September – October 1999 Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

DOE/EE-0200

Rebuild America Helps

Schools In Need

Market Sector 

K-12 Schools 

America’s public schools are in

trouble. With only 112,000 K-12

schools nationwide and over 25

school districts with over 100,000

students,there is growing pressure on

financially strapped communities to do

more with less. The stock of schools

built during the baby boom that

peaked in 1957, shrank in the late

1970s as enrollment thinned and

school districts sold school buildings.

Many that remain are vastly out of date

today,inefficient and badly in need of

repair—particularly in urban districts.

Building new schools is expensive.

In the 1960s,a typical school could be

built for under $50 per square foot.

The average is now twice that amount

once the costs of inflation,building

code compliance,and other costs are

added. Despite higher costs,

Maryland’s Montgomery County

School District is currently in the midst

of a construction frenzy – about $140

million worth — as builders work to

create space for the enrollment boom.

Still,many students will have to cram

into 286 portable classrooms,or

trailers,scattered throughout the

county simply for lack of classrooms.

In response to this pressing national

need,Rebuild America has opened up

its ‘tool chest’to offer building owners

and managers information on how to

save energy and dollars by making

affordable improvements to school

buildings.

Retrofits that Work

In rural Alaska,the local school is

often the largest building in the

community,which makes it well suited

for demonstrating the benefits of

energy-efficient retrofits.The high

costs of transporting oil make for

steep energy prices,as high as $1 per

kwh,prompting strong interest in

energy conservation. Rural Alaskans

Conserve Energy,a Rebuild America

partnership,has audited a total of 21

buildings in seven villages and

recommended energy conservation

measures. Three of the seven villages

have implemented those

recommendations and have seen

energy savings of 20-30 percent with

cost recovery in less than two years.

The Tanana City School building is

one example. With $22,000 in state

and school district funds,Alaska

Continued on page 3 Continued on page 2

View From DC VendingMiser Racks Up

Savings

National Forum Photo

Spread

A Salute To Our

Nominees

Energy Champion

Roundup

Harmony

Project

Strikes

While Iron

Is Hot

Mel Goodwin, Harmony Project executive

director and leader of its Rebuild America partnership,

is pulling out the stops to focus the Charleston,SC

community’s attention on the opportunity to transform

schools that are in poor condition into “high

performance schools”that are economical to operate

and provide superior learning environments. Goodwin

views the schools as “agents of change”and the

gateway to improving other buildings in the

Charleston area through Rebuild America.

When Goodwin,an urban ecologist,saw that

Charleston County had no firm plan for allocating

$175 million in school bond funds,he wanted to avoid

the result he feared most – a Band-Aid approach to

patching up schools sorely in need of major

improvement.

In an effort to head off this possibility,he launched a

“High Performance Schools Initiative”and began

talking to the media about the need to press the

Charleston County School Board to rehabilitate its

school buildings by adopting cost-effective,sustainable

Mel Goodwin
U.S. Department of Energy

View from DC

By Mark Bailey

Rebuild America’s National Forum in Las Vegas

was a resounding success that drew more than

300 participants. Partnership representatives

from all over the country converged to share

ideas and challenges,hammer out solutions to

common problems,catch up with colleagues,

and strike up acquaintances with the many new

faces that have joined the ranks of Rebuild

America. I hope many of you left the Forum

with a batch of fresh ideas,strategies,solid

information and contacts that will help your

partnership “push the envelope”to make energyefficient buildings a reality in your community.

Special thanks go to our premier host sponsor,

Nevada Power,for their generous support.

Nevada Power and our other sponsors –

NORESCO,ONSITE SYCOM, Academic Capital

Group,Inc., American Electric Power,Bayview

Technology,Commonwealth Energy Corporation,

Lithonia Lighting,Philips Lighting,Sempra Energy

Services,SLi Lighting,Sunpark Electronics –

helped make the Forum a success.

It’s important to remember that Rebuild

America is part of something much larger than

energy-efficient buildings. Many of our speakers,

presenters and participants reminded us that

energy-efficiency is part of the big picture of

building sustainable communities that conserve

resources,protect the environment and help

citizens improve their quality of life.

At this year’s Forum we recognized a dozen

Energy Champion award winners. The fact we

have so many winners tells us that partnerships

across the country are buying into the concept

that saving energy is a common sense approach

to community improvement. It was tough to

select this year’s Energy Champions because the

fact is,every partnership and every partnership

leader is a winner. Our partnership leaders are

on the front line,working to change the way

people think about energy efficiency. Often they

play to an indifferent audience. Yet many

persevere,despite limited resources and support,

and manage to build partnerships that work.

Mark Bailey is the national program

manager of Rebuild America.

Rebuild America Helps Schools

Continued from page 1

Commercial Lighting of Anchorage

installed high-efficiency lighting and

motion sensors that cut energy costs

by 25-to-30 percent. The Alaskan State

Energy Program awarded the grant for

lighting improvements to Tanana in

part to show other districts the

savings that high-efficiency lighting

and equipment can yield. Retrofits

included replacing T-12 fluorescent

bulbs with more efficient T-8 bulbs;

replacing magnetic with electronic

ballasts to control energy output;and

installing exit signs with light-emitting

diodes (LEDs) to cut energy use by 

90 percent.

