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May-June 2003

Conservation Update

Feature Article

Measuring State Energy Accomplishments

by Martin Schweitzer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Metrics have always challenged state energy efficiency programs. How do we account for a program that allows states to set their own energy agendas according to local needs and energy challenges?

For the past several years, a team of researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has tackled the problem of how to present uniform results for the U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program (SEP). The results are important because bean counters in both federal and state agencies are constantly comparing results with other government programs in their assessments of funding.


Chart showing cost savings in the State Energy Program.

DOE's State Energy Program saves $7.23 from reduced energy bills for every dollar of federal investment.

ORNL published the report in January 2003 showing (PDF 313 KB) Download Acrobat Reader:

The average payback on SEP investment is 0.14 years. The short payback periods and impressive ratios of savings to funding indicate the program is operating very effectively.

Managing Director of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) David Terry said, "NASEO has worked for years with state and territory energy offices to collect data on the energy efficiency demonstration, deployment, and market transformation programs in the states under the cost-shared State Energy Program. Unfortunately, these efforts were generally ad hoc and lacked the resources and expertise needed to deliver consistent national data on SEP. The ORNL analysis team brought expertise, independent rigor, good methodology, and a true national scope to this metrics challenge. Their report is a tremendous step forward for showing the value of state efforts under SEP."

Methodology for Measuring State Energy Savings


Photo of a man measuring instrument attached to a heating duct.

Measuring energy savings from a specific measure is often straightforward, but measuring the results of many different kinds of measures from across the country is much more challenging.
Warren Gretz, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

A few years ago, DOE charged staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the task of coming up with a methodology for describing the activities carried out by the states under the State Energy Program and, more difficult still, measuring the nationwide energy and cost savings resulting from those efforts. After reviewing existing procedures used to track program accomplishments and examining a host of reports and articles on a wide variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, the ORNL team came up with a two-tier scheme for describing key SEP activities.

First, we identified a set of 20 different program areas where state and territory energy offices carry out similar sets of activities. For example, energy offices offer ongoing training and workshops to a wide variety of energy professionals. Even though these workshops cover widely varying topics in buildings and transportation and deal with disparate professions, we decided to group these training activities together for the purpose of estimating savings. Coming up with a classification scheme that adequately covers all of the diverse activities carried out by the states proved to be one of the more difficult parts of this analysis.

Ultimately, the ORNL team identified the following 20 sets of activities for calculating savings as shown in Table 1.

Table 1: State Energy Program Areas and Number of States Providing Data for the SEP Metrics Study, August 2002
Program Area Number of States Providing Data
Workshops and training 19
Mass media 18
Information inquiries 17
Loans and grants 16
Technical assistance 16
Alternative fuels 16
Building codes and standards 15
Development, demonstration, and deployment 13
Planning 12
Retrofits 12
Energy audits 12
School education programs 10
Procurement 6
Home energy ratings and energy efficient mortgages 5
Rebates and product promotions 5
Interest buy-downs 2
Carpools and vanpools 2
Appliance rating and labeling 2
Tax credits 2
Traffic signals 2

Next, we identified several distinct pieces of data that we could count for each of these program areas called enumeration indicators. These are the pieces of data we would ask the states to collect about their energy programs. For example, we would ask for the number of people attending a training session or workshop and the number of such events held during the year. These data focus on the specific types of actions taken by the states rather than on the end-use sectors addressed, such as residential or commercial buildings, or the kinds of energy sources involved.

On average, we developed four indicators for each set of activities. Under retrofits, for example, we asked states to tell us the number of buildings retrofitted, the number of buildings receiving various types of measures, and the total floor area affected. Under loans and grants, we asked for the number of loans issued, the number of grants given, and their monetary value.

Our final challenge was to estimate energy savings. We scoured the available literature reporting findings from recent evaluations and used those findings to develop estimates of the average savings achieved by each individual SEP activity performed by the states. Due to limitations posed by the evaluations performed to date and by the structure of some of the indicators, we were not able to come up with per-unit savings estimates for every set of activities. Nevertheless, we were able to develop savings estimates for at least one indicator in 14 different program areas. These per-unit savings estimates can then be multiplied by the state-provided information on the number of activities undertaken to calculate energy savings.

