ACEEE'S GRAPEVINE ONLINE

September 20, 2005

INTRODUCTION

CONSERVATION IS NOT JUST A 'PERSONAL VIRTUE' ANYMORE

In the week following Katrina, President Bush urged Americans to do what his VP had derided just four years ago: practice energy efficiency and conservation. In the hurricane's aftermath, the roles that conservation and energy efficiency play as strategic resources became obvious even to the Administration. For our part, energy efficiency as a resource is not a new concept. In fact, we have been laying the groundwork for and promoting that concept since at least 2001 when we organized our first "Energy Efficiency as a Resource" conference to address, in part, the California energy crisis. The timing could not be more appropriate for our third National Conference on Energy Efficiency as a Resource which is scheduled for September 25-27 in Berkeley, California. The conference will feature two full days of presentations and discussions focusing on soaring energy prices, continued concerns over utility system reliability, and the growing awareness of environmental cost risks associated with increasing energy consumption. All of these have contributed to an unprecedented level of interest in the use of energy efficiency as a strategic resource.

Art Rosenfeld, Commissioner – California Energy Commission will be one of the featured speakers at "Energy Efficiency as a Resource" on September 27. Later that day, he will again share his views, albeit in a more light-hearted spirit, at ACEEE's 25th Anniversary celebration when we honor him as one of our principal founders and as a widely recognized "founding father" of energy efficiency. Please join us as we honor Art and celebrate 25 years of ACEEE's service to the energy efficiency community. (See related story in this issue. Reserve your place at the dinner online.)

We're looking forward to another conference scheduled for this fall: ACEEE's Forum on Energy Efficiency in Agriculture to be held November 13-14 in Des Moines, Iowa. We are organizing our first-ever meeting on energy efficiency in agriculture in order to expand the dialogue on how to increase energy efficiency on farms, ranches, and rural small businesses. We will explore programs and policies to help the agricultural sector realize the benefits of a more efficient use of energy, and we'll focus on issues related to increasing the sustainability in the sector. View the preliminary Program and Schedule and watch our Web site for updates. Register for the conference now.

Finally, here's one more important date coming up which you won't want to miss. October 21 is the deadline for submitting abstracts to our 2006 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. See the related story in this issue, visit our Web site for continually updated information, and send in those abstracts now!

Have a productive fall and may you continue to practice energy efficiency and conservation with vigor and virtue.

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