With populations ranging fro m

1,300 to over 130,000 people, 17

t owns and cities in Connecticut have

joined Rebuild America through a

grant solicitation by the Connecticut

Office of Policy Ma n a g e m e n t

(OPM), where the State En e r g y

Office is based.

They now all face the challenge of

writing pre l i m i n a ry action plans by

April 30, when the OPM will

c o m p e t i t i vely evaluate the plans and

a w a rd up to six $150,000 grants.

“We believe all 17 partners can

p roduce implementable action plans,

whether or not they re c e i ve funding,”

said Christine Mc K a y, Re b u i l d

A m e r i c a’s regional program manager

for the Boston Regional Su p p o rt

Office (BRSO).

“ Since the De p a rtment of En e r g y

w o n’t be evaluating the plans, we can

offer assistance to the partners in

their planning efforts,” she said.

The Connecticut grant program is

the result of an innova t i ve

p a rtnership between the state and the

BRSO. “We had a number of

p rograms we wanted to coord i n a t e .

After talking with Christine Mc K a y,

we decided Rebuild America was an

ideal umbrella,” said John Ru c k e s ,

the Rebuild America pro g r a m

manager for Connecticut.

“We expect that towns and cities

will take a compre h e n s i ve appro a c h

t ow a rd improving their building

stock,” Ruckes said. “Our grant is

just a small piece of the ove r a l l

p i c t u re . ”

The grant program is being funded

e n t i rely by the state. The Connecticut

l e g i s l a t u re and the OPM approve d

$900,000 from a pollution

p re vention fund.

Re p re s e n t a t i ves of the new part n e r s

attended a special Action Pl a n

Wo rkshop in No rth Ha ve n ,

Connecticut to learn more about

When someone was needed to speak out

on behalf of the energy efficiency industry

in Massachusetts, the industry turned to

Paul Gro m e r.

Fresh from a stint as Massachusetts En e r g y

Commissioner and with a degree from Ha rva rd

L a w, Gromer was the perfect person for the job. 

He quickly formed partnerships with

utilities and environmental groups and

helped persuade regulators to pre s e rve

Massachusetts utilities’ award - w i n n i n g

energy efficiency programs. Along the way

he built an effective industry association. 

Gromer gained marketing experience in

England, where he studied at Oxford and

w o rked on adve rtising campaigns for Cadbury

and British Airways, among others.

The Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Council

was founded in 1992. Now the Northeast

Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC), it has

over 100 member companies throughout the

region, and Gromer serves as NEEC’s exe c u t i ve

d i re c t o r.

NEEC is housed in a re n ovated brick

w a rehouse in Boston’s historic No rth End, just
Pa rtner Update is the quarterly new s l e t t e r

f rom Rebuild America, a program of the

Office of Energy Efficiency and Re n ew a b l e

Energy at the U.S. De p a rtment of En e r g y.

Rebuild America projects improve the energy

efficiency of buildings to save money, cre a t e

jobs, promote growth and protect the environment 

t h rough cooperative partnerships with America’s communities.

To submit an article to Pa rtner Update, contact Lani MacRae, Ed i t o r, 

at the U.S. De p a rtment of En e r g y, Mail Stop EE-421, 1000 Independence 

Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20585; or e-mail lani.macrae@hq.doe.gov.

a round the corner from the home of Paul Re ve re. The office window s

overlook the Old No rth Church, site of the “one if by land, two if by sea”

lantern signal that started Re ve re’s famous ride. 

NEEC organized the Rebuild America partnership in Boston and held a

kickoff event in October 1995. Now it is the largest program run by NEEC,

occupying project manager Joe Mellusi full-time.

“ Our primary focus so far has been on the Boston Housing Au t h o r i t y

(BHA),” Gromer said. Rebuild Boston is providing technical consulting

to treat over 9,000 units of housing and generate an investment of over $41

million in energy efficiency improve m e n t s .

Wo rking with the BHA will help Rebuild Boston meet the goals in its

action plan. The five - year goals include $40 million invested in multi-family

and commercial buildings and $10 million in pro c u rement alliances.