These energy-savings numbers, in turn, can be multiplied by average energy prices and emissions of carbon and other substances per unit of energy to provide estimates of cost savings and emissions reductions. Because the individual savings estimates generally were taken from a limited number of studies, the savings and emissions reduction numbers generated by this study have to be treated as approximations. Nevertheless, they are the best numbers available to date and we believe they represent statistically valid estimates of the energy and cost savings and emissions reductions achieved by the State Energy Program.

Calculating National Savings from State Data

States Responding to SEP's Energy Savings Survey


Map of United States showing the 20 states that responded to the survey of energy savings conducted by DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the State Energy Program. States include: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Ohio, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Rhode Island.

Figure 1: The 20 states that responded to the State Energy Program's request for information in 2002 are a good cross-section of the entire country, which means we can use their data to extrapolate results for the nation as a whole.

The next step was to collect data from the states about their activities and, using these data, calculate energy savings. In late 2001, NASEO asked the state and territory energy offices to provide specific data describing their SEP activities for the most recent program year.

By the following August, 20 states had responded and provided the data that form the basis for the ORNL study. As shown in Figure 1, the responding states are spread across the entire United States, both from east to west and from north to south. They include the three most populous states in the nation - California, Texas, and New York - as well as the least populous state - Wyoming. Together, these 20 states account for almost half of all funds allocated by SEP in 2000 and half of the U.S. population.

One of the first things that we noticed about the data was the tremendous financial leverage generated by the State Energy Program. Altogether, the 20 states received a total of slightly more than $26 million in SEP funds for that program year. At the same time, they reported a total of more than $119 million in total funding. In other words, they leveraged a total of $93 million additional funds from state treasuries, other federal agencies, local governments, and the private sector. From this, we developed an important metric for SEP that for each dollar of SEP funding, the states obtained more than $3.50 from other sources.

We could also glean from these data the types of activities on which states were putting most of their emphasis. Three-fourths or more of the responding states conducted activities using SEP funds in the areas of alternative fuels, building codes and standards, information inquiries, loans and grants, mass media, technical assistance, and workshops and training. On the other end of the scale, fewer than one-fourth of the responding states engaged in SEP supported activities related to appliance rating and labeling, carpools and vanpools, interest buy-downs, tax credits, and traffic signals and controls.

Estimated Annual Energy Savings by Program Area


Graph showing energy savings by program area as a percent of all the areas measured in the SEP metrics study. The majority of savings come from a small number of program areas: buildings codes and standards, 33.9%; energy audits, 17.8%; appliance rating and labeling, 13.1%; training and workshops, 11%; rebates and product promotions, 9.6%.

The vast majority of energy savings comes from the top energy-saving program areas.

The five most heavily funded types of activities - alternative transportation fuels, building codes and standards, information inquiries, loans and grants, and technical assistance - together accounted for nearly 75% of all SEP funding reported by the responding states.

Similarly, we found that annual energy savings were concentrated in just a few areas. Approximately 85% of the total energy savings occurred in five areas - appliance rating and labeling, building codes and standards, energy audits, rebates and product promotions, and training and workshops. Nearly all of the remaining energy savings came from the next three highest-saving types of activities - loans and grants, retrofits, and technical assistance; see Figure 2.

Table 2: Cost and Energy
Savings Calculated from Data Provided by 20 Responding States, August 2002
Program Area Annual Energy Savings (million source BTUs) AnnualCost Savings
Building codes and standards 6,396,625 $39,659,074
Energy audits 3,354,427 $20,797,448
Rating and labeling 2,466,907 $15,294,823
Workshops and training 2,069,284 $12,829,559
Rebates and product promotions 1,815,481 $11,255,984
Retrofits 970,465 $6,016,901
Loans and grants 860,693 $5,336,295
Technical assistance 580,422 $3,598,618
Traffic signals 196,053 $1,215,529
Tax credits 78,507 $486,744
Procurement 49,867 $309,173
Carpools and vanpools 19,143 $118,686
Interest buy-downs 1,291 $8,007
Home energy ratings and energy efficient mortgages 301 $1,865
Total 18,859,466 $116,928,706

Conclusion

When added together, the energy savings are impressive. Furthermore, this is the most rigorous and comprehensive study of DOE's State Energy Program (SEP) undertaken to date, and the resulting energy and cost savings numbers represent valid estimates of program accomplishments.


