Alliance Basic Fact Sheet

What is the Alliance to Save Energy?

The Alliance to Save Energy is a nonprofit coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit the environment, the economy, and national security.

When and Why Was it Founded?

Founded and co-chaired by Senators Charles H. Percy (R-Ill.) and Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.) in 1977, the Alliance was established on the heels of the energy crisis created by the Arab oil embargo. The senators and other decision makers and opinion leaders were concerned as Americans began to return to energy-wasteful lifestyles.

The Alliance brought together a virtual Who’s Who of leaders in the public and private sectors in a unified effort to promote a national commitment to energy efficient for a secure energy future.

With Gregory Peck as the Alliance spokesperson in a major public service advertising campaign, Let’s not blow it…America, in cooperation with the Advertising Council of America, and as narrator of a documentary on the impact of energy waste on four sectors of the economy, the Alliance took its energy-saving message out to the public—a mission it still fulfills today.

Board of Directors—Then and Now

The first high-profile board of directors and board of advisors were chaired by Sen. Percy and the Honorable Henry A. Kissinger, respectively. Chairmen emeriti include Sens. Daniel J. Evans, the late H. John Heinz III, and Timothy E. Wirth.

Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) currently serves as the Alliance Board’s honorary chair. Duke Energy President and CEO James E. Rogers serves as co-chair. Serving as honorary congressional vice chairs are Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), and Larry Craig (R-Idaho.) and Reps. Ralph Hall (R-Texas), Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), and Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.).

The board includes CEOs, presidents, and senior executives of companies, associations, consumer and environmental organizations, as well as officials from state government, universities, and law firms. Board members are voted in by the whole board.

Alliance Associates

Some 150 corporations and business trade associations work together through the Alliance to promote greater investment in cost-effective energy efficiency. Alliance Associates participate in a range of Alliance programs and activities, including international trade and investment, the Government Energy Leadership Action Team, and policy breakfasts with decision makers and other noted speakers.

Alliance Headquarters

Practicing what it preaches, the Alliance in July 1996 established an energy-efficient headquarters in the heart of the nation’s capital that was 50 percent more efficient than the typical office suite and showcased the latest lighting and other advanced technologies. In July 2006, the Alliance moved again, this time to offices designed and outfitted to achieve the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) Silver certification, a designation of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Working extensively with builders, engineers, architects, and Alliance Associates, the Alliance designed and remodeled the new office space to meet the stringent LEED-CI requirements. This included installing an integrated system of energy-efficient lighting hardware and software, optimizing the HVAC distribution system, purchasing materials with recycled content, and extensively re-using furnishings and materials. The Alliance received the LEED-CI certification in February 2008. Office tours are available.

Alliance Programs and Funding

For 31 years, the Alliance has worked to make the benefits of energy efficiency understood and practiced in the United States and around the world. The Alliance has worked with industry groups, utilities, financial institutions, government entities, individuals, corporations, foundations, and communities.

Its education, research, and advocacy programs and primary work is concentrated in the broad buildings, policy, international, and communications arenas. All programs emphasize that energy efficiency is the world’s most critical energy resource.

A strength of the Alliance is the ability to create partnerships and to bring various constituencies and parties together to advance the overall goal of moving the United States and the world toward a more energy-efficient, sustainable future. Funding comes from corporate contributions and grants from foundations and government agencies.

Its staff of about 50 in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. locations, as well as collaborators in countries throughout the world, includes economists, engineers, financial experts, public policy professionals and others who bring a wealth of experience in the private and public sectors to the Alliance and its energy efficiency issues.