Gro m e r’s team is also working with City of Boston officials to develop a

c o m p re h e n s i ve energy management program for the city’s $40 million annual

energy budget. 

“ Rebuild Boston’s greatest strength is its part n e r s h i p,” Gromer said. “We

h a ve had the most success where we have invo l ved the customer directly in

the part n e r s h i p, such as with the BHA and the City of Boston.”

“ Our partnership also benefits enormously from the participation of the

p r i vate energy efficiency companies that make up NEEC’s membership,” he

a d d e d .

N E E C ’s primary challenge is keeping up with the pace of electric industry

re s t ructuring. NEEC must “take advantage of these changes to the electric

i n d u s t ry and make them an opportunity to do more energy efficiency rather

than an excuse to do less,” Gromer said.

In addition to running NEEC, Gromer is the president of Pe re g r i n e

Energy Gro u p, an energy consulting firm named after the peregrine falcon.

Gromer is ready to tackle his business challenges, but says his two yo u n g

sons are an even bigger challenge. “I am trying to balance the competing

demands of two growing businesses and two growing kids. If I could do that,

I could do anything.”

Rebuild America and the components of

an action plan. The solicitation re q u i re s

two building audits to be included in the

grant application.

Greg Da vo ren, a core member of

B R S O ’s Rebuild America team, prov i d e d

an ove rv i ew of the program. He noted,

“We are here to provide answers and

ongoing help” to the new part n e r s .

McKay and Ruckes explained action plan

d e ve l o p m e n t .

Financing was addressed by

re p re s e n t a t i ves of GE Capital and the VA

Medical Center in Connecticut. Rich

Zelinski, of BMS Management Se rvices in

Virginia, talked with the partners about

selecting and prioritizing candidate

b u i l d i n g s .

“Each town is taking a differe n t

a p p roach to its plan,” said Ruckes. “So m e

a re targeting public housing, while others

a re looking at commercial buildings and

t own institutions. At least one part n e r

came to the workshop with utility

re p re s e n t a t i ves.” 

All of the partners will continue in the

Rebuild America program whether they

re c e i ve funding or not. They will have one

year to complete a detailed multi-ye a r

action plan, building off their pre l i m i n a ry

plan for the solicitation.
Why are n’t more energy efficiency

p rojects done? Most often the answe r

is, “We don’t have the money.” Bu t

p roject financing is available from a

variety of public and private sourc e s .

Pa rtners often look to finance

p rojects through internal operating or

capital funds, and debt financing. 

With operating funds, partners use

c u r rent re s o u rces. Pa rtners use debt

financing to issue bonds or other

securities to borrow against future

savings or re ve n u e s .

T h ree other methods of financing

energy efficiency projects are: 

• lease or lease-purchases, where a

t h i rd party finances the project with

little or no up-front outlay by the

building ow n e r ;

• energy saving perf o r m a n c e

contracts (ESPCs), where a third

p a rty will install, maintain and

finance upgrades, as well as

guarantee an achievable level of

p e rformance and/or savings; and

• utility and government incentive s ,

including rebates and grants, which

a re often used in conjunction with

one of the options listed.

Often, combinations of these five

methods are used to fully fund

p rojects. The best choices depend on

the type of organization (private or

public), size and complexity of the

p roject, internal funding constraints

and in-house expert i s e .

With the flexibility these options

o f f e r, lack of capital should rarely be

c o n s i d e red a significant constraint for

a sound energy efficiency project. 

Case studies and additional

information on financing options will

be included in the fort h c o m i n g

Rebuild America Financing Gu i d e,

which will be available in Ma y. 

Rich Zelinski is a principal of BMS

Management Se rvices in Ma n a s s a s ,

Virginia. He can be reached at (703)

551-0250, or e-mail richze l @ a o l . c o m .

He re are two examples of per f o rm a n c e

contracts applied in different buildings.

Two office towers in San Jo s e ,

California re c e i ved improvements to

lighting, HVAC systems and contro l s .

The performance guarantee for the

350,000 square foot project warrants

annual savings of at least $195,000. Ove r

the past three years, 30% reductions in

energy use have been achieve d .

The Chino, California Unified School

District has buildings in 26 locations.

