gain In 30 Years

Posted on Friday, October 14, 2011 (PST)

Increased conservation during 2010 by Pacific Northwest electricity
users saved 254 average megawatts, the equivalent annual power use of
153,900 homes, according to the annual “Utility Conservation
Achievements Report” released this week by the Northwest Power and
Conservation Council and Regional Technical Forum.

That’s the biggest one-year gain since regional energy-efficiency
programs began more than 30 years ago.

The 2010 savings bring the region’s total since 1978, when energy-
efficiency programs began in the Northwest, to 4,600 average megawatts
- enough power for four cities the size of Seattle. Those total savings
equal what was needed in 2009 to power the states of Idaho and Montana
combined.

The measures implemented in 2010 saved Northwest electricity ratepayers
$135 million and will produce the same amount of savings every year for
the next 15-20 years, at least.

“The efficiencies you make in one year continue to save energy” in
succeeding years, said Terry Morlan, the Council’s Power Planning
Division director. The report was previewed by NPCC energy policy
analyst Gillian Charles, conservation resources manager Tom Eckman and
senior power division analyst Charlie Grist Wednesday during the
Council’s meeting in Portland.

Overall utilities spent about $389 million to achieve the $135 million
in savings in 2010, but the investments made last year will continue to
bring savings in the years to come and very soon pay for themselves.

The Council and RTF, an advisory committee established in 1999 to
verify and evaluate electric energy efficiency savings, calculated the
savings from the results of a survey of the region’s electric
utilities, the Energy Trust of Oregon, the Northwest Energy Efficiency
Alliance, and the Bonneville Power Administration.

The fiscal year/calendar year 2010 survey represents the activities of
76 utilities serving over ninety-eight percent of the region’s retail
electricity sales. The RTF has not independently verified the reported
savings and expenditures.

The 2010 savings surpassed the Council’s target for the year in its
Northwest Power Plan, 200 average megawatts, by 25 percent. Regional
energy conservation achievements have surpassed power plan targets in
every year since 2005.

The Council revises its power plan every five years, forecasting energy
demand 20 years into the future and recommending a mix of electricity
resources to meet that demand. The current plan is for the years
2009-2029.

To see summaries and individual utility reports for 2010 go to:

http://www.nwcouncil.org/energy/rtf/consreport/2010/

The savings occur when electricity is used more efficiently – using
less power to accomplish the same tasks. Those saving can be gain by
replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents or LED
bulbs, which produce the same amount of light with less electricity, in
homes, businesses, and industries, and also by improving insulation or
replacing windows in buildings so less power is needed to heat or cool
them.

Replacing inefficient motors, pumps, furnaces, and other types of
machinery also yields energy savings, as do changes in how much energy

is used during the day, such as through programmable thermostats. The
RTF has identified 90 measures that improve electric energy efficiency.

Other highlights include:

–The average cost of the efficiency to utilities in 2010 was 1.7 cents
per kilowatt-hour. The average cost of power from new generating plants
that use wind or natural gas is much more expensive – between 9 cents
and 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.

– Among the various sectors of electricity use, the biggest
improvements in 2010 were in commercial businesses and industries.
Those two sectors together accounted for half of the savings.

– Residential improvements accounted for 28 percent of the savings.
Most of the residential improvements were in lighting.

– Improved efficiency of products such as water heaters, furnaces,
clothes washers and other equipment, which is tracked by the Northwest
Energy Efficiency Alliance, accounted for 18 percent of the total.

The Council’s 20-year Northwest Power Plan, which is implemented by the
federal Bonneville Power Administration, the largest electricity
supplier in the region, calls for meeting 85 percent of the growth in
demand for power through 2029 with energy efficiency. The plan, which
also serves as a guide for investor-owned utilities, includes targets
for efficiency improvements.

