Colorado is in the middle of a surge of energy performance contracts, with many in

the works and more just around the corner. The contracts allow building improvements

to be financed through the energy savings that come from the upgrades.

“While funds for capital construction grow scarce, performance contracting offers a

huge, untapped source of funds. Millions of dollars otherwise paid to utility companies

over the next decade can, instead, be invested in energy-saving improvements,” says

Linda Smith, Colorado state representative for Rebuild America and an official of the

Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation.

The motivation for state facilities is a budget squeeze — the driver for performance

contracts in many states, towns and counties. Colorado currently has no money for

capital construction and renovations of state facilities, other than for emergency needs.

Because performance contracts are self-financing, they provide off-budget

improvements.

Ten new performance contracts are in the works in Colorado, and most have passed

the stage of selecting energy service companies and are either negotiating contract

details or going through the energy audit stage. These are worth about $18 million, as a

very rough estimate.

“The total scope isn’t really known until they finish the audits,” Smith says.

The ten are for:

• State Capitol Complex Facilities in Denver;

• State Department of Human Services;

• Colorado State University at Fort Collins;

• University of Colorado at Boulder Department of Housing;

• University of Northern Colorado at Greeley;

• University of Colorado at Colorado Springs;

• University of Colorado at Denver;

• Lewis-Palmer School District;

PartnerUpdate

INSIDE

REBUILD AMERICA•BUILDING AMERICA

U.S. Department of Energy • Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy www.rebuild.gov • DOE/EE-0275

November – December 2002

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 6

3 DOE, states sign agreement for

greater research

4 New tech emerges

5 Montana school participation

leads to energy success

6 California consortium addressing

energy efficiency in multi-family

housing

7 Wind energy moving

8 Peer gathering in Mississippi

9 Students lend helping hand

11 Reducing window energy loss

Rebuild America state representatives

and community officials gathered in

Indianapolis November 5-7 to share

knowledge and experience at the

Midwest Regional Rebuild America

Peer Exchange.

Participants in the Peer Exchange

shared success stories and discussed

the practical details of their

accomplishments. The meetings

involved a fair amount of give and

take, including not only the state and

local officials but business

representatives and federal officials.

The setting for the peer forum was

the Crowne Plaza-Downtown Hotel, a

model example of successful

redevelopment in the spruced-up heart

of aging Indianapolis. The stylish hotel

originally was a train station and is

listed in the National Register of

Colorado Builds Momentum

on Performance Contracting

Midwest Forum

Hears of Sales

and Successes

The Colorado state

capitol building will

undergo an energy

retrofit.
2 U.S. Department of Energy

Historic Places. Its transformation — even incorporating 26

authentic Pullman train cars as sleeping rooms — is a

reminder of what retrofitting can do.

First up on the agenda was a November 5 workshop for

state representatives on the development of Rebuild America

action plans and sales skills. The need for marketing skills

stems from the challenge of selling Rebuild America

programs as activities worthy of funding.

November 6 brought the roundtable discussions, kicked

off by Steve Palmeri, the buildings team leader of the U.S.

Department of Energy’s Chicago Regional Office, and Gavin

Williams, a manager in the Indiana Department of

Commerce and the coordinator for Rebuild America in

Indiana. Williams served as a master of ceremonies to keep

the presentations rolling along.

Roundtables explored such subjects as the challenges of

dealing with the Department of Housing and Urban

Development and the rudiments of learning whether

public housing occupants actually liked the changes that a

program makes.

Salesmanship and sustainability often came up for

discussion. 

Frederick M. Schreiber of Energy Plus Associates (Troy, IL)

brought light fixtures to make the point that you can sell a

lighting retrofit program by bringing contrasting sets of lights

along for proof of their effectiveness.

Quality gets more interest and excitement than efficiency

when it comes to selling schools on the idea of lighting

retrofits, remarked Peter Brown of MetalOptics, an affiliate

of Lithonia Lighting.

Jobs are an important factor for selling a program in small

towns, several participants stressed. 

Speaking in general of energy retrofit programs, Pete Cali

of the Kewanee (IL) Chamber of Commerce said, “You gotta

get out there and sell it.” Once you have some projects

done, the program starts to sell itself, he added.

Program managers also should avoid piling up the red

tape, especially for small businesses, which are not topheavy with managers who would have time for

bureaucracy, Cali explained. Bring the project as a package

deal without a ton of paperwork, he said.

Once programs are generating savings and local support,

they need less and less federal assistance and may end up

needing none. That concept explained the meaning of the

word “sustainability” as it was used repeatedly at the Peer

Exchange.

One of the means of achieving sustainability is a

performance contract, which pays for energy upgrades out

of energy cost savings rather than government grants.

Performance contracts were central features of several

upgrades for public housing described by Ohio officials.

The measurement of progress was another issue raised

repeatedly.