The objectives for their upgrades

included replacing obsolete mechanical

equipment and reducing energy costs. So

f a r, $600,000 has been saved in energy

costs, and savings are projected to re a c h

$6 million over the life of the contract.

For three days in De c e m b e r, the

Rebuild America community gathere d

at the Fall Fo rum to exchange success

stories and ideas.

Now, our partners are better equipped

to write and carry out their action plans.

We have re c e i ved a lot of feedback

about the Fall Fo rum, and will

incorporate your ideas and suggestions

into the next Rebuild America

c o n f e rence, scheduled for early 1998.

Cu r re n t l y, we are working with our

p rogram team members around the

c o u n t ry to develop the re s o u rces yo u

h a ve asked for. The Action Plan Gu i d e

will be available in April, and the

Financing Gu i d ewill come out in Ma y. 

These guides will supplement our

l i b r a ry of re s o u rces, enabling you to

make informed choices about how yo u

want to improve your communities.

As always, we invite your input into

Pa rtner Up d a t eand Rebuild America.

Please send us your success stories,

examples of best practices, or just a brief

note letting the Rebuild America

community know what yo u r

p a rtnership is up to. Our address is on

page two.
O ver 120 members of the Rebuild America community

recently came together to share their experiences and build closer

relationships with each other. The Fall Fo rum, held in

Washington, D.C. in De c e m b e r, 1996, brought together

p a rtners from all over America and as far away as Gu a m .

“T h e re was a wonderful sense of excitement at the Fa l l

Fo rum,” said Ma rk Ba i l e y, director of Rebuild America. “Ou r

p a rtners are working in their communities on a day-to-day basis,

so we really appreciated them joining us in Wa s h i n g t o n . ”

Christine Ervin, Assistant Se c re t a ry for Energy Efficiency and

Re n ewable Energy at the De p a rtment of En e r g y, kicked off the

Fall Fo rum with a discussion of the importance of energy

efficiency opportunities in buildings.

She said that flexibility is the key to Rebuild America’s success

and complimented the program for providing one-stop

shopping for services and developing community-based

p ro g r a m s .

Pa rtners attended over a dozen seminars on a range of Re b u i l d

America topics. The presenters, experts in their fields, prov i d e d

hands-on information to help partners succeed. Seminar topics

i n c l u d e d :

• finding the best people for community partnerships, 

p resented by Kirk Bond of DOE and Jamey Evans of 

the De n ver Regional Su p p o rt Office (RSO);

• financing large and small projects, with Leslie Solmes, 

principal of LAS Associates, and Dale Sa rtor of 

L a w rence Be rkeley National Laboratory ;

• connections between utility deregulation and Rebuild 

America, with Wallace Mc Ouat, president of HMH 

Re s o u rces, and Alan Gibson of the Atlanta RSO; and

• choosing target buildings, with L.L. “Chip” Larson of 

Pacific No rt h west National Laboratory and Christine 

McKay of the Boston RSO.
Pa rtners we re re c o g n i zed for their efforts by Ma rk Bailey and

ni MacRae, a program team member at DOE. They pre s e n t e d

p a rtners with framed certificates. Bailey noted, “Our part n e r s

ake the choices on what they want to do in their communities,

d we help them succeed.”

Pa rtners had the opportunity to learn firsthand from their

peers about what is and isn’t working in Rebuild America

communities. Sh owcases we re presented by partners who have

completed their action plans.

These local community partnerships we re showc a s e d :

• Rebuild Bost on, by Paul Gro m e r, exe c u t i ve director of 

the No rtheast Energy Efficiency Council;

• ReEnergize East Bay in Be rk e l e y, California, presented 

by Cyane Dandridge, the exe c u t i ve director (see Fall 

1996 Pa rtner Up d a t e); and

• EnergyWorks in Kansas City, Missouri, presented by 

Peter Dreyfuss of the Me t ropolitan Energy Center.

State partnerships we re showcased by Rebuild Colorado,

with Linda Smith of the Office of Energy Conserva t i o n ;

Rebuild Tennessee, with Te r ry Ellis of the De p a rtment of

Economic and Community De velopment; and Rebuild

Wisconsin with Norman Bair of the Wisconsin Energy Bu re a u .