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is a compact of the states
of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington and is directed by the
Northwest Power Act of 1980 to prepare a power plan to assure the
Northwest region an adequate, efficient, economical, and reliable
electricity supply and a companion program to protect, mitigate, and
enhance fish and wildlife of the Columbia River Basin affected by
hydropower dams.

http://www.cbbulletin.com/413271.aspx

Full Article Here:

http://www.jetsongreen.com/2011/09/appraiser-addendum-energy-efficient-home.html

This is right down our alley and well worth considering.
Registration will be smoothest if you do it on line by Friday 9/9.’

See

www.builtgreenconference.com

Full Story: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=570

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today are announcing for the first time products recognized as the most energy-efficient in their categories among those that have earned the Energy Star label. This pilot program is part of Energy Star’s overall commitment to protect people’s health and the environment by encouraging energy efficiency. The “Most Efficient” initiative also continues Energy Star’s work to provide consumers with the best efficiency information so they can make investments that will lower their energy bills and environmental impact. The new designation of Most Efficient aims to provide all manufacturers with an incentive for greater product energy efficiency while providing consumers new information about the products that comprise the top tier in the categories.

“This new designation will help Americans save money and cut pollution by quickly pointing them to the best Energy Star products have to offer. Highlighting Energy Star’s Most Efficient products is a great way to encourage the strides in innovation that bring even more energy and money saving choices to our stores,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We know American consumers are eager to make purchases that save them money on their utility bills and reduce the pollution in the air we breathe, and these labels will help them identify the best ways to find those purchases.”

“Over the last two decades, the Energy Star program has consistently offered consumers energy choices that have helped families save billions of dollars on their energy bills,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “The new Most Efficient designation is the next step towards encouraging new, more energy-efficient products to enter the market, so that consumers will have even more choices when it comes to high performance, high efficiency products that will save them energy and money.”

Products that receive the Most Efficient designation demonstrate exceptional and cutting-edge efficiency performance that environmentally-minded consumers and early adopters value. The Most Efficient recognition will represent approximately the top five percent of models on the market in the following categories: clothes washers, heating and cooling equipment, televisions, and refrigerator-freezers. The following Energy Star partners’ products are among the first to be recognized as Most Efficient: Electrolux Major Appliances, Sears’ Kenmore, LG, Samsung, Best Buy’s Insignia Brand, Panasonic, Nordyne, and Rheem. Later this year, EPA will initiate a process to consider additional product categories for potential inclusion in 2012.

Consumers will be able to identify Most Efficient products on the Energy Star website and in stores by looking for the Most Efficient designation. In addition to meeting established performance requirements, products must also be Energy Star qualified and certified by an EPA-recognized certification body. Manufacturers are encouraged to submit products that meet the requirements to EPA for recognition.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help Americans save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings that meet strict energy efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved $18 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to annual emissions of 33 million vehicles.

Full Story: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=570

RESNET Executive Director Steve Baden Appointed to Efficiency First’s Home Performance Resource Center

The Home Performance Resource Center was formed by Efficiency First as a national not-for-profit organization formed to conduct research and education concerning the field of home energyperformance.

Steve Baden, executive director of RESNET was appointed by Efficiency First to serve on the board of directors of the center.

The Home Performance Resource Center conducts research and documents home performance-related issues for government policymakers, residential energy efficiency program managers and industry stakeholders to promote job creation, economic recovery, lower household energy bills and deep reductions in residential carbon emissions through improved home energy efficiency.

To accomplish this, the center’s activities include:

• Documentation of the value of whole house approach to existing home energy efficiency improvements
• Access to and insight from forward-thinking, successful and emerging home performance companies
• Data collection, summary, analysis and presentation of contractor-driven best practices and metrics for energy efficiency performance, workforce development
• Creation of solutions to emerging challenges to achieve comprehensive home energy efficiency goals at the national, utility and state level

The center’s chairman, Matt Golden commented, “The Home Performance Resource Center is committed to helping advance all facets of residential energy efficiency.  The addition of Steve Baden will add important perspectives and experience to this diverse organization to ensure our research and education efforts remain inclusive and effective.”