Highlights from the Alliance's September 17 policy summit, "All Roads to Copenhagen are Paved with Energy Efficiency"
Tom King, president of National Grid USA, best described the task at hand: "When it comes to Copenhagen, all eyes are on the U.S."
The world is watching. So what will its largest polluter and energy consumer bring to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December? According to public and private sector speakers gathered at the Alliance's September 17 policy summit, the U.S. has the potential to put forward a serious climate mitigation strategy founded on energy efficiency - if policy leaders can process a climate and energy bill that aims to lower emissions while simultaneously kick-starting the economy.
While Congress works through the intricacies of climate and energy legislation, utilities are seeking ways to serve their customers, strengthen business and lower emissions - all at once. A difficult but not impossible task, says Jim Rogers, Alliance industry co-chair and CEO of Duke Energy, who believes all citizens can and should have "universal access to energy efficiency". Dave Parker, president & CEO of the American Gas Association, agreed with Rogers that delivering energy efficiently is good for business, while Ken Ostrowski, director of renowned management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, drew attention to strategies for overcoming the common market barriers impeding this goal.
You can see presentations from the Summit on the agenda page.
The summit's business panel hosted executive-level leaders from companies leveraging energy efficiency's huge ROI. Google's Director of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Dan Reicher discussed the merger of IT and "EE", as seen in the search engine giant's Google PowerMeter, which analyzes home energy consumption. 3M Company Senior Vice President of Corporate Supply Chain Operations John Woodworth; President, Building Systems and Services, Carrier Corporation, UTC, Kelly Romano; ExxonMobil's Corporate Environmental Manager Rick Mire, and AT&T's Chief Marketing Officer William Archer further expanded the panel's collective portfolio of energy efficiency best business practices. Karen Harbert, president & CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, moderated the panel.
The summit's labor and public interest panel hosted President of the Natural Resources Defense Council Frances Beinecke and Executive Director of labor coalition Change to Win Chris Chafe, who reminded the audience that energy efficiency is as much an asset to citizens and the environment as it is to bottom lines. Beinecke urged business and policy leaders to consider China the next frontier for energy efficiency endeavors and carbon-cutting strategies, while Chafe reinforced the crucial role of American labor in any and all climate and energy policy strategies. Labor unions will provide the hands-on expertise that builds energy efficiency into the economy, Chafe declared.
Keynote remarks from five public sector leaders provided the summit's policy framework, beginning with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar's briefing on the government's current energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. Cathy Zoi, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Office expressed her excitement over President Obama's keen focus on energy efficiency strategies. Assistant Secretary Zoi also revealed an innovative new plan to accelerate deployment of energy efficiency nationwide: DOE's Retrofit Ramp-up, which is currently seeking best practices and community-based models for speedy, holistic energy efficiency initiatives.
In Mexico, energy efficiency is forming the basis of new low-income housing strategies, said Victor Borras-Setien, general director of the National Fund for Housing (INFONAVIT), and Evangelina Hirata, deputy general director of Mexico's National Housing Commission (CONAVI). INFONAVIT and CONAVI were joint recipients of the Alliance's Innovative Star Award for their energy efficiency housing strategies in Mexico, which have helped thousands of Mexicans afford mortgages for energy-efficient homes through a national green mortgage scheme.
Further afield in India, a burgeoning economy is discovering the cost-effective merits of energy efficiency policies, says Suresh Prabhu, former member of parliament and union minister for power. Recognized for having crafted the country's first piece of environmental and energy legislation, Minister Prabhu is confident that energy efficiency will buttress much of India's environmental and economic policies for years to come.
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