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Web site of the month: Energy Efficiency Resource Central

APPA offers a variety of resources on its Energy Efficiency Resource Central Web site utilities can use to build their energy-efficiency programs. (Artwork by American Public Power Association)

The American Public Power Association (APPA), a strong advocate for public power providers, just added a valuable new resource for utilities to its Web site: Energy Efficiency Resource Central (EERC). Energy efficiency is a high priority for APPA, and EERC offers a wealth of education, policy and advocacy resources and services to help utilities promote wise energy use.

Resources for all users

Some of the resources are available only to APPA members, but there is plenty of useful information non-members can access, as well. Users may want to start their research with a report on state energy-efficiency provisions to find out what, if any, requirements their state mandates.

Whether or not your state requires utility energy-efficiency programs, check out Starting an Energy Efficiency Program for Your Utility and Community. The explanations here will help you communicate the importance of energy efficiency to customers, and persuade boards that conservation is a good fit with public power's mission. The steps for starting an energy-efficiency program and a downloadable brochure with the same information are also located in this section.

If your utility is not quite ready to launch a comprehensive energy-efficiency program, you can still get some of the benefits from Helping Customers Manage High Bills. APPA members will find tools to help their customers help themselves to a more energy efficient future. There are additional Web resources that any visitor can access.

Business customer resources

To help smaller utilities increase their investments in energy efficiency, APPA, the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) and Western are hosting a webinar series. Presentations from the first two webinars, Evaluation, Measurement and Verification and Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programs can be downloaded free on the webinars page. There are also links to conference presentations and articles about energy efficiency here.

In addition to co-hosting the webinar series, APPA and ITP are partnering on other resources for industrial customers. There is a list of Top Tips for Saving Energy in Small Businesses, along with tip sheets for industrial customers that can be co-branded with the utility logo.

Utilities can connect to no- and low-cost resources on this page to help their industrial customers improve their bottom lines through energy efficiency. Links to more energy-efficiency resources from APPA and to other related Web sites round out the offerings available to all visitors.

Members only

Reports, interactive features and presentations available to APPA members—which include many Western customers—give direction for comparing and refining utility energy-efficiency programs.

Search the Database of Energy-Efficiency Programs to learn what other utilities around the country are doing to save energy. If you have a program you would like to share with colleagues, you can add it to the database.

A measurement component is vital to the success of your energy-efficiency program. The APPA report, Measuring Savings From Energy Efficiency Programs: What It Means, Why It Is Necessary, And How To Do It, explains why it is necessary and effective measurement strategies.

Learning from others' experiences can also lead to success. APPA's 2008 Energy Services Survey highlights the numerous energy-efficiency, demand-side management and conservation programs public power utilities are offering to customers. The report also provides a glimpse into a future where more and more utilities offer these programs to their customers, leading to increased energy efficiency and conservation by customers and utilities alike.

As part of its increased focus on energy efficiency, APPA held an Energy Efficiency Summit in Indianapolis in November. Members who were unable to attend can download the presentations covering innovative programs, leadership, policy, planning, marketing and more.

Because energy efficiency is such a broad topic, and because utilities are at many different stages in developing their programs, Energy Efficiency Resource Central will continue to evolve. APPA wants to hear from members about what could be added to the site, and hopes members will spread the word about public power's energy-efficiency initiative.

December 2008

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