13 May 2015: The 2015 Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global) served as a platform for launching new tools and technologies, introducing ideas for energy efficiency governance, discussing ways to demonstrate the value of building efficiency to industry, and advocating proper valuation of energy efficiency in the marketplace. The Forum, in its eighth iteration, brought together thought leaders from private industry, the non-profit sector and government to inspire action to advance energy efficiency.
In opening EE Global, Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan announced the launch of a building energy codes calculator. The calculator can be used by state air quality offices, according to the Alliance, “to estimate the carbon emission savings from state adoption and enforcement of the most recent building energy codes….and arm [them] with the data they need to support the inclusion of adopting and enforcing stronger building energy codes in their State Compliance Plans under EPA’s [US Environmental Protection Agency’s] ‘Clean Power Plan’.”
EE Global was organized into four different Executive Dialogues on: Government Leadership; Built Environment; Investment and Finance; and Market Transformation. On Government Leadership, panelists reflected on energy efficiency policies in their respective countries, with one advocating rebranding “energy efficiency” as “energy productivity” as a way to emphasize the benefits of producing more with each unit of energy exploited.
Participants discussed the importance of a “unifying measurement” in the Built Environment Dialogue, saying that it would help the industry increase market investment. The Dialogue that took up Investment and Finance in more depth largely focused on green bonds, noting that while they represent a small percentage of funds and are in need of a common definition for “green,” they are a promising financing mechanism. The Market Transformation Dialogue considered the critical importance of game-changing, affordable and scalable technology in the manufacturing sector, which can capitalize on sensors and controls that optimize the production process.
The EE Visionary Awards were also announced during EE Global, honoring: Whirlpool for its energy- and water-efficient washers and dishwashers, as well as its more than 7 million square feet of LEED-certified facilities; Philips Lighting for its leadership in pushing the EU to set a goal of doubling its energy productivity; and Hitachi for its ‘Environmental Vision 2025’ and innovation in connecting different infrastructure systems.
The two-day conference, hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy on 12-13 May 2015 in Washington DC, US, wrapped up with intensive learning session workshops focusing on: the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC)/Group of 20 (G20) Energy Efficiency Finance Task Group (EEFTG); US National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) Clean Energy Solutions Center; and UN Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Accelerator. [EE Global Website] [EE Global Wrap-Up: Day One] [EE Global Executive Dialogues: Day Two] [Alliance to Save Energy Press Release, Opening Plenary] [Alliance to Save Energy Press Release, EE Visionary Awards] [Alliance to Save Energy Press Release, Calculator]