Chart showing State Energy Program investment.

DOE's State Energy Program leverages $3.58 in additional investment in energy projects from other federal programs, state and local governments, and private companies for every dollar of federal investment from SEP.

Based on the data that 20 responding states provided and for which results can be quantified, annual energy savings were estimated to be nearly 19 trillion source BTUs and cost savings were almost $117 million. Emissions reductions follow from these energy savings and are substantial; see Table 3.

Table 3: Emissions Reductions from Energy Savings in 20 States Providing SEP Metrics Data, August 2002

Emissions Reduced Annual Metric Tons
Carbon 328,000
SO2 3,500
NO2 2,600
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) 450
Particulate matter 10 microns and smaller 60

These estimates are likely to be low because they do not include savings for all of the enumeration indicators that the 20 responding states provided. Nor do they include energy savings for six types of SEP activities for which we could not develop precise formulas for estimating energy savings. The latter include such activities as educating consumers about energy efficiency and supporting energy policy initiatives by governors' offices and state legislatures. While these activities are important and most energy offices engage in them, we could not measure their results in terms of BTUs saved.

For similar reasons, we did not try to monetize other benefits that are external to energy savings calculations. For example, energy security, environmental quality, and economic development naturally result from energy projects in the states, but we did not try to quantify their value in this study. Had the full monetary value of all non-energy benefits been calculated, it is likely that the cost savings numbers would have been considerably larger.

For the 20 responding states, energy offices annually saved 1.17 million source BTUs and $7.23 in cost savings for each dollar of funding from the State Energy Program. This represents a payback period of less than two months. For total reported funding, which includes SEP plus leveraged funds, each dollar allocated to those same program areas resulted in annual energy and cost savings, respectively, of 0.25 million source BTUs and $1.58. The payback period for this total investment is about seven and a half months. Keep in mind that energy hardware is capital intensive and remains in use for many years. Despite the quick payback, the annual savings from these measures are expected to continue for many years to come.

The savings and emissions reductions estimates for the responding states can be extrapolated to the nation as a whole based on the proportion of total SEP funding represented by the states that provided data. We estimate the annual energy and cost savings, respectively, from DOE's State Energy Program for the entire country to be more than 41 trillion source BTUs and $256 million. We estimate that the annual carbon emissions reductions for the entire program are nearly 720,000 metric tons.

The above findings are important because they show the magnitude of the energy and cost savings and emissions reductions achieved by the State Energy Program. Clearly SEP saves money, enhances the nation's strategic energy position, and improves environmental quality.

The full credits for the report are as follows: Schweitzer, M., D.W. Jones, L.G. Berry, and B.E. Tonn; Estimating Energy and Cost Savings and Emissions Reductions for the State Energy Program Based on Enumeration Indicators Data; ORNL/CON-487; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN; 74 pp.; January 2003 (PDF 313 KB). Download Acrobat Reader.

In addition, NASEO publishes a summary of the report in the form of a fact sheet (PDF 31 KB).

You can read the metrics report and other reports dealing with measuring results from DOE's State Energy Program and Weatherization Assistance Program at ORNL's recent studies and publications.



State Energy Offices Bulletin

Stories submitted by state energy offices about their projects.

Arizona

Photo of the front view of two solar trackers lined up one in front of the other and each with 20 solar photovoltaic modules mounted on racks and facing up toward the sun.

Gray Wolf is the first commercial application of the tilted tracker PV system, developed by APS Star Center in Tempe. (Credit: APS)

Arizona Solar System Moves into Niche at Landfill

APS and Waste Management inaugurated a hybrid solar-diesel power system on April 16th at the Gray Wolf landfill in Dewey. Waste Management operates the landfill in a remote area located about 10 miles east of Prescott in the center of the state.

The new system has eight solar arrays, each with 20 photovoltaic (PV) modules mounted on a tracker that follows the sun across the sky during the day. The trackers use a hydraulic actuators and sophisticated electronic controls to move the position of the modules by about two degrees every eight minutes in order to keep them aligned directly with the sun. The result is the modules produce more electricity than if they were mounted fixed on the ground or if they rotated only on a horizontal axis. The solar system will provide 68,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, on average, saving the landfill about $2,000 per month on its energy bill.

