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Policy Priorities

Federal - 1st Quarter 2009

NAESCO is working with large coalitions of national energy efficiency and environmental groups to develop recommendations for energy efficiency programs to be included in the Obama Administration's Economic Recovery (stimulus) initiative. Consensus recommendations include:

• Immediate action to clear the $2.2 billion FEMP project pipeline and to complete the ESPC re-compete
• $600 million for energy efficiency in federal agencies
• $10 billion for energy efficiency retrofits to public, residential, commercial and industrial facilities
• $2 billion for State Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block grant program
• $3 billion for repair, renovation, and modernization of public schools (Green Schools)
• $500 million in additional FY 2009 funding for Weatherization (for a total of $1B in FY 2009)
• $125 million increase in FY 2009 State Energy Program funding
• $250 million for the Green Jobs Act
• $3 billion funding for whole home retrofit rebate and loan program
• $2 billion to public transit agencies for public transit rehabilitation and modernization
• $2 billion for a gas-guzzler crusher credit program
• $100 million for the Energy Efficient Building Code Program
• $250 million for the Rural Energy for America Program
• $100 million in FY 2009 funding for the EPA Energy Star Program
• $45 million for the Public Information Initiative

The significance of this effort is that the coalitions, which include hundreds of organizations and companies, recognize that funding for the types of programs that ESCOs deliver (bold items above) are priorities. NAESCO will continue to work with these coalitions as the Obama transition team recommendations are converted into legislation. We will ask member companies to weigh in with their Senators and Representatives when the Economic Recovery legislation reaches Congress in early January.

Research and Development, supported by US DOE and US EPA

• Participating in continued research on the US ESCO market in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab using DOE grant monies. Focus in 2008 on documenting the current size and potential of the state buildings performance contract marketplace. Report published in November 2008 documents the status of energy efficiency in state buildings and highlights states whose policies and produce superior results.
• Monitoring the development of new Monitoring and Verifications (M&V) protocols for electric system capacity credits, carbon emissions reduction credits and new utility programs. Developing a standardized new M&V protocol for O&M and Capital Cost Avoidance savings that is acceptable to ESCOs and a wide range of customers. First meeting of the NAESCO M&V Subcommittee was held on October 30 in Santa Monica.
• Continuing to work to help EPA develop ENERGY STAR as a vehicle for promoting comprehensive ESCO projects. Current activities include reviewing new versions of EPA tools and promoting the use of EPA tools in various state proceedings.