Efficiency Connections Northwest Conference Aims to Maximize Regional Energy Efficiency

SEATTLE, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) announced that more than 300 utility professionals will gather today and tomorrow at the inaugural EFFICIENCY CONNECTIONS NORTHWEST conference at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle. During the two-day event, both local and national energy efficiency experts will join Northwest professionals from more than 20 utilities to collaborate on pressing energy efficiency opportunities in the Northwest.

"This strong showing of Northwest utilities from both public and private, and urban and rural utilities should help dramatically accelerate energy efficiency in our region," said Claire Fulenwider, executive director at NEEA. "This event was produced by Northwest utilities for Northwest utilities, demonstrating their leadership, vision and commitment to collaboration."  

"This promises to be an extremely valuable event for the Puget Sound area and the entire region," said Cal Shirley, vice president of energy efficiency services for Puget Sound Energy.  "The sharing of best practices and visionary thinking will keep us all moving in the right direction with energy efficiency, now and in the future."

The conference will offer nearly 20 breakout sessions on various energy efficiency topics, and four keynote addresses from national leaders in economics, energy, sustainable building and marketing. Sessions will be broken out into categories, including Best Practices, Expanding Horizons (new thinking and technologies), Knowledge Sharing, as well as sessions tailored specifically for utility executives.

The breakout sessions will cover such wide ranging topics as advancing codes and standards, addressing the barriers of public perceptions around energy efficiency, and identifying technologies to fill the energy efficiency pipeline to meet our current and future needs. The full agenda can be found here.

"Utility collaboration to advance energy efficiency is not new in the Northwest," said Steve Bicker, Tacoma Power conservation resources manager. "Given our common goals and challenges, we can clearly do more together than we can individually."

About the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a non-profit organization working to maximize energy efficiency to meet our future energy needs. NEEA is supported by and works in partnership with the Bonneville Power Administration, Energy Trust of Oregon and more than 100 Northwest utilities for the benefit of more than 12 million energy consumers. NEEA uses the market power of the region to accelerate the innovation and adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices. Since 1997, NEEA and its partners have saved enough energy to power more than 450,000 homes each year.  Energy efficiency can satisfy more than half of our new demand for energy, saving money, and keeping the Northwest a healthy and vibrant place to live. For more information, visit neea.org.

SOURCE Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance