Four cities on four continents will be honored as exemplars of energy efficiency leadership by the Alliance to Save Energy and the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance at the EE Global Forum during an awards luncheon at the Peabody Resort here today.

Selected by the 50+ member EE Global International Steering Committee (ISC) chaired by U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Schneider Electric U.S. President Jeff Drees, 2012 EE Visionary Award recipients Buffalo, N.Y.; Masdar City, United Arab Emirates; Melbourne, Australia; and Tuebingen, Germany are models for municipalities around the world that seek to use energy efficiency to cut energy consumption and save money. 

In addition to the award ceremony, the luncheon/plenary session (12:45-2:30 pm) will be addressed by Siemens Industry Inc.Vice President and Senior Advisor Bob Dixon in recognition of the company’s sponsorship of EE Global’s closing event.

“The EE Global Visionary Awards celebrate and showcase the people and places responsible for cutting-edge energy efficiency achievements that are leading the way in today’s global economy,” commented Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “We congratulate the winners for their outstanding contributions to the global advancement of energy efficiency – a key mission of the Alliance to Save Energy and of EE Global itself.”

Award Winners from Australia, Germany, United Arab Emirates, United States

• Buffalo, N.Y., and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc. – a growing medical and life science campus – are receiving the Americas award for creating a five-year Energy Innovation and economic development plan for the campus and surrounding residential community that integrates energy efficiency, grid modernization, alternative transportation and renewable energy. Cognizant of the medical campus’s impact on the city, campus officials worked with nearby residents, National Grid and campus institutions including Kaleida Health, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the University at Buffalo and the Global Energy Institute to create an impressive path toward energy efficiency. Medical Campus CEO Matthew Enstice will accept the award.
• Masdar City, United Arab Emirates (UAE), representing the Africa-Middle East region, is a low-carbon, low-energy and low-waste suburb emerging in Abu Dhabi to house over 40,000 residents and hundreds of businesses. As a test bed for innovation, Masdar City adheres to rigorous sustainability principles in every aspect of its urban planning and architectural design. Masdar uses Smart Grid and energy efficiency technologies to continually optimize and reduce energy usage. This living and working community achieved a 51% reduction in electricity consumption, 54% reduction in water consumption and 50% reduction in cooling needs compared to average consumption across the UAE. The city’s source for innovation is Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a top-class research university with a reputation for being at the forefront of clean technology development. Masdar Director of Sustainability Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany will accept the award.
• The Asia-Pacific region winner is Melbourne, Australia, whose 1200 Buildings initiative is seeking to boost energy efficiency in the city’s commercial buildings sector. It has sparked significant interest in Melbourne, with more than 200 buildings at varying stages in their retrofits. City of Melbourne and its partners developed a unique financial mechanism, which has been legislated by the Victorian Government. It provides property-secured financing, reducing the risk for financial institutions while giving owners access to capital. It also avoids split incentives between owners and tenants by allowing tenants to contribute to the cost of the efficiency upgrades and enjoy lower energy costs. The initiative is expected to result in up to $2 billion in private-sector investment, about 8,000 new jobs, a five-million-liter cut in potable water use and a 383,000-metric-ton cut in greenhouse gas emissions. Director Government Liaison, Victorian Government Americas Office, Libby Ferguson will accept the award on behalf of Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.
• This year’s European winner is the city of Tuebingen, Germany,whoseabsolute and per capita energy consumption decreased by 7% and 12%, respectively, between 2004 and 2009 – even as the city’s population grew by 5.3%. Spearheading much of the Tuebingen effort is Green Party Lord Mayor Boris Palmer, who will accept the award on his city’s behalf. A variety of community-based projects there – including a local energy conservation campaign called Tuebingen goes blue which transformed the city’s transportation system to include hybrid, electric and hydrogen buses – is one of the community-based projects that spark energy efficiency.

Media Contacts:

• Ronnie Kweller (Alliance to Save Energy) 202-530-2203; 202-276-9327
• Aurora Arlet (Edelman) 404-460-8578; 404-908-3186