"Stars Of Energy Efficiency" Recognized By Alliance To Save Energy

Those chosen this year represent a diverse roster of individuals, companies, and government entities working to advance energy efficiency in noteworthy and creative ways. Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) announced last week the winners: Philips Electronics; Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff; global technology firm United Technologies Corp.; tankless water heater manufacturer Rinnai Corp.; the York County, Va., School Division; furnace fuel combustion innovator Jupiter Oxygen Corp.; and Embraco, a Brazil-based company noted for state-of-the-art, high efficiency refrigeration compressor technology.

“The Alliance to Save Energy commends this year’s stellar lineup of awardees for their significant contributions to energy efficiency,” says Alliance president Kateri Callahan. “Their leadership, innovation, and unflagging dedication truly make them ‘Stars of Energy Efficiency.’ Today’s rising and often record energy costs are squeezing consumer, government, and company budgets alike, making this an ideal time to celebrate those working to advance energy efficiency.”

Philips Electronics was selected based on its 2007 formation and leadership of the Lighting Efficiency Coalition. The Coalition is a collaborative effort by the lighting industry, environmental groups, and legislators to establish new energy efficiency standards for lighting and help phase out less efficient lighting technologies.

Philips spearheaded the efforts of the Lighting Efficiency Coalition to develop and gain enactment of an orderly industry-wide phaseout of inefficient lighting under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. In addition to securing support from other major lighting manufacturers, the group of energy efficiency advocates within the Lighting Efficiency Coalition included the ASE, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, Californians Against Waste, the Earth Day Network, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Developed as an outcome of the Lighting Efficiency Coalition’s successful efforts and signed into law in December 2007, EISA establishes technology-neutral, performance-based lighting efficiency standards as well as government incentives to accelerate the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), and energy efficient halogen lamps. The coalition projects that the transition to more efficient lighting, in part due to the new EISA standards, will exceed the combined energy and money savings of all 21 federal appliance standards adopted since 2000. By 2020, the improved lighting is expected to lower consumers’ annual electricity bills by more than $13 billion and save more than 140 billion kilowatt hours (kwh) a year.

Another award recipient, Virginia’s York County School Division, has reduced its energy consumption by more than 48 billion Btu since 2004, saving more than $1 million in energy costs. The division’s three-member energy management team has developed and implemented an aggressive two-pronged approach for reducing pollution and energy waste. The division began by implementing energy saving and sustainable building design practices such as energy efficient T8 and T5 lighting that has reduced costs by nearly 40%; energy recovery units that drastically reduce the amount of energy needed to condition fresh air entering the building; and classroom, office, cafeteria, and gymnasium occupancy sensors that automatically turn off lights when areas are unoccupied and, in most schools, shift heating and cooling set points.

To read about all the winners' contributions to energy efficiency, visit the ASE Web site. All awards will be presented at the 16th annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 25, at the historic Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.