Other improvements include

motion detectors to turn on lights

only when people are present and

new halide lights to replace old

mercury vapor lamps in the

gymnasium. The Tanana City School

superintendent says the new lighting

is such an improvement that many

have asked if the building has been

repainted. For more on this,visit

www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/

rebuild/htm/Achievements/

achievements.htm.

Becoming Energy Wise

Energy education programs help

students gain a better understanding

of energy efficiency and how it can

affect their learning environment.

According to a study commissioned

by the Energy Source Education

Council,elementary school students

who participated the Council's energy

education program were substantially

more interested in the topic and

developed better energy conservation

habits. This idea is being

put to the test by one

Arkansas community.

The Little Rock School

District is the largest in the state with

over 25,000 students and 50 schools.

The district’s five high schools

incorporated energy conservation,

sustainability and environmental

protection in a new ninth grade class

titled “Active Physics.” Students will

audit their school buildings and

present their findings to the school

board at year’s end.

This innovative program was

shepherded along by Rebuild Little

Rock and Rebuild Arkansas.

Rebuild Arkansas will help train the

physics teachers and provide guest

lecturers. The University of Arkansas

at Little Rock,a Rebuild Little Rock

partner,will assign students to assist

the physics teachers and high school

students with their energy audits.For

additional information,visit www.

eren.doe.gov/buildings/rebuild/htm/

News/news.htm. School curriculums

that incorporate lessons on energy

efficiency can have a long-term effect

on how future generations value

conservation of resources. “Old habits

die hard,”but by instilling new ones in

the classroom,there is hope that

energy conservation will play a

growing role in building a sustainable

future.

As we approach the 21st century,

new approaches to sustainability and

conservation will no longer be

subjects of conjecture,but reality.

Community leaders striving to

improve quality of life for residents

will discover that energy efficiency

and conservation are stepping stones

to community improvement. Rebuild

America stands ready to help those

communities that take the first

tentative steps toward building a

sustainable future for our children and 2 for generations to come.
U.S. Department of Energy

building practices. Goodwin sees “a

golden opportunity”to use the bond

funds to transform schools that are

saddled with inadequate ventilation,

inefficient lighting,leaking roofs,and

mold and mildew into comfortable,

healthy,daylit environments that are

conducive to learning.

The outlook for the schools has been

improving since Harmony Project

introduced the concept and benefits of

high-performance school construction at

a public forum in June with support

from the South Carolina Energy Office.

The partnership also presented technical

workshops for design professionals and

facility personnel and held a luncheon

for local business owners and decision

makers. Those contributing technical

expertise included Gary Bailey of

Innovative Design;Mike Woodall of Pasco

County School District in Florida;Conn

Abnee of the Geothermal Heat Pump

Consortium;and Michael Arney of

Rebuild America Financial Services.

Charleston’s Post and Courier

newspaper,which has a circulation of

about 113,000,has gotten behind

Harmony Project and featured its school

campaign nine times during a one-month

period.

The increased visibility helped bring

about something else:A partnership

between the Harmony Project and

community organizations including the

Joanna Foundation and The Community

Foundation as well as local

philanthropists. The Harmony Project

plans to leverage this support to prepare

“opportunity assessments”for six of

Charleston County’s 77 schools that will

describe specific high-performance

retrofit opportunities,costs,benefits and

payback periods. Oak Ridge National

Laboratory and Innovative Design have

agreed to provide technical support for

the assessments.

The Harmony Project has also been

enlisted to help in taking a highefficiency and sustainable approach to

overhauling a 16-classroom building of

the Charlestown Academy. The 350

students that attend the magnet school

are taught in trailers because the

buildings are unfit for occupancy. Built in

1952,the building targeted for

improvements closed 20 years ago

because of an asbestos problem. The

sustainable approach to revamping the

school calls for increasing natural light,

avoiding toxic products,recycling

building materials,making appropriate

use of natural ventilation,controlling

humidity,enlisting volunteer labor,and

presenting the school as a community

resource. The school has $200,000 in

funding from the County but needs to

raise much more to complete the

project. Parents of the students have

volunteered to pitch in to help reduce

labor costs by one third by contributing

their “sweat equity.”

Goodwin founded the Harmony

Project,a nonprofit advocate for

sustainable development and highperformance building,seven years ago

with the help of a local developer,the

City of Charleston and the College of

Charleston. He has lived in the area for

14 years and in his spare time enjoys

mountain biking,photography and

woodworking.

For more information, contact

Melvin H.Goodwin at 843-577-2103 or

at mgoodwin@cerfnet.com.

Harmony Project

Continued from page 1

Upcoming

Events

Hot Topics, Cool Solutions – A Workshop

Series: Sustainable Solutions. October 

13-15, 1999 in Tucson,AZ. Contact John

Jones, City of Tucson Special Project,

or Martin Yoklic,Tucson Institute for

Sustainable Communities, at 520-882-8177.

Association of School Business Officials

International’s (ASBO) 85th Annual

Meeting & Exhibits. October 15-19, 1999

in Orlando, FL.Visit www.asbointl.org/

education.shtml or contact ASBO at 

703-478-0405.

22nd World Energy Engineering Congress

(WEEC) and GeoExchange Conference and

Expo. October 20-22, 1999 in Atlanta.

Visit www.aeecenter.org or contact the

Association of Energy Engineers at 

770- 447-5083, ext. 224.