Elihu Mason Harris, the Ma yor of Oakland, California, spoke

at lunch on the first day. He described the role of local

g overnment in improving the quality of life in his city, and how

Rebuild America is a part of that effort. He singled out

Re En e r g i ze East Bay for its work around the Oakland are a .
The U.S. De p a rtment of Energy (DOE) has

a web site devoted to energy efficiency. Called

the Energy Efficiency and Re n ewable En e r g y

Ne t w o rk (EREN), it is the premier gateway to

h u n d reds of Internet sites focusing on

sustainable energy technologies.

In addition to links, EREN includes

n u m e rous electronic documents produced by

DOE for ve ry diverse audiences, including:

• educators and consumers;

• building industry expert s ;

• utilities and manufacture r s ;

• government decision makers; and

• the media.

Visitors to EREN can browse an alphabetical

list of hyperlinks, search the site to locate

specific re s o u rces and fill out the “Ask an

Energy Ex p e rt” form to submit requests to

specialists at EREC (below ) .

Consider EREN your “launch pad” to the

u n i verse of clean energy information in

cyberspace! Check out the website at

h t t p : / / w w w. e re n . d o e . g ov.

Meanwhile, the Energy Efficiency and

Re n ewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC) is a

superb source of information on re n ew a b l e

forms of energy and ways to use energy more

e f f i c i e n t l y. Funded by DOE, EREC answe r s

questions and supplies information to the

p u b l i c .

Some of the topics that experts at EREC can

help with are: weatherization; energy-efficient

lighting, insulation, windows, and appliances;

and space heating and cooling systems. 

E R E C ’s toll-free number is 800-363-3732,

the fax is 703-893-0400, and the TDD line is

800-273-2957. Requests for information can

also be e-mailed to doe.ere c @ n c i i n c . c o m .

Rebuild Wisconsin h a s

p a rt n e red with the Wisconsin

Energy Init iative 2 (WEI-2) to

begin energy efficiency pro j e c t s .

T h rough a lease-purc h a s e

arrangement, the Cornell School

District financed a $59,000 energy

management system extension. T h e

computer control system, which

regulates the boilers, air handlers,

pumps and fans in the high school,

was upgraded, and new capabilities

added. Also installed we re a new

high-efficiency boiler, T-8 lighting

and water-conserving showe r h e a d s .

“ By upgrading the control system,

the school will better manage its

re s o u rces and save money,” said Scott

Olsen, the WEI-2 manager for the

state. Begun in 1994, 300 schools are

a part of W E I - 2 .

For more information, contact No rm a n

Ba i r, the Rebuild Wi s c o n s i n

c o o rd i n a t o r, at (608) 266-5827, or 

e-mail bairn @ m a i l . s t a t e . w i . u s .

Rebuild Nebraska h a s

completed an energy audit for the

Mi d west Covenant Home in

St romsburg, Nebraska. The audit of

the 95-bed nursing home, built in

the 1960s, examined the main

building, the newer wings and the

a d m i n i s t r a t o r’s residence on the

p ro p e rt y. Systems targeted for

upgrades include: lighting, the

aluminum-frame single-pane

w i n d ows, the laundry dryer system

and the hot water system. Re b u i l d

Nebraska is also working with the

Nebraska Math & Science In i t i a t i ve

to focus on energy education in

Ne b r a s k a’s high schools. An En e r g y

Week in western Nebraska will

i n vo l ve high school students in

conducting energy audits. Their goal

is ten new Rebuild America part n e r s

in the Nebraska Pa n h a n d l e

c o m m u n i t y.

For more information, contact Ly n n

C h a m b e rlin, the Rebuild Ne b ra s k a

c o o rd i n a t o r, at

(402) 471-2867.

The Rebuild Springfield

Initiative (RSI) has been work i n g

with Western Massachusetts El e c t r i c

Company (WMECo) to install

energy efficiency measures at the City

Hall complex. The 97,000 square

foot complex includes the city’s

a d m i n i s t r a t i ve offices, Sy m p h o n y

Hall and the De p a rtment of Pu b l i c

Wo rks. An energy audit of the

lighting system identified $24,000 in

potential annual savings. The RSI

team is developing a plan to finance

the $70,000 project. Alre a d y,

WMECo will provide a $23,500

i n c e n t i ve, enabling the city to

experience a quick payback of just

under two years. “Ba s i c a l l y, the

savings will pay for the

i m p rovements,” said Dan Walsh, the

RSI coord i n a t o r.

