As I look at my kids, a greater good for me has to be energy and the environment, thus my commitment to the District and focus on the performance of the District’s sustainable energy programs. This focus on a sustainable energy greater good forced me to reach deep into my network and build what I would say is a willing coalition that I could get to support my focus on the District.
When I decided to start and grow my company in my beloved home city, I looked at my professional experiences and my relationships in order to figure out where my passion would meet my contribution. Through my experiences in operations, from venture-capital-backed start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to local government and utilities I realized I like to build and measure things that make an impact for the greater good. As I look at my kids, a greater good for me has to be energy and the environment, thus my commitment to the District and focus on the performance of the District’s sustainable energy programs. This focus on a sustainable energy greater good forced me to reach deep into my network and build what I would say is a willing coalition that I could get to support my focus on the District.
Collectively this coalition has saved households, small businesses, large commercial/ industrial customers and public institutions over 5 million megawatt hours (Mwh) and 65 million therms (thm) annually. They have successfully delivered results for over 900 sustainable energy programs for approximately 400 clients. They are experts in sustainable energy program delivery. They truly understand the, demand-side management strategies and solutions that will lower the District’s load requirements, reduce energy bills for the local population and lessen the environmental burden on the DC community. They understand energy market transformation strategies, customer engagement and education. I believe with them as my partners, we can change the way DC residents, businesses, and institutions think about and use energy while creating a robust clean local economy for all.
They also have a wide range of experience with emerging program models, which I believe provide examples to improve the District’s current portfolio of offerings, and expand adoption by leveraging innovative financing techniques. I would like to highlight three creative, leading-edge solutions.
“Energy-as-a-Service” Financing
Small business and other hard-to-reach customer types are often neglected by clean energy programs, because financing is not easily accessible at the time the project is proposed. Under a subscription service construct, an energy utility, or another third party, would take over payment of the customer's gas and electric utility bills and replaces them with an “Energy Services Agreement” under which the customer pays a monthly energy usage fee for a fixed term, an amount that is lower than their current average monthly utility costs. The energy utility would then perform an energy efficiency retrofit at no additional cost to the customer, they receive the benefit of the new equipment and are guaranteed the savings. There are other variations on this model, and it’s becoming increasingly popular in the large commercial buildings sector.
Strategic Energy Management
Strategic Energy Management (SEM) is a holistic approach to managing energy use to continuously improve energy performance and sustain energy and cost savings over time. SEM is a particular approach to achieving deeper energy savings by incorporating energy efficiency measures (EEMs), operation and maintenance savings, and behavioral changes. SEM’s goal is to focus on energy efficiency in all aspects of a business, thus changing the way businesses operate. As a result, SEM targets long-term planning with corporate energy reduction goals and buy-in from decision-makers and facility staff. SEM can be a great model for driving cost savings within a facility. It involves assisting the customer in setting long-term goals and creating an action plan with short-term and medium-term actions. This could focus on a particular segment of the C&I sector where operations and maintenance savings are potentially large and when coupled with behavior change can result in significant energy savings.
Distributed Generation
Distributed generation and combined heat and power (CHP) projects are becoming a larger part of energy efficiency program portfolios across the country. CHP takes advantage of the system’s ability to create electricity and thermal energy that can be used to satisfy heating requirements such as space heat and hot water heating. Hospitals, colleges, and large hotels with a significant thermal energy requirement are ideal candidates for CHP.
Again these are just a few examples. I believe I have the relationships and access to bring together a special combination of local capability and national experience to help residents and businesses throughout the District take full advantage of emerging clean energy efficiency technologies, while also creating a green community and economy.