By Elisa Wood
September 5, 2012
Companies often email me asking for good sources of information about the energy efficiency business. These emails are coming more and more frequently as this industry continues to grow.
Many of the emails come from newcomers trying to break into the field with a new product or service. They include information technology companies, engineers, manufacturers, mom & pops, insurance firms, consultants, educators, students, conference planners, builders, solar installers, architects, researchers and the like.
So this blog is for them. Here is a listing of some of the sites that I frequent as I track the energy efficiency industry for the Energy Efficiency Markets blog. I can’t fit all here that I read, and I know I’m forgetting some important ones. My apologies in advance! If you spot any you would include, please add them in the comments section.
- The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: Energy policy, research, state programs and rankings, combined heat and power, conferences, advocacy and analysis.
- The Alliance to Save Energy: Advocates in Washington, D.C. on behalf of energy efficiency, but international in scope. Papers, conferences, free newsletter.
- US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy: Policy, consumer and business information, funding, new technologies, data analysis, maps, and a lot more. A meaty site, although obviously with a DOE promotional slant. Free newsletter.
- Consortium of Energy Efficiency: Information for energy efficiency program administrators in the US and Canada. Produces an annual report on the state of the efficiency program industry.
- The Association of Energy Service Professionals: Conferences, information, networking. Member-based site provides data base of energy efficiency proceedings before state government agencies.
- ASHRAE: Advocates on behalf of the heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration industry with an emphasis on sustainability. Provides information on standards, research, technology, education, certification and government policy and regulation.
- US Green Building Council: Developer of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system for buildings.
- International District Energy Association: Advocate for district energy and combined heat and power, conferences, policy news, case studies, maps, community development guide.
- US Clean Heat & Power Association: Advocate for combined heat and power and waste heat recovery in Washington, DC. Offers conferences, policy and market information and education.
- US EPA’s Combined Heat and Power Partnership: Information on CHP, funding sources, markets, case studies.
- National Association of Energy Service Companies: Advocacy for energy service companies. Provides market analysis, policy information, news, case studies, free newsletter, position papers.
- Energy Star: A joint program of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Manages the Energy Star labeling program for appliances and other products.
- Building Performance Institute: BPI develops standards for energy efficiency retrofit work and provides certification.
- The Institute for Market Transformation: Promotes energy efficiency, green building and environmental protection with an eye toward identifying and improving market failures.
Several state and regional organizations also provide good information: the California Energy Efficiency Industry Council, Environment Northeast, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, Texas is Hot and several others.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention RealEnergyWriters.com’s free newsletter Energy Efficiency Markets. We publish weekly and include this blog, a podcast by Lisa Cohn, aggregated news, many requests for proposals, upcoming events and member news.
Elisa Wood is a long-time energy writer whose work can be found at RealEnergyWriters.com
Great list, Elisa. Thanks for posting this. As a long time efficiency and renewables consultant I get similar questions about where to learn more about EE, RE, and becoming and auditor.
I encourage folks to read periodicals like Home Energy Magazine, and books by Krigger, Harley, and my own Home Energy Diet. I’ve also found a great deal of useful advice and info on the Home Energy Pros website.
Best to all in the quest for knowledge in this important field!
Hi Elisa. Great list, but (as an employee of one of them) I think you should add the REEOs (Regional Energy Efficiency Organizations) to your list – with links instead of a paragraph that calls out just a few of them. You have good national coverage but the real ‘boots on the ground’ knowledge about what is going on at a state-by-state basis then MEEA, NEEA, NEEP, SEEA, SPEER, and SWEEP are important contacts.
And on the energy efficiency research side, the Electric Markets and Policy group at Lawrence Berkeley Labs (http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/emp.html) is a great resource.
Don’t forget the Association of Energy Engineers: http://www.aeecenter.org
Thank you all. Great additions!
Elisa, thank you for taking the time to create such a thorough list of resources. Another great website can be found by searching the term “RESFEN.” The RESFEN program is supported by the US Department of Energy and currently provides some of the most accurate available estimates for home improvement related energy savings. For example, running a RESFEN report can give a homeowner specific data for how much energy they could expect to save by installing a particular line of replacement windows. Hopefully this is helpful. Thanks again for posting this informative list!
Nice list Elisa, Renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are important keys to creating a clean energy future for the world, it is necessary that everyone have knowledge about energy efficiency. Here I want to add a fact that electric lighting uses up to 25% of the average home energy. In my point of view electric lighting is the place where we spend our lots of energy. I read two blogs regarding how to use energy efficient lighting, I want to share with you: http://eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm , http://www.adattsi.com/news/commercial-energy-saving-lighting-the-only-3-things-you-need-to-know