MEEA Minute - May 2012

Join MEEA and your fellow members at our 2012 Meeting of the Membership on Wednesday, June 13th in Chicago at the Hyatt Regency.

Based on feedback from last year’s meeting, we have designed this year’s meeting to be a series of in-depth presentations and discussions on Net vs. Gross attributions and how this debate impacts energy efficiency in the Midwest and across the country. Members will also meet and elect the 2012-2013 Board of Directors and receive a report on MEEA's work for the last twelve months.

Please join us for this exclusive members only opportunity to be with leading organizations from across the country and capitalize on energy efficiency’s growing presence in the Midwest. And remember, registration is FREE.

MEEA will also host an open forum Members’ Only Reception at our office on Tuesday, June 12th for members, Board and staff to meet and identify opportunities to work together and advance the cause of energy efficiency. 

Midwest IEE/CHP Meeting on Thursday, June 21st 

On Thursday June 21st in Columbus, Ohio the U.S. Department of Energy will convene a meeting on Midwest Industrial Energy Efficiency and Combined Heat and Power.  This dialogue meeting will bring together state regulators, industrial users, utilities and other stakeholders with a goal of developing and implementing state best practice policies and investment models that address the multiple barriers to greater investment in industrial energy efficiency and combined heat and power (CHP).

MEEA has been working with DOE, RAP and the State & Local Energy Efficiency Action Network (SEE Action) plan the event.  

Energy Efficiency Strategies to Assist Lagging States

In October 2011, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy released the fifth edition of its annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. While the states ranked near the top of the scorecard are often praised for their rankings, other states are often left asking why are they near the bottom of the scorecard and what can they do to improve their performance, and thereby move up the rankings in future years.

MEEA hosted a webinar to spotlight the recent gains from Illinois and Michigan. MEEA worked with ACEEE as it contacted Midwestern states in the ‘Bottom Ten’ on strategies to improve their energy efficiency savings.  

MEEA Top Tier in Chicago Green Office Challenge 

MEEA was recognized for achieving the 1st tier of the Chicago Green Office Challenge and was given an award for our achievements in greening our new office by implementing sustainable office practices.  Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Karen Weigert, the Chief Sustainability Officer at the City of Chicago, distributed the awards and acknowledged all the participants.

The Chicago Green Office Challenge is a strategy of the Chicago Climate Action Plan, and helps participants implement programs that reduce water use, waste, and energy use.  It also provides a friendly competition for both office tenants and commercial property managers. Participants begin by completing a scorecard, which outlines dozens of actions that can be taken to make their office greener.  The scorecard generates a baseline score, and then participants must strategize on how to increase this score.   

Webinar Recap - Market Lift Programs in Minnesota

On May 15th, over 60 companies attended MEEA’s technical webinar with member presenters D&R International and the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation. The two discussed what a Market Lift program is, how it differs from traditional incentive programs and the benefits of changing to a Market Lift approach.

The presentation provided an overview of the program design concept, results and lessons learned from the first pilot in Wisconsin and a preview of a multi-state pilot that is currently being planned. For a copy of the presentation email Jared Wells at jwells@mwalliance.org.

Interested in Presenting in One of MEEA’s Webinar Series? 

Calling all members! Have you attended one of MEEA’s technical webinars in the past? Have you participated in one of our new Marketing Energy Efficiency webinars? Have you considered being a presenter for one or both webinar series?

If so, send your presentation outline and topic suggestion to lsims@mwalliance.org for consideration to be part of our next webinar. Take advantage of this MEMBER ONLY benefit today!

Job Posting - Two MEEA Program Associate 

MEEA is seeking to hire two new Program Associates. The positions will support the administration of MEEA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, HVAC Save and other program offerings.

Upcoming Midwest Events 

For more events, visit our Calendar at www.mwalliance.org/calendar