APS developed the trackers at its Solar Test and Research (Star) Center in Tempe. It is the first commercial application of the tracker, and APS envisions using it for similar remotely sited landfills throughout the West. Headquartered in Phoenix and formerly known as Arizona Public Service, APS is the largest electric utility in Arizona and serves about 900,000 customers.

The power system is a solar-diesel hybrid, which means it can operate on solar energy, diesel-powered generators, or both. The solar modules have peak output (rating) of 28 kilowatts (kW), and the diesel generator is rated at 50 kW. Batteries store energy produced in the PV modules throughout the day and, in turn, provide power to the landfill facilities. The diesel generator remains in standby mode until the batteries signal they have a low charge level and call for additional power.

The system replaces three diesel generators that previously powered the facility. In addition to providing cheaper electricity because it significantly reduces the expense of hauling diesel fuel to power the remote generators, the new system is quiet and substantially reduces emissions. All of which is a benefit to the 15-member staff at Gray Wolf.

The Arizona Energy Office provided funding to the project from the DOE State Energy Program (SEP).

For more information about the system and the APS Star Center, see the APS April 28th press release.



Arkansas

Arkansas Garners Awards for Media Campaign

The Arkansas Advertising Federation presented two Addy Awards to the Arkansas Energy Office on February 15th for a public relations campaign and a 30-second video promoting energy awareness. The Arkansas Energy Office is an organizational unit of the of the Arkansas Department of Economic Development (ADED) and used some funding from DOE's State Energy Program for the campaign.

The energy office conducted its "Consumer Tips" campaign in the spring and fall of 2002 using both print and broadcast media. The campaign provided a humorous approach and tips on how to conserve energy and save on utility bills. It consisted of television spots and newspaper advertisements with warm-weather tips in the spring and cold-weather tips in the fall.

The campaign received excellent exposure on both cable and broadcast television, which aired the spots as public service announcements. In addition, ADED used its sponsorship arrangement with the Arkansas Broadcasters Association to air the spots in pre-arranged time slots.

The Arkansas Advertising Federation is a statewide organization composed of advertising and media professionals that gives out the Addy Awards annually for the best advertising in Arkansas. ADED materials were entered by StoneWard, which is ADED's agency in Little Rock and stood in at the award ceremony. Together they received two silver awards for second place in the categories for a 30-second TV spot and for a local TV campaign.



Colorado

Photo of OEMC staff in front of the 'Energy Bus' with the state capitol in the background.

OEMC staffs pose in front of bus at the Colorado state capitol at the beginning of its statewide tour in summer 2002. (Credit: Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation)

Colorado Governor's Office Receives Sustainability Award

The Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC) received a Special Award on March 5th at the 2002 Wirth Chair Awards in Sustainable Development.

The award recognized OEMC's community efforts to foster principles of sustainability and energy conservation in Colorado during 2002. Among several activities recognized during the ceremony was the "Energy Bus" exhibit that toured towns and small cities throughout the state in July and August 2002. The purpose of the touring exhibit was to show consumers about energy-saving technologies that are readily available today that will save them money.

In accepting the award, OEMC Director Rick Grice said, "These projects educate Coloradans about energy choices that may help improve their business or lives." OEMC used some funding from DOE's State Energy Program for the exhibit.



Illinois

Illinois DNR Saves Energy by Powering Down Computer Monitors

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has joined the ENERGY STAR™ Million Monitor Drive, a program to help save energy and money and protect the environment by putting computer monitors to sleep.

ENERGY STAR qualified, jointly managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hopes to activate monitor power management, which sets monitors to go into a low-power "sleep" mode during periods of inactivity, on one million computer monitors through the Million Monitor Drive.

Working closely with ENERGY STAR qualified, the IDNR enabled the power management features on 555 computer monitors located in its Springfield headquarters building. This initiative will save approximately 111,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) during the next year. That is enough electricity to light 128 U.S. homes for one month. At an average rate (including demand charge) of $0.0675 per kWh, IDNR will see an annual savings of $7,492.

"Every watt counts," said Jeri Knaus, natural resources specialist for the IDNR Waste Management and Research Center. "The Department is committed to using energy efficiently, and the simple act of powering down our computer screens is helping us reduce our energy use, save money, and set a positive example in state government."



Photo of solar panels on top of a one-story commercial building with a neon sign that says 'World's Largest Laundromat: Open 24 Hours.