National Association of Housing and

Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) National

Conference and Exhibition. October 17-19,

1999 in Philadelphia. Visit www.nahro.org,

or contact them at 202-289-3500.

1999 National Preservation Conference.

October 19-24, 1999 in Washington, DC.

Send an email request to 

conference@ nthp.org or phone 

202-588-6444.

Rebuild America Building Commissioning

Seminar: How to Achieve Peak

Performance in Your Buildings?

October 22, 1999, Sturbridge, MA.

Contact John Ruckes at 860-418-6384 

or Dragan Curcija at 413-545-4454.

3
U.S. Department of Energy

By Larry Schoff

The spate of shootings in our schools

recently has thrust the national spotlight on

school safety. Many are developing

emergency plans in an effort to blunt the

impact of any future violence.

The nation’s schools have other pressing

needs – longstanding problems -- that could

benefit from the same kind of in-depth

analysis and careful planning. Among these

are the widespread and prolonged use of

portable classrooms due to overcrowding,

finding and keeping qualified teachers – and

here’s where Rebuild America can help --

upgrading our schools to create comfortable

and efficient learning environments.

In the U.S.,we face a monumental

challenge in providing a quality learning

environment for every child. In fact,many

of our schools are in such poor condition

that it is a major undertaking just to elevate

them to a satisfactory level. A General

Accounting Office (GAO) report to

Congress in 1996 on the state of over

10,000 schools,found that:

■ 41 percent had inadequate energy

efficiency 

■ over 35 percent had inadequate HVAC

systems 

■ over 25 percent had unsatisfactory

ventilation 

■ over 25 percent had inadequate

lighting,roofs and window systems 

■ over $112 billion was needed to bring

these schools to an “average”condition 

The nation’s student population and the

age of our school buildings are increasing,

while school budgets,including

maintenance allocations,have held steady or

risen only slightly. Unless we act decisively 

to upgrade the condition of our schools,

then the teaching and learning environment

of the 21st century will be saddled with the

same problems as those at the close of the

20th century.

Influential Factors

Our elected representatives face the same

problem when it comes to improving our

schools:Resources are finite and the

requirements for both new and existing

schools are increasing daily. Communities

on a tight budget that are seeking to

improve the condition of their schools – a

description of just about every community

in the U.S.-- are excellent candidates for a

Rebuild America partnership.Rebuild

America partnerships are helping

communities and school districts leverage

their resources and find workable solutions

for funding energy-efficiency improvements.

In Nebraska,school districts are

encouraged to use performance contracting

to improve energy efficiency. In Oregon,

state-issued bonds are available to establish a

line of credit for schools to implement

energy retrofits. In Virginia,low-cost funding

is available to school districts for facility

energy-efficiency improvements through the

Literary Fund.

Some school districts are using

performance contracting in conjunction

with contracts for renovation to finance

energy-efficiency improvements and reduce

the debt financing required. It is important

to note that some states view performance

contracts as debt while others regard them

as non-debt. The bottom line is to know the

laws in your state before recommending a

financing option and work with the school’s

financial staff to develop other options for

specific projects or circumstances.

Partnerships at Work

Over 35 Rebuild America partnerships

include school districts as either a major or

minor partner. The following are examples

of what some are doing in the K-12 school

sector.

Rebuild Idaho initiated a partnership in

Idaho Falls between the City Electric

Division and the City schools. Initial energy

audits were conducted in every school and

two were selected for continued monitoring

and improvements. The City Electric

Division extended a “no cost loan”to the

schools to upgrade energy systems and each

school will use the energy savings to repay

the loan.

Portland Public Schools, a Rebuild

Oregon partner,has invested $ 7.5 million in

energy-efficient improvements and currently

is saving over $1 million annually from over

10 million square feet of retro-fitted school

facilities.The program to date has saved over

$9 million. Once completed,the entire

retrofit effort is expected to save over $42

million. Portland Public Schools used bonds

issued by the Oregon Office of Energy as a

line of credit to pay for the energy-efficiency

improvements and will use the energy

savings that result to pay back the loan.

Rebuild Webster City, IA has performed

energy retrofits on four schools which add

up to $60,000 in annual savings.One high

school has plans to install a geothermal

system.

Rebuild Cedar Falls, IA is working with

six schools that have completed detailed

energy audits and plan to proceed with

energy retrofitting. The partnership has also

trained 870 school students and 200 college

students to perform basic energy audits.

Schools K-12 Learn Energy-Efficiency Lessons

4

Continued on page 5
5

U.S. Department of Energy

Challenge for the 21st 

Century

Renovations and new construction of 

K-12 School facilities is expected to average

over $19 billion a year over the next eight to

10 years. Over half of this activity will

involve renovations,energy retrofits or

additions. The opportunities for energy

savings are great -- provided that enough

Rebuild America partnerships can be

established and that enough schools can be

incorporated early on in the planning and

design phases. The question is not,can we

afford to improve our schools,but can we

afford not to? America’s school children

deserve better.

Larry Schoff, Rebuild America Sector

Manager of K-12 Schools, has over 35 years

of experience in facilities management and

operations with an emphasis on energy

efficiency and resource conservation. This

includes 13 years as director of facilities

maintenance and transportation for a

9,000-pupil school district in southwestern

Virginia.

For more information, contact Larry

Schoff at 540-961-2184 or e-mail

lschoff@bellatlantic.net.