How do you know when you’re on the right track? Ohio

public housing officials at the Peer Exchange offered a

couple of ways: an annual survey and the simple process of

walking around a housing complex asking the residents

what they think.

Terry Pease, Rebuild America state representative for

Wisconsin, offered a very systematic method of tracking

progress based on many years of efforts for his state’s

schools. His matrix of contract goals and metrics uses an

array of benchmarking connected to critical barriers, critical

goals and critical milestones.

“We’re trying to also achieve market changes,” Pease said

in explaining part of the value of such tracking. He added

that the same tracking system could be applied to other

sectors besides schools. It just happened that Wisconsin’s

energy-efficiency program experience was longer in schools

than in other areas.

For more information on the Chicago Regional Peer

Exchange, contact Carla Clemons at carla.clemons@ee.doe.gov.

Continued from page 1

Rebuild America Officials Gather

Specific roundtables at the Peer Exchange:

Public housing, led by Dr. Manny Anunike, Rebuild 

Ohio coordinator, who was joined by a contingent of

Ohio public housing specialists from Cincinnati,

Portsmouth and Stark County;

K-12 Schools, led by Terry Pease, coordinator for State of

Wisconsin – Focus on Energy, and Blanche Scheinkopf,

EnergySmart Schools national coordinator;

Higher Education, led by Greg Lenaghan, Rebuild Illinois

coordinator;

Municipalities, led by Bruce Greiner and Chris Frantsvog

of Polk County General Services, where they anchor

Rebuild Polk County;

Small Business, led by Illinois’ Greg Lenaghan and Doug

Avery, Rebuild America’s Business Partner coordinator;

EnergySmart Schools (K-12 Schools), led by Glenda

Abney, the Rebuild America program manager for the

Gateway Center of St. Louis, who spoke about new ideas

for K-12 schools;

Energy-Efficient Design for Schools, led by David Ejadi

of Weidt Group, who presented information on the

energy efficient design of schools,
With a new year upon us, it’s time to take stock of

the Rebuild America program and its progress in

engaging communities in energy-saving efforts. What

do the numbers tell us? During 2002:

• Partnerships improved an additional 109 million

square feet, bringing the amount of total space

improved since the program’s inception to 528

million square feet, an increase of 25 percent

over 2001 results.

• Partnerships are saving $298 million annually, up

12 percent from $264 million the previous year.

• The total collective investment that partnerships

have made in energy-saving improvements

climbed to $1.5 billion, $300 million more than

the $1.2 billion reported for last year.

Our data tell us that our K-12 schools sector has

been the most active, accounting for 36 percent of

the 528 million square feet improved to date,

followed by the local and state government sector

with 27 percent of the total. In contrast, we find that

the colleges and universities and the public housing

sectors account for 8 percent and 5 percent

respectively, of the amount of space improved. 

Efforts are already underway to engage these sectors

more fully in the program and boost their

performance in 2003 and beyond.

As the program matures, we are looking for new

and better ways to help partnerships expand their

energy-saving activities. We are currently surveying

partnerships in an effort to identify the Rebuild

America resources that are most valuable to

partnerships and the factors associated with good

performance. We will take what we learn from the

survey and apply it to help other partnerships

succeed. The survey results are expected in early

spring.

Our year-end metrics tell us that Rebuild America is

steadily making inroads in communities across the

nation. But our work is hardly done. A great many

Americans are not aware of the importance of saving

energy, and how it benefits our schools, our cities,

our environment, and even the energy security of our

nation. There are still too many architects, engineers

and builders creating buildings that ignore significant

energy-saving opportunities. Our job is to reach them.

And with your help, I believe we can.

Dan Sze is National Program Manager of Rebuild

America.

View From DC

By Daniel Sze

U.S. Department of Energy 3

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed an agreement

in November that establishes greater coordination among state

energy officials and the federal government to develop new

energy technologies.

The agreement creates a potential opportunity for Rebuild

America community and state partnerships, as well as associated

programs within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Energy.

Assistant Secretary David Garman says the agreement “will

allow the Department of Energy and states to increase their

collaboration and leverage financial resources to accomplish

mutually agreed upon projects.”

This agreement establishes a State Technologies Advancement

Collaborative with DOE, the Association of State Energy

Research and Technology Transfer Institutions, Inc. (ASERTTI)

and the National Association of State Energy Officials

(NASEO).

NASEO is a Rebuild America Strategic Partner. The agreement

was signed at a ceremony during the ASERTTI meeting in Napa,

CA, November 13-15, 2002.

This collaborative “will promote research and deployment in

innovative ways to produce, transmit and distribute energy and

to use it more efficiently,” Garman says. Partners will enjoy

greater information sharing and eliminate duplicative efforts,

while leveraging funds to bring technologies into the market,

DOE says.