Laundry owner Tom Benson (left); Solar Service, Inc. President Brandon Leavitt; Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn; and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Affairs Director Jack Lavin attend the inauguration of the new solar system in Berwyn. (Credit: Solar Service, Inc.)

Illinois Welcomes Solar at World's Largest Laundromat

Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn helped dedicate the state's largest solar system in Berwyn on April 23rd in time for Earth Day 2003. At the ceremony, Quinn told a crowd of 50 attendees, "Developing 'all-American energy' sources like solar power creates jobs for Illinois workers and improves the environment as well."

The solar system was built and installed by Solar Service, Inc. in Niles and provides hot water to the World's Largest Laundromat, which has been operating in Berwyn for 50 years. The laundry operates 145 washing machines and 125 dryers and is open 24 hours a day. Located on the roof of the laundromat, 24 solar collectors displace an average of 1.4 million British Thermal Units of natural gas per day for washing clothes. This represents about 60% of the energy required for heating water at the facility, and conventional gas-fired water heaters provide the remainder. Over the course of a year, the solar system heats 300,000 gallons of cold water to 120 ﯆ and, according to Solar Service, is expected to operate for 30 years.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) provided a grant of $69,130 to the World's Largest Laundromat worth about half of the total cost of the system. The grant came from the Illinois Renewable Energy Resource Fund administered by DCEO paid by electric utility customers statewide. Furthermore, the IRS provides a commercial tax credit and accelerated depreciation for solar installations.

Illinois DCEO estimates that the savings from the system will pay for installation cost (after factoring in all the incentives) in eleven years.

At the dedication, DCEO Director Jack Lavin said, "The project demonstrates how, using solar technology, a business can harness the power of the sun to reduce energy consumption and operate a business more efficiently." DCEO used a small amount of funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) State Energy Program to support the project. Also present at the ceremony were members of DOE's Chicago Regional Office, which administers SEP for eight states in the Midwest. For more information about DCEO's involvement in the project, see its April 23rd press release.



Kansas

Kansas Hosts Solar Symposium and Formula Sun Events

The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) Energy Programs hosted a one-day Solar Energy Symposium May 15th for farmers, ranchers, homeowners, teachers, corporations, local governments, and state agencies, covering both off-grid and grid-connected applications of photovoltaic (PV) systems.

Topics covered at the symposium complemented information available in the recent KCC report "Cost-Effective Solar Power in the Heartland" (PDF 6.1 MB) Download Acrobat Reader. Speakers focused on agricultural, residential, industrial, and governmental PV power applications available to people living in the Heartland.

Other sponsors included DOE, Kansas State University Extension Programs, Heartland Solar Energy Industries Association, and Heartland Renewable Energy Society.

The event coincided with the annual Formula Sun activities held at Heartland Park in Topeka. The Formula Sun Grand Prix features a three-day race of full-size PV cars, built by colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.



Kentucky

Kentucky Focuses on High-Performance School Buildings

On April 30th, more than 150 Kentucky school superintendents, facility planners, school board members, architects, engineers, and representatives from local utilities and businesses convened to learn about high-performance school buildings at a workshop at Georgetown College. At the workshop, two experts on high-performance school building design showed examples of these schools and the "whole-building" design and procurement strategies used to create them. Deane Evans, executive director of the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Center for Architecture and Building Science Research, and Mike Nicklas, president of Innovative Design, presented the examples. David Higgins and Tim Morris with CMTA Consultants also discussed the use of geothermal applications in schools in Kentucky, which is among the nation's leaders in using geothermal for heating and cooling in school buildings.

Karen Reagor, executive director of the Kentucky NEED Project (National Energy Education Development), discussed the advantages of incorporating energy education into the holistic approach of high-performance school buildings. An interesting outcome of high-performance school buildings is student improvement, both in test scores and attendance, and teacher satisfaction. Mark Ryles, director of the Division of Facilities Management in the Kentucky Department of Education, talked about new legislation that has improved opportunities for funding construction of public schools.

The workshop was sponsored by the Kentucky Division of Energy, the Kentucky NEED Project, and the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council.



Photo of the two directors from DOE and EPA on the left presenting two managers of the Kentucky Division of Energy on the right with award plaque.