By David Schanin

Vending machines are ubiquitous these days and the new brightly

lit,billboard style cold drink machines are using energy round-theclock,even when a facility is empty. According to the consulting

group E-Source,a cold drink machine racks up between $200 and

$500 in utility costs each year. The economics driving the placement

of cold drink vending machines cannot be overlooked. Schools are

typically well compensated for exclusive contracts with bottlers,

often receiving monthly “commissions”or a percentage of the gross

sales from the machine.The result is a proliferation of machines.So

what can be done?

The obvious solution of unplugging the machines when no one is

around is tough to implement. Occasional after-hours activities,

summer and holiday schedules,and the need to power the machine

up several hours before the first students arrive to ensure the drinks

are cold may make this approach impractical.

Another option is to require the cold drink machine supplier to

remove the bright fluorescent lights from the machine. This typically

meets with strong opposition from vendors who believe it has a

negative impact on sales. The administration sometimes opposes it

for the same reason – it may impact commissions. “Unplugging”may

not even be allowed under the placement contract. Ensuring that

the route person who services the machine does not re-install the

lights also requires continual vigilance.

A new product called the VendingMiser is free of these

drawbacks. The manufacturer has combined several “smart”

technologies to produce a plug-and-play product which has been

tested in a variety of school and commercial environments,and saves

an average of nearly 50 percent of a cold drink machine’s energy

costs. It does so using occupancy sensing to shut the entire machine

down when the area around the machine is vacant,yet it periodically

re-powers the machine to ensure that proper temperature is

maintained. The VendingMiser eliminates the drawbacks of delamping,making it a win-win for the school,which is saving utility

costs,and for the machine supplier whose maintenance costs are

reduced. The manufacturer will supply no-cost evaluation units to let

schools try it out. Additional VendingMiser information can be found

on the manufacturer’s web site at www.bayviewtech.com.

For more information, contact David Schanin, president of

Bayview Technology Group, at 1-800-770-8539.

Applying Energy Conservation Measures to

Vending Machines 

Workbench

Market Sector

Continued from page 4

This graph depicts energy savings reported by universities and schools that

replaced traditional cold drink machines with the VendingMiser.
U.S. Department of Energy

6

1999 Rebuild Amer

August 9-11, 1999 in

Rebuild America welcomed a record 300 plus participants to its annual forum at the MGM

Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. The Forum offered three days packed with sessions,

workshops, peer exchange and networking opportunities. Information, ideas, resources

and good food were all in plentiful supply. Industry leaders took to the podium and

helped position Rebuild America within the context of sustainable building for the 21st

century. The conference also ushered in a record number of award winners, with 12

partnership leaders and partnerships recognized as Energy Champions for their

John Schaeffer, CEO of Real

Goods Trading Company,

shares his experiences in

developing a Solar Living

Center and in building a

business empire based on

renewable energy products

and services. 

Margo Covington of

Rebuild Santa Fe

emerges a winner

at Tech City’s

“Monopoly

Madness.”

The Earth Day 2000 message

will focus on energy

consumption and climate

change, Earth Day organizer

Denis Hayes told Forum

participants. He noted that

powerful economic drivers

encourage the excessive,

energy consuming habits of

Americans, noting that we

consume 43 percent of the

world’s gasoline.

1. Lander Medlin, APPA

2. Paul Colmier, Safe-Bidco

3. Deanna Braunlin, 

Gavin Consulting

4. Dom Aiello, 

ONSITE SYCOM

5. Brandon Sutcliffe,

ONSITE SYCOM

6. Heath Hiblebrant, EPSI

7. Al Hernandez, Prudential

Lighting

8. Brandy Williams, 

Walt Stopper

9. Patrick Weller, 

Commonwealth Energy

10. Peter D’Antonio,

Sarnafil

11. Doug Avery, Rebuild America

12. Mark Ginsberg, Dept. of

Energy

13. William Garnett III,

Academic Capital

14. Jon Wellinghoff, NORESCO

15. Craig Florer, Sempra Energy

16. Dave Rylaarsdam,

Sempra Energy

17. Mark Bailey, Rebuild

America

18. Greg Dunivant, Philips

Lighting

19. John Clancy, SLi Lighting

20. David Shapiro, SLi Lighting

21. Jessica Lefevre, NAESCO

22. Richard Heinisch,

Lithonia Lighting

23. Arnold Lopez, 

Nevada Power

Through the Business Partners, Rebuild America partnerships can leverage the knowledge, capabilities and

resources of the private sector to move their building retrofit and community improvement projects forward.

DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Ginsberg recognized the charter Business Partners and Strategic

Partners pictured here at the National Forum.
7

U.S. Department of Energy

ica National Forum

 Las Vegas, Nevada

contributions to making their communities more energy-efficient. Six award winners were

interviewed by their hometown radio stations during the conference and a seventh was

interviewed following his return. The Forum also provided the venue for the introduction

of Rebuild America’s Business Partners and Strategic Partners, who add a new dimension

of partnership support to the program. DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Ginsberg

recognized 15 charter Business Partners and three Strategic Partners at the “Jewel of the

Desert” event, held at the Paiute Resort outside of Las Vegas. 

Kathy Mathis of the Middle Tennessee

State University partnership gets down

to brass tacks during a Peer Exchange

work group session.

Sharon Hanson of

the Oregon Office 

of Energy is

interviewed by a

Portland radio

station about

Rebuild Oregon’s

Award for Energy

Excellence in

Financial Innovation.

