ACEEE NEWS RELEASE

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ACEEE HAILS AMERICA'S LEADING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS

October 3, 2007

Washington, D.C.—Ninety of America's leading energy efficiency programs in twenty different categories were recognized in an awards ceremony held yesterday at a national conference on energy efficiency in Berkeley, California. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a nonprofit research group based in Washington, D.C., selected these programs as part of a national review of outstanding programs offered by utilities and other organizations that help customers reduce energy use through improved energy efficiency.

Programs selected for this honor were judged especially noteworthy for their effectiveness and innovation in helping customers achieve greater levels of energy efficiency in their homes and business facilities. "These programs deliver energy savings that help customers cope with today's high energy costs, and they also deliver the 'first fuel' in solving the global warming problem by reducing carbon emissions," noted Martin Kushler, Ph.D., ACEEE's Utilities Program Director. "Moreover, since these programs save energy at less than half the cost of new supply, the whole economy benefits. This is truly a 'win-win' situation."

"ACEEE conducted this national review to recognize outstanding energy efficiency programs and honor the people and organizations responsible for their success," explained Dan York, Ph.D., the Project Director for this effort. "These programs demonstrate the very real value of energy efficiency to the customers they serve as well as to society as a whole."

Program categories cover the full range of customer types and technologies, from residential lighting to industrial processes. "What is striking about the results of our review is the large number of high quality programs we found across a full portfolio of customer types and applications," observed Kushler. "The organizations offering these programs are clearly stepping up their efforts to harvest the large energy efficiency resource that exists throughout our economy."

The full listing of programs can be found at http://aceee.org/utility/exemplary_programs/0709exemplary-programs.pdf. A report that will include profiles of each selected program is scheduled for publication in November. This is the second national review of exemplary energy efficiency programs that ACEEE has conducted. The first such review was completed in 2003. For more information, see http://www.aceee.org/utility/exemplary_programs/index.htm.

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The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, contact ACEEE, 1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 801, Washington, D.C. 20036-5525 or visit http://aceee.org/.