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman and Jim Powell (left), Director of the DOE Atlanta Regional Office present Kentucky Division of Energy Director John Davies and 2002 Program Manager Karen Wilson (right) with an ENERGY STAR 2003. (Credit: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA))

Kentucky Receives ENERGY STAR® Award

The Kentucky Division of Energy received a 2003 Award for Leadership in Energy Efficiency from ENERGY STAR® for its activities in 2002 to promote energy efficiency among Kentucky citizens and businesses. Kentucky Division of Energy Director John Davies said at the award ceremony after receiving the award on April 15th, "By working with the ENERGY STAR program, we have been able to educate Kentuckians about affordable and energy-efficient options that save money while protecting the environment."

Kentucky became an ENERGY STAR partner in September 2001, and soon thereafter, ENERGY STAR became a major program for the energy division. Its 2002 activities were supported with some funding from DOE's State Energy Program.

Altogether, 39 businesses and organizations won awards at the April 15th ceremony, which took place at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington DC. You can see also a list of the award winners online (PDF 26 KB). Download Acrobat Reader.



Michigan

Michigan Adopts New Commercial Energy Code

New rules have amended the Michigan Uniform Energy Code to update the current standard for commercial structures from the ASHRAE 90-A-1980 and 90-B-1975 Standards to the ASHRAE 90.1-1999 Standard. The new standard became effective March 13th. A well-attended April seminar by the DOE Building Energy Codes Program covered all sections of the new standard.

Michigan is also considering an upgrade to its residential energy code. A review committee has been meeting since August 2002 and will make its recommendations in the near future.



New York

New York Company to Market Biodiesel Fuel Mixture

New York's first shipment of biodiesel fuel arrived last fall at NOCO Energy Corp. Based in the Town of Tonawanda, NOCO will blend the fuel with conventional diesel and market the product as "B20," a mixture that contains 20 percent biodiesel.

NOCO is the first to retail biodiesel in New York; the energy company, the Town of Tonawanda, and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority are all now using biodiesel in their vehicles. NOCO is working with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to expand the use of biodiesel. Farmers may benefit by supplying ingredients used in the blend.

NOCO is also starting to build a fueling infrastructure. As part of the $285,000 project, NOCO is setting up three public-access ethanol fueling sites in the Buffalo area. The U.S. Postal Service will use these sites to fuel 100 of its flexible-fuel vehicles that run on diesel or a mixture of diesel and biodiesel fuels.



Oregon

Oregon Commissioners Recognize Ten Local Businesses

Ten Portland businesses were recognized recently for their efforts to save energy, conserve water, reduce and recycle waste, promote transportation alternatives, and create environmentally responsible products. City Commissioners Dan Saltzman and Erik Sten were on hand to welcome participants and present awards.

"The BEST awards allow the City of Portland to recognize the exceptional environmental and efficiency work of our private-sector partners," said Commissioner Saltzman. "These businesses and individuals are teaching the rest of us how to conserve energy and natural resources and work smarter and more efficiently."

The winners are listed with their award categories:
200 Market Building - Energy Efficiency
Better World Club - Product Development
Brewery Blocks - Energy Efficiency
Coastwide Laboratories - Product Development
Community Cycling Center - Waste Reduction
DeConstruction Services - Waste Reduction
Lloyd District TMA - Transportation Alternatives
Oregon Convention Center - Water Conservation
People's Food Co-op - Energy Efficiency
Sunshine Dairy Foods - Water Conservation

Special recognition was given to three buildings achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification within the past year from the U.S. Green Building Council. Recognition for green design and construction practices went to:
American Honda Motor Co - LEED Gold (2002)
Sokol Blosser Winery - LEED Silver (2003)
Balfour Guthrie, LLC - LEED Silver (2003)

BEST stands for Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow, a City of Portland program for progressive local businesses. This year's awards, the 11th annual, were issued jointly by the City of Portland, Oregon Environmental Council, Portland Business Alliance, Earth Share of Oregon, Portland Tribune, and the U.S. Green Building Council.



Texas

Photo of the Texas Comptroller holding up a report at a press conference.

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn recommends Texas schools receive energy audits offered by the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO). (Credit: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts)

Texas Funds El Paso Schools for Efficiency

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn announced on March 6th an energy efficiency loan to the El Paso Independent School District that will save more than $60,000 per year in energy costs. The loan is in the amount of $444,075 and will be used to install high-efficiency lighting in schools throughout the district. The loan will pay for itself in about seven years, and El Paso will reap the savings from the lighting for many years thereafter.