Cyane Dandridge 

of Strategic Energy

Innovations of San

Rafael, CA. and her

15-month-old son,

Taren, sample the

fare at the MGM

Grand. 

Steve Hortin of DOE’s Atlanta

Regional Office and Stewart Huey

of Building Owners and Managers

Association-Atlanta seek respite at

the Paiute Resort after a full day

of Forum sessions.

Ron Shelton of Oak Ridge National

Laboratory steals a few moments

with his favorite newsletter.

Ailee Smith of NORESCO, a Forum sponsor, and

Barbara Ousby of Rebuild Mississippi catch up at a

plenary session. 

Marketing professor David Rudd gets

to the heart of reaching your target

audience to build community support

in the “Marketing Your Message”

session, serving up a lively discussion

sprinkled with amusing anecdotes.

Ashley Nancolas sang “The Star

Spangled Banner” at the Forum’s

opening session and also performed at

the Paiute Resort.
U.S. Department of Energy

The National Forum unveiled Rebuild

America’s 1999 National Energy Champion

Award winners in recognition of individual

and partnership contributions to improving

communities through energy efficiency.

Here is a roundup of the people and

partnerships behind the 12 awards

presented by U.S.Department of Energy

Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Ginsberg 

at the National Forum in Las Vegas on

August 10:

Double Honors Go To Oregon

Oregon took home two Energy

Champion Awards:

■ 1999 Rebuild America Partnership

of the Year Award – Portland

Partners for Energy Efficiency

Program, Portland Energy Office

■ 1999 Rebuild America Award for

Innovative Financial Management

– Rebuild Oregon, Oregon Office 

of Energy 

Rebuild America recognized Rebuild

America partnerships spearheaded by the

Portland Energy Office and the Oregon

Office of Energy for working to improve

Oregon communities by encouraging

businesses to save money and reduce

energy waste by investing in energyefficiency improvements.

Because of the Portland

Partners for Energy Efficiency

efforts,Portland area

businesses and local

government have made energy-efficiency

improvements in buildings totaling 47

million square feet during the past three

years,which is saving $5 million each year

in energy costs. Portland Energy Office

Senior Energy Program Manager Curt

Nichols,who manages the partnership,says

energy savings like these benefit both

businesses and the environment.

Portland and the rest of Oregon have an

advantage – in the form of a tax credit --

when it comes to encouraging business

investment in energy efficiency. Rebuild

America has honored the Oregon Office of

Energy for its vision in offering the Business

Energy Tax Credit that motivates Oregon to

save money and energy and reduce air

pollution by investing in energy-efficiency.

Oregon businesses may take a tax credit for

up to 35 percent of the cost of energyefficiency improvements.

Edwards Receives

Partnership Leader Award

■ Rebuild America Partnership

Leader of the Year – Hilary

Edwards of Rebuild Salisbury

Hilary Edwards,special programs

coordinator with the Salisbury Housing

Authority,was honored for her work with

Rebuild Salisbury to bring community and

quality of life improvements to public

housing residents.

Rebuild America recognized Edwards for

helping to create more affordable and

comfortable environments for public

housing residents in Salisbury and for her

outreach efforts to inform public housing

residents how they can save money by

saving energy.

Edwards supervised the energy-efficiency

renovation of a 21-building complex for

seniors and those with disabilities in

northeast Salisbury.

The upgrades

included the

installation of new

heating and cooling

systems – in a

complex that had

been without air

conditioning -- and

new insulation.

Edwards is also part

of a Salisbury Housing

Authority team that works with public

housing residents who have excessive

energy bills.

Hawaii Sweeps Three Awards

Hawaii was a triple winner of this year’s

Energy Champion Awards. The awards won

by Hawaii are:

■ Rebuild America State

Representative of the Year – Liz

Raman, Rebuild Hawaii State

■ Award for Energy Excellence in

State Government – State of Hawaii,

Rebuild Hawaii State program

■ Award for Energy Excellence in

Commercial Buildings – Hawaiian

Electric Co. (HECO)

The U.S.Department of Energy/Rebuild

America,the Hawaii Department of

Business,Economic Development &

Tourism (DBEDT) and HECO all have

worked collaboratively to improve energy

efficiency in commercial buildings in

Hawaii.

Liz Raman,an energy program specialist

in the Hawaii DBEDT and the State of

Hawaii were honored with Rebuild

America Energy Champion Awards for

working to develop a state-wide network of

community-based partnerships.

Raman used the leverage of the state

Sharon Hanson of

the Oregon Office

of Energy and

Curt Nichols of

the Portland

Energy Office

accept Energy

Champion

Awards.

Hilary Edwards accepts

Partnership Leader of

the Year Award.

8

1999 Energy Champion and Energy
U.S. Department of Energy

government to obtain funding for

community improvement projects that

involve energy savings for small businesses,

an Energy Smart Schools Project for training

high school students to be energy auditors,

and a “Greening the Campus”program at six

community colleges.

HECO was honored for helping small

businesses in Oahu achieve energy and cost

savings through its Energy $olutions for

Small Business program.

HECO launched a pilot program, Energy

$olutions for Small Business,to assist and

motivate small business to become energy

efficient,improve lighting and save money

on their electric bill.

Bond Named Program

Representative Of The Year

■ 1999 Rebuild America Program

Representative of the Year – Kirk

Bond of Aspen Systems Corp.