For more information, contact Da n

Walsh at (413) 787-6050.
Affordable Comfort 97

Conference: Going Beyond

Building Technology t o Qualit y

and Performance. April 20-25. T h e

Palmer House Hilton, Chicago. Contact

A f f o rdable Comfort, Inc. at (800) 344-

4866, or e-mail AC 9 7 i n f o @ a o l . c o m .

5th National Conference on

Building Commissioning. April 28-

30. Huntington Beach, CA. Contact

Po rtland Energy Conservation, Inc. at 

(503) 248-4636, ext. 208, or e-mail

p e c i @ t e l e p o rt . c o m .

New England Environmental Expo.

April 29-May 1. Sp o n s o red by In d u s t r i a l

Sh ow s / No rtheast. Contact Expotrac at

(401) 766-4142, or we b s i t e

h t t p : / / w w w. e n v i ro e x p o. c o m .

American Institute of Architects

Convention & AIA Expo ‘97. Ma y

16-18. Morial Convention Center, New

Orleans, LA. Contact John Ga i l l a rd at

(202) 626-7395 or fax (202) 626-7518.

Attendees include architects, facility

managers, engineers, and planners.

National Business Energy Forum. 

June 26-27. Hilton Riverside in New

Orleans. Contact Association of En e r g y

Engineers at (770) 279-4386 or e-mail

i n f o @ a e e c e n t e r. o r g .

In the Philadelphia region, a

n ew partner in Ba l t i m o re, Ma ry l a n d

will be focusing on multi-family

housing in its action plan. T h e

Southeast Development, Inc.

plans to analyze and re t ro f i t

buildings in Ba l t i m o re’s historic

residential neighborhoods. “We are

ve ry excited about this

o p p o rt u n i t y,” said Susan Gu a rd, the

regional re p re s e n t a t i ve. She noted

the unique character of Ba l t i m o re’s

row houses, including their famous

white marble steps. “T h e

community is really going to be

re v i t a l i zed through this

p a rt n e r s h i p,” she said.

For more information, contact Su s a n

Gu a rd at (215) 656-6965.

Rebuild America is “an exc e l l e n t

vehicle for supporting communitybased energy and enviro n m e n t a l

i n i t i a t i ves,” according to Pa u l

Johnson, the Seattle re g i o n’s

re p re s e n t a t i ve. When describing

Rebuild America to community and

business leaders, he explains the

array of technical and business

consulting services available fro m

the national labs and DOE pro g r a m

offices. “Rebuild America is a way

to get DOE and local re s o u rc e s

w o rking together in a community, ”

he said. He is concentrating on

expanding Rebuild America

p a rtnerships in Washington and

C a l i f o r n i a .

For more information, contact Pa u l

Johnson at (206) 553-2154.

D O E - s p o n s o red re s e a rch is

paying off for partners in the

Chicago region. Re b u i l d

Wisconsin will be using superinsulation practices developed by

the Illinois State Energy Office in

multi-family housing projects. An

insulated wallboard system,

meanwhile, was designed by Oa k

Ridge National Lab to encapsulate

lead paint surfaces. The Chicago

Housing Authority (CHA) w i l l

use the system as well as a

c o m m e rcial building spre a d s h e e t

a n a l y zer in its projects. The CHA

will also join Anderson, Indiana in

making use of Home Energy Rating

Systems, which are useful for public

and assisted housing pro j e c t s .

For more information, contact Ma rk

Burger at (312) 886-8583, or e-mail

m a rk . b u r g e r @ h q . d o e . g ov.
Rebuild America

U.S. De p a rtment of En e r g y

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585

Ad d ress Correction Re q u e s t e d

For information on Rebuild America, please call the Energy Efficiency and Re n ewable Energy Clearinghouse at 1-800-DOE-EREC.