The loan is funded through Texas LoanSTAR--Saving Taxes and Resources--sponsored by the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), a division of the Comptroller's office. LoanSTAR provides low-interest loans to public entities in the state, such as school districts, counties, and cities, to increase the energy efficiency in their buildings and facilities. SECO monitors the costs savings and provides energy audits for schools to identify areas of potential savings. For details about the program, see SECO's online explanation of Texas LoanSTAR.

Since its inception in 1989, the loan program has distributed more than $163 million in loans to 142 public institutions. So far, SECO estimates that the program has saved Texas more than $123 million in energy costs, and savings grow every year. Over the next 20 years, SECO estimates that Texas LoanSTAR will save state taxpayers $500 million.

SECO's involvement in the loan program is partially funded by DOE's State Energy Program (SEP) and included in the state's SEP plan.

"Energy conservation programs like LoanSTAR are important economic tools for Texans," Strayhorn said. "When we encourage the efficient use of energy, we save tax dollars and help preserve our natural resources." For more details about the El Paso loan, see the Texas Comptroller's news release.



Wisconsin

ENERGY STAR - Change for the better with ENERGY STAR.

ENERGY STAR homes annually save U.S. consumers $6 billion and enough energy to provide for 10 million additional homes.

Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation Receives 2003 ENERGY STAR® Award

The Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation (WECC) also won an ENERGY STAR™ award from DOE and EPA on April 15th. WECC, who shared this award with Westinghouse and the Midwest Energy Efficiency Association, received the recognition for educating Midwesterners about the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficient lighting. The three were regional partners in the ENERGY STAR "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign, which ran in Wisconsin from October 1 through November 30, 2002.

The campaign urged consumers to replace their standard incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). As part of the campaign, the ENERGY STAR Products program offered consumers a $3 rebate on the purchase of CFLs at nearly 700 retail outlets throughout the Midwest. In Wisconsin alone, more than 500,000 CFLs were sold during the promotion. Helping make this possible were WECC's regional sponsors Focus on Energy, Westinghouse and Ace, True Value and Hardware Hank hardware stores, as well as numerous municipal and cooperative utilities across Wisconsin and the Midwest. ENERGY STAR estimates this promotion is annually saving Wisconsin consumers $3 million on their energy bills by reducing consumption of enough electricity to power 4,000 homes. Furthermore, it will prevent the pollution equivalent to removing more than 11,000 cars from the road.

WECC is a nonprofit energy efficiency firm headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, that has provided energy efficiency services to energy utility customers throughout Wisconsin since 1980. Much of its work is funded by Focus on Energy, a public-private partnership that offers energy efficiency information and services to energy utility customers throughout Wisconsin. For more information about the award, see the WECC April 25th press release.



Photo of the front view of a house.

Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes received an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by promoting energy efficiency in new homes. (Credit: Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes)

Wisconsin Selected ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year

Wisconsin ENERGY STAR™ Homes, part of Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program, received a 2003 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency at an ceremony on April 15th in Washington DC. The award recognizes Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by promoting energy efficiency in new homes. Wisconsin joined the ENERGY STAR partnership in 2001.

Since then, Wisconsin has certified more than 1,800 homes that exceed the ENERGY STAR guidelines. On average, these homes are 25% more efficient than similar homes built to Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code. This is good for the environment because each certified home keeps 4,500 pounds of greenhouses gases from entering into the atmosphere every year.

The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) has used both grant and project funding from DOE's State Energy Program to support its residential energy programs, including Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes.

Currently, DOA provides this funding to Wisconsin Focus on Energy to manage these programs. Focus on Energy is a non-profit public-private partnership offering energy information and services to energy utility customers throughout Wisconsin. For information about Focus on Energy services and programs, call 800.762.7077.

For more details about the award, see Focus on Energy's April 25th press release.





State Energy Information

New state Web sites and publications, and DOE pubs dealing with energy efficiency and renewable energy in the states.

Siting Guidelines for Wind Power Projects in Kansas
(PDF 58 KB)
The Kansas Renewable Energy Working Group publishes this short set of guidelines developed by the Kansas Renewable Energy Working Group; 8 pp.; February, 2003.

DOE Publications on State-Related Topics