Kirk Bond,an energy engineer based in

Kansas City,MO,was awarded the Rebuild

America Program Representative of the Year

Award for his role in developing a national

network of Rebuild America partnerships

that focus on community improvement

through energy efficiency.

As manager for Rebuild America

partnership development,Bond has been

instrumental in training and preparing a

cadre of Rebuild America representatives

who are tasked with launching and

sustaining viable Rebuild America

partnerships in communities across the

country.

Philadelphia Wins Local

Government Honors

■ Rebuild America Award for Energy

Excellence in Local Government –

Philadelphia Municipal Energy

Office for Rebuild Philadelphia

Under the leadership of the Municipal

Energy Office, Rebuild Philadelphia has

made great strides in providing peer-to-peer

support to develop and establish other

municipal government-led Rebuild America

partnerships in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The Energy Office was behind Mayor Ed

Rendell’s proclamations in 1998 and 1999

that advocate the use of Rebuild America as

a vehicle for reducing greenhouse emissions

and increasing the energy efficiency of the

built environment. The Energy Office

recognizes the value of undertaking

“showcase”energy retrofit projects to

capture public interest and support and was

instrumental in producing a video that

documented the partnership’s first major

retrofit of a popular public library. Another

high-visibility project,currently in design,is

the conversion of a 1930s elementary

school into a police forensic science center

(currently in design). The extensive energyefficiency improvements and sustainable

design measures are to include the

installation of a rooftop photovoltaic system.

Spearheaded by Energy Office Energy

Policy Director Michelle Knapik,Rebuild

Philadelphia has been a leader in developing

educational workshops about energy

efficiency for local non-profit organizations

and trade groups.

Ohio Housing Authority

Lauded

■ Rebuild America Award for Energy

Excellence in Public and Affordable

Housing – Stark Metropolitan

Housing Authority (OH), a Rebuild

Ohio partner 

Rebuild America is recognizing the Stark

Metropolitan Housing Authority for:

■ Bringing community and quality of life

improvements to public housing

residents through energy efficiency 

■ Helping to create more affordable and

Hawaii Triple Sweep Energy Champion Award

winners pose with U.S. Department of Energy

Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Ginsberg,

pictured at left. Next to him is Liz Raman, State

Partnership Representative of the Year; Sam

Nichols of Hawaiian Electric’s Energy $olutions

for Small Business program; and Maurice Kaya of

the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic

Development & Tourism, representing Rebuild

Hawaii State.

Kirk Bond, left, with Rebuild America Program

Manager Mark Bailey.

Michael Williams, right, director of maintenance

and development for SMHA, accepts

the 1999 Rebuild America Award for

Energy Excellence in Public and

Affordable Housing, from DOE’s

Mark Ginsberg.

9

Continued on page 10

Excellence Awards Roundup
U.S. Department of Energy

comfortable environments for public

housing residents 

■ Developing partnerships with federal,

state and local governments,nonprofit

agencies and businesses to improve

public housing and community

services 

■ Stimulating economic development

and job creation in the energyefficiency sector

■ Building a coalition of Ohio housing

authorities to explore energy issues 

and solutions 

SMHA is part of Rebuild Ohio,a statewide Rebuild America partnership operated

by the Ohio Department of Development’s

Office of Energy Efficiency.

SMHA is collaborating with government

agencies and local community groups to

undertake a major renovation of one of its

Canton senior apartment buildings,

Metropolitan Arms,and improve the overall

area by creating a community campus

environment with services for residents.

Rebuild Asheville Wins 

K-12 Award

■ Rebuild America Award for Energy

Excellence in K-12 Schools –

Rebuild Asheville, NC 

Rebuild Asheville brought together

several key players and leveraged resources

to create a state-of-the-art Head Start facility

for pre-school children that serves as a

model for other Head Start centers that are

seeking to improve their programs and

facilities. The newly renovated Lonnie D.

Burton Head Start Child Development

Center,originally a school built in the 1950s,

provides

comprehensive

developmental

services for 90 children from low-income

households and support services for their

families.

Vicki Heidinger championed the cause

to convert the old school building into a

state-of-the-art facility that could support the

center’s instructional and capacity

requirements. Heidinger tapped the City of

Asheville for a facility,the Department of

Health and Human Services for funding,the

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Rebuild

America for energy analysis and design

assistance,and The Opportunity

Corporation of Madison-Buncombe

Counties for management expertise.

The Head Start Child Development

Center opened its doors in June 1999.

Duke Wins Top College

Honors

■ Rebuild America Award for Energy

Excellence in Colleges and

Universities – Duke University for

Rebuild Duke University Facilities 

Duke University/Rebuild Duke

University Facilities was recognized for its

progress in saving energy and dollars and

helping the environment by making

buildings throughout the 74-acre campus

energy efficient.

The Rebuild Duke Facilities partnership

completed lighting and water conservation

upgrades in the university’s 110 academic

buildings,which comprise 3.2 million

square feet,in less than two years. The

partnership has already surpassed its target

of achieving $600,000 in annual energy

savings by 2003. Through these

improvements,Rebuild Duke Facilities has

made significant progress in reducing

energy consumption and avoiding polluting

emissions that result from burning 

fossil fuels.

