Yesterday morning, the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) kicked off its Annual Energy Efficiency Conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago.
MEEA adopted the theme “Opportunity Now” for the conference, and its opening speaker’s message was in perfect alignment with this theme.
Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable (EERE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), said the stimulus package has created an unprecedented opportunity for building models of energy efficiency that can be used both now and far into the future.
Hogan said the task that lies before the DOE is to see that the stimulus funds are well spent. According to Hogan, the DOE has about $5 billion slated to improve the energy efficiency of low-income homes. This amount is expected to help weatherize approximately 700,000 homes over the next 18 months.
Hogan also highlighted the need for strong measurement and evaluation of energy savings programs to avoid duplicative efforts and said the DOE will focus heavily on leveraging existing programs into new ones. Hogan feels an important aspect of the DOE’s work is to view it as an opportunity to build a blueprint for replicating the programs that emerge as the most impactful.
“There is a tremendous amount of work underway at the DOE, and we intend to be smart about how we invest the stimulus funds,” Hogan concluded. “Our goal is not to look for temporary fixes but to find long-term solutions. We’re in the midst of a new era of opportunity for improving energy efficiency, and we’ll be working aggressively to capitalize on it.”
NFRC is attending MEEA’s conference to more clearly define specifically how its activities and programs fit in with the DOE’s work.
The MEEA conference continues today.
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