“Great Energy Efficiency Day and the Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency awards dinner both showcase the value of leading with energy efficiency in all aspects of the transformation to a modern energy economy. Today is an important day, signaling great opportunities ahead for U.S. leadership on energy policy in the years and decades to come.” - Kateri Callahan, President, Alliance to Save Energy

Key points:

●      Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz awarded with prestigious Charles H. Percy Award for Public Service in recognition of his unparalleled record of advancing energy efficiency while at the Department of Energy.

●      Moniz joins Johnson Controls, Staples, TVA, SMUD, View Glass, and Guy Van Syckle as awardees at 24th annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency in Washington, D.C.

●      Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) address private and public industry attendees of Great Energy Efficiency Day in Washington, D.C., previewing the playbook for passage of the comprehensive energy bill this year.

As legislators this fall negotiate the first comprehensive energy bill in a decade -- and with the path to enactment lit by strong efficiency provisions -- leaders from government and private industry, including Alliance Honorary Chair Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and a host of other government and business leaders are set to participate in Alliance to Save Energy hosted-events today aimed at ramping up support for energy efficiency policy advancement.

The Alliance to Save Energy will kick off the day with Great Energy Efficiency Day (GEED), a public discussion on the need for, and benefits of, energy efficiency. This year’s GEED is titled “The Role of Energy Efficiency in an Integrated Grid,” and will convene leaders from across the country and sectors to discuss the ways that energy efficiency will be used as a foundation to the building of a 21^st century electric system.

The day will conclude with the Alliance’s 24th annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency awards dinner, welcoming more than 400 leaders from industry, government and nonprofit sectors to recognize a host of trailblazers for their significant and tangible advancements of energy efficiency in the U.S. and around the world.

Alliance to Save Energy president Kateri Callahan said, “Energy efficiency – using less, doing more – will be a key ingredient in the collective and bipartisan march toward passage of long-awaited comprehensive energy legislation. Great Energy Efficiency Day and the Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency awards dinner both showcase the value of leading with energy efficiency in all aspects of the transformation to a modern energy economy. Today is an important day, signaling great opportunities ahead for U.S. leadership on energy policy in the years and decades to come.”

Great Energy Efficiency Day

The day begins with Senator and Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) providing keynotes during the Great Energy Efficiency Day (GEED), discussing the event’s theme concerning how energy efficiency will factor in an integrated grid, as well as previewing the playbook for passage of the pending energy bill. Both Murkowski and Kinzinger are members of the comprehensive energy bill conference committee and notably serve as Honorary members of the Alliance to Save Energy.

Three panels of engaging discussion pack the remainder of the GEED event agenda, with industry leaders discussing Buildings-to-Grid: The Role of Buildings as a Power Source, Financing: The Foundation Needed to Build an Integrated Energy System and Energy Efficiency: The First Fuel for Utilities of the Future.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said, “With our energy bill negotiations continuing, this event is a great opportunity to recognize the essential role that energy efficiency plays in our nation’s energy policy. I appreciate everything the Alliance to Save Energy has done to support our bill as we move through conference, and believe our discussions today will help reinforce the need for smart policies that promote efficiency throughout the country and across sectors.”

Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said, “I’m pleased to join the efficiency community today as we discuss ways to implement and foster ‘first fuel’ ideas for the future. I believe energy efficiency plays a key role in the conversation of a comprehensive energy policy. Energy-efficient measures will help communities across the country, such as the folks in my district back in Illinois. I will continue to look for other bipartisan areas to work on here in Congress. If we are to move toward greater energy independence and security, energy efficiency must remain a central pillar of our energy policy strategies.”

Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards Dinner

This evening, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, and a host of notable energy efficiency industry leaders will be honored at the 24th Annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency awards dinner which brings together an audience of more than 400 leaders from industry, government and the non-profit sectors for a star-studded event at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. Joining Moniz in receiving recognition for leadership in advancing energy efficiency are Johnson Controls, Lockheed Martin, Staples, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and View, Inc.

"It is an honor to receive the Charles H. Percy Award for Public Service and I'm grateful to the efficiency community, and specifically the Alliance to Save Energy, for their work advancing energy productivity at the federal and state levels, as well as the private sector. This administration has produced a historic number of energy efficiency standards -- 42 total so far -- and vastly improved the energy performance of our buildings, cars, trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. This will greatly reduce both consumers' energy expenses and greenhouse gas emissions well into the future. In the Department of Energy's first energy jobs census, we found that 1.9 million people work on energy efficiency here in the United States, showing the incredible economic power this industry has. The work of the Alliance to Save Energy will remain central to our clean energy future. I appreciate that DOE and the Obama administration are being recognized in this capacity and are in the company of so many accomplished awardees who are pressing forward in the important work of energy efficiency."

Senator and Alliance Honorary Chair Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said, “It is a timely occasion to come together as energy efficiency advocates to celebrate the notable accomplishments of efficiency’s industry leaders. As we continue on the path toward successful comprehensive energy legislation this fall, I am hopeful that energy efficiency and its numerous concrete benefits for American consumers, businesses, the economy and the environment will play a prominent role in shaping a bipartisan bill.”

Shaheen continued, “I commend Johnson Controls for their private industry leadership, providing concrete examples of efficiency’s impact on everyday life through their Start-Stop battery technology for internal combustion engines. I am pleased to present them with the Alliance’s Chairman’s Award, a well-deserved emblem of their contributions.”

"We are honored to receive this award and recognition for our start-stop battery technology, which significantly saves fuel, reduces environmental impact and ultimately saves consumers money over the life of their vehicle,” said Kim Metcalf-Kupres, vice president and chief marketing officer, Johnson Controls.

Fred Stephan, the Alliance’s Dinner and Awards Committee Chair and senior vice president and general manager of insulation systems at Johns Manville, said, “It is a distinct pleasure to help facilitate the Alliance to Save Energy’s 24th annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards Dinner. This year’s awards dinner and its all-star inventory of attendees and awardees offer proof positive that energy efficiency advancements are bringing prosperity and jobs to our country while preserving our environment for future generations. At Johns Manville, we are proud to champion efficiency as a vital cost- and energy-saving strategy, as well as a driving factor behind productivity and business growth.”

Additional information on this year’s award winners, include quotes from each winning representative, can be found in our previous press release.