Rebuild Colorado Wins

Financial Honors

■ Rebuild America Award for

Innovative Financial Management

– Rebuild Colorado, a program of

the Colorado Governor's Office of

Energy Management &

Conservation

Rebuild Colorado has helped encourage

investment in energy efficiency by

introducing building owners to

performance contracting as an affordable

means of paying for improvements. Rebuild

America recognized Rebuild Colorado and

the Governor’s Office of Energy

Management and Conservation for their

efforts to encourage building owners in

Colorado to invest in energy efficiency.

Nearly 70 school districts,city and county

governments,businesses,colleges,hospitals

and public housing

complexes across

the state are

participating in

Rebuild Colorado

and 23 of these

partners are

proceeding with

energy-efficiency

improvements that

collectively

represent a $20 10 million investment.

Aurel Selezeanu,

assistant director

for electrical

services for Duke

University’s

Facilities

Management

Department,

accepted an 

Award for Energy

Excellence. 

Rebuild Colorado Program

Manager Linda Smith has

been instrumental in the

program’s success.
U.S. Department of Energy

A Salute To Our Energy Champion Nominees

Rebuild America salutes the many top-notch

partnership representatives and partnerships that

were nominated for Energy Champion Awards: 

■ Dave Anderson, Chicago Housing Authority

(CHA). Dave Anderson, a CHA Partnership leader,

helped spearhead innovative efforts such as

challenging University of Auburn students to

design a vandal-resistant lighting fixture and

establishing a resident-owned business called

Home Energy Savings Corporation. 

■ Chuck Angyal, San Diego Gas & Electric. Chuck

Angyal has played a key role in providing

practical assistance and gaining financial backing

from San Diego Gas & Electric for the City of San

Diego partnership and its centerpiece, the

successful Ridgehaven Green Building

Demonstration Project. 

■ Doug Avery. A staff scientist with the Lighting

Research Group at Lawrence Berkeley National

Laboratory, Doug Avery has been involved in

major lighting retrofit projects and has provided

technical education and Demand Side

Management program development for electric

utilities. He is currently leading Rebuild America's

new Business Partners program. 

■ Raymond Carr, Energy Coordinator, Rebuild

Hawaii Island. Ray Carr has helped develop

comprehensive programs to retrofit all County

facilities via performance contracting. The lighting

and air conditioning systems of the Hawaii

County Building were retrofitted and plans

includes retrofitting 27 fire and police stations.

■ Judy Dyer, West Virginia Development Office.

Judy Dyer’s efforts to use Rebuild West Virginia

as a revitalization tool for downtown areas are

expected to increase the competitiveness of local

businesses and create new jobs statewide.

During a one-year period, she recruited six highquality community partnerships and has obtained

commitments from over 30 local partners to

energy retrofit their facilities. 

■ Doug McGiffin, Energy Services, City of Idaho

Falls, Electric Division. Doug McGiffin’s initiative

charted a new direction in energy efficiency for

the City of Idaho Falls School District which

represents 1.2 million square feet. The district

has saved $45,000 in electricity costs in two

schools and the City has made a long-term

commitment to provide energy services to 

the district. 

■ Sue Seifert, Idaho Department of Water

Resources. Sue Seifert’s efforts have helped

launch 12 partnerships. She has actively engaged

Idaho’s three largest utilities to provide energy

services and technical assistance to partnerships,

brought the first resource conservation

management program to Rebuild America, and

helped develop regional peer exchanges and a

national Forum. 

■ Fred Sissine, Mayor of Mount Rainier, MD. Fred

Sissine is helping to aggregate municipalities and

the County government to become partnerships.

He has created a Green Building Team of local

community, county, state and federal government

representatives and private sector players and

has helped facilitate building retrofit projects

currently underway.

■ Eileen Yoshinaka. Eileen Yoshinaka is the

Pacific liaison for DOE and program

representative to the State of Hawaii, American

Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

She has assisted 11 partnerships in successfully

promoting economic growth and energy and

resource efficiency by building partnerships and

creating community awareness.

■ Atlantic County, NJ. Atlantic County has been

proactive in performing building improvements

with assistance from ONSITE SYCOM. In less than

a year, the County invested $6.9 million in

energy-efficient equipment for 32 facilities, and

ultimately will save $830,000 annually. 

■ City of San Diego, CA. The partnership has

completed the retrofitting of the Ridgehaven

Green Building Demonstration Project, an energy

and resource-efficient building that provides a

healthy and productive workplace for employees.

The City promotes energy efficiency in

commercial building sector and has upgraded

more than 2.5 million square feet, saving more

than $6.5 million and 75 million kwh.

■ City of Shelby, Rebuild Shelby. Led by Ted

Alexander, Rebuild Shelby has targeted nearly

1.75 million square feet in the Central Shelby

National Register Historic District and the Uptown

Shelby Municipal Service District for energy

assessment. Upon completion, Rebuild Shelby

and the City Utility Department will select

750,000 square feet for retrofitting. 

■ 1500 Days: Central Ohio Energy Efficiency

Project. 1500 Days’ target was to complete 3

million square feet in 1500 Days, or by Fall 2000.

The partnership has already completed 1.5

million square feet and is working on another 1.9

million square feet. Its revised target is to retrofit

30 million square feet by Fall 2000. 

■ Hudson County School of Technology, Rebuild

Hudson County. With assistance from ONSITE

SYCOM, this vocational school has invested $1.8

million in new energy-efficient lighting and HVAC

equipment. The project will generate $1.4 million

in utility incentives over the next 15 years and

$2.2 million in utility bill savings. 

■ Idaho State University (ISU). Syed F. Hashim is

stimulating interest in Rebuild Idaho by taking

practical energy conservation ideas and

programs, like life-cycle costing, to community

leaders in Southeast Idaho. He is working with

the ISU College of Engineering to develop energy

conservation programs for smaller communities

and school districts.

■ Kentucky Division of Energy, Kentucky

Department of Natural Resources. The Kentucky

Division of Energy has conducted Rebuild

America workshops to help the public sector with

building upgrades. It has worked for legislative

changes to enable state and local government

organizations to use performance contracting to

fund building upgrades.

■ Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).

MTSU’s Center for Energy Efficiency Director Joe

Whitefield is providing facilities support for a

campus-wide upgrade to infrastructure and

improvement of operations and maintenance.

Accomplishments include developing an energyefficiency awareness program, establishing a

MTSU solar energy demonstration area, and

winning a state award for a new campus cogeneration plant.

■ New York State Energy Research and

Development Authority (NYSERDA). NYSERDA has

developed a performance contracting program

that makes it easy for K-12 schools, local and

state government organizations and health care

facilities to upgrade their buildings. In three

years, this program has supported 54 major

energy performance contracting projects with an

investment of $580 million and annual savings of

over $30 million.

■ Rebuild Jackson, City of Jackson, MS, Office of

Economic Development. The City of Jackson’s

Facade Matching Grant Program is designed to

help revitalize and stabilize commercial and

industrial areas. The program offers matching

grants of $5,000 to $10,000 to businesses in the

City’s Enterprise Community or Community

Development Block Grant target areas that

undertake improvements such as exterior lighting

and new windows and doors. 

■ SAFE-BIDCO. This state-funded, non-bank

lending agency provides low-interest loans to

small businesses in California that otherwise

could not afford to invest in energy efficiency.

The program’s loan approval rate is 74 percent. 

■ Texas A&M University, The Brazos Valley

Energy Conservation Coalition. The Coalition

proposes to renovate commercial and industrial

facilities and educational institutions including

Texas A&M, to save energy and improve

environmental quality and to document the

program so other communities can benefit. 

■ Utah Office of Energy Services, Utah

Department of Community & Economic

Development. The Energy Services Office

developed and implemented a support program

that makes it easy for building owners to

upgrade their buildings using performance

contracting. The Energy Services Office created

the Western Regional Coalition with its Colorado

counterpart to remove barriers to using

performance contracting to deliver energyefficiency services. 

■ Wisconsin Energy Bureau. Wisconsin Energy

Bureau Director Patrick Meir has helped develop

a comprehensive Rebuild America program for 

all public sector facilities in partnership with 

the private sector. The

partnership has retrofitted

over 14 million square feet

during the past three

years, including over 100

public and private school

buildings. 11
Rebuild America is a network of community

partnerships – made up of local governments

and businesses – that save money by saving

energy. These voluntary partnerships, working

with the U.S. Department of Energy, choose the

best ways to improve the energy efficiency of

commercial, government and apartment

buildings. Rebuild America supports them

with business and technical tools and 

customized assistance.

By the year 2003, 250 Rebuild America 

partnerships will be involved in over 

2 billion square feet of building renovations,

which will save $650 million every year in

energy costs, generate $3 billion in private

community investment, create 26,000 new

private sector jobs, and reduce air pollution by

1.6 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

Rebuild America 

Office of Building Technology,

State and Community Programs

U.S.Department of Energy

1000 Independence Avenue,SW

Washington,DC 20585-0121

Address Correction Requested

Rebuild America Welcomes 16 New Partnerships

Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs

Carson Valley Inn, Douglas County, NV

City of Jackson, MS 

Clark County, NV 

Clark County School District, NV 

Economic Development Company, Sonora, CA

Housing Authority of Baltimore City, MD 

Kansas Corporation Commission 

Lyon County School District, Yerington, NV

Maine Power Options, Augusta, ME

Nevada Center for Vocational Education & Research Corporation 

Randolph-Tucker Partnership for Disaster Mitigation & Recovery, Parsons, WV

Rebuild Mississippi County 

Southern Sustainability, Carbondale, IL

University of New Mexico, Physical Plant Department, Albuquerque, NM 

Washoe County Energy Management Program, Reno, NV

Share Your Success

To submit news or story ideas, contact: 

• Elise G. Rand, (202) 466-7391, or e-mail 

erand@pcgpr.com.

• Alex Zartman, (301) 588-9387, or e-mail 

alexz@drintl.com.

Learn More

Rebuild America is part of DOE’s Buildings for the 21st

Century. If you would like information about Rebuild

America or the other energy efficiency and renewable

energy programs and resources, call 1-800-DOE-EREC or

visit www.eren.doe.gov.

To be placed on the mailing list for Rebuild America

Partner Update, e-mail rebuildamerica@drintl.com.

Speak no evil, hear no evil,

see no evil: Panelists get

psyched for a Peer Challenges

session. From left: Toby

Benson, Montana Partners for

Energy Efficiency; Marsha

Geyer, Main Street Ripley WV;

Denise Dahlin, Rebuild Pella,

IA and Ted Alexander of

Rebuild Shelby, NC. See the

Forum in Pictures, pages 6-7.