DOE, States 

Sign Agreement for

Greater Energy

Technology Research

Rebuild America ProgressCalculator

Number of Partnerships:

491

Total Number of Committed or 

Completed Square Feet:

1,097,102,390

as of December 15, 2002
New energy-efficient rooftop air conditioners are available

to Rebuild America partnerships from the U.S. Department

of Energy’s Emerging Technologies Program, showcasing

greater synergy among Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy (EERE) programs.

These air conditioners are some of the first products to

surface since the Emerging Technologies Program called for

greater coordination among the programs at a Rebuild

America Strategic Partners meeting in February. 

The May/June edition of Partner Update detailed the

Emerging Technologies Program and how that program and

Rebuild America could work hand-in-hand to advance

energy-efficient products throughout the U.S. Since then,

EERE has undergone a shift that seeks to improve

coordination among its programs.

For air conditioners, the Emerging Technologies Program

explored needs and opportunities for higher efficiency and

progress along several fronts. Those fronts included

mandatory minimum standards, the Consortium for Energy

Efficiency’s High Efficiency Commercial Air Conditioning

initiative, and new ENERGY STAR® ratings for rooftop units.

Rebuild America applications could include schools and

small commercial buildings.

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Pacific

Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) issued a coordinated

innovative procurement for a “new generation” of packaged

rooftops in small commercial sizes between 65,000 and

135,000 Btu per hour. Some of the winning units are now

available for purchase by government and private entities.

The procurement, supported by both the Federal Energy

Management Program (FEMP) and DOE’s Office of Building

Research and Standards, in addition to the Department of

Defense, seeks to promote the manufacture of equipment

that improves both performance and cost-effectiveness.

PNNL provided the technical and market research to initiate

the procurement and recruited several large prospective

buyers, both within and outside the government.

The solicitation, issued in early January, required that

equipment meet at least the CEE Tier II/ENERGY STAR®/FEMP

efficiency levels, and it prescribed a cost-effectiveness rating

formula that balanced the initial price of the equipment

against expected energy costs. This formula takes into

account average weather conditions and both full- and partload efficiencies. Winning models with the lowest total lifecycle cost have been selected, and PNNL has negotiated

basic ordering agreements reflecting the offered prices and

terms with two manufacturers for the products listed:

Buyers will soon be able to purchase these winners

through Defense Logistics Agency catalogs or by visiting the

program’s Web site at http://www.pnl.gov/uac/. In the

meantime, purchasers can contact Brad Hollomon at PNNL

(Ph.: 202-646-5043; email: hollomon@pnl.gov).

The Web site also contains useful advice on typical air

conditioner design features, as well as a life-cycle cost

comparison tool that grew out of the selection method for

the procurement. The comparison tool is designed to help

users select optimal equipment by comparing different

models’ life-cycle costs at their respective efficiency levels.

Among its key features, the menu-driven software:

• Quickly estimates life-cycle cost, simple payback, rate of

return, and savings-to-investment ratio;

• Accommodates equipment with one or two compressor

stages;

• Accounts for part-load as well as full-load efficiencies;

• Simulates operation under specific climate conditions at

any of 237 U.S. locations;

• Reflects user-specified air conditioning requirements and

building use patterns;

• Allows a comparison of alternative equipment choices

with user-specified electric rate and financial

assumptions;

• Provides results as downloadable graphic files for

further analysis and presentation.

For more information, contact Alison Thomas of FEMP at

202-586-2099 or alison.thomas@ee.doe.gov

4 U.S. Department of Energy

New Tech Emerges: Advanced Rooftop Air

Conditioners Available for Purchase

TECHNOLOGY

Lennox Industries

Model Btu/hr EER IPLV Price

LCA090H 90,000 11.3 12.0 $2,990

LCA102H 101,000 11.0 12.0 $3,390

LCA120H 120,000 11.0 11.8 $3,990

Global Energy Group (Available this Fall)

Model Btu/hr EER IPLV Price

PH007C 88,000 13.5 13.9 $4,325

PH010C 115,000 13.4 14.0 $5,525

The sample graph shows cumulative costs of acquiring and operating two

hypothetical air conditioners, one with a higher price and efficiency than

the other.
U.S. Department of Energy 5

ENERGY SOLUTIONS

The discovery of natural resources in the Western states

caused towns to spring up and pockets of specialized

laborers to develop. Folks who settled down often rested

their hopes on the abundance of fuel and minerals vital to

industries back East. And their hopes proved correct: There

was plenty of work for the settlers.

Montana is such an area and is well known as an

extraction state. Industries such as mining flourished in

towns like East Helena for decades, requiring well-paid

skilled labor, and East Helena’s 5,000 people prospered.

In the 1990s, much of that prosperity came to an end.

The town’s largest employer shut down its operations in

East Helena, and this town located six miles east of

Montana’s capital started down a less bountiful path. People

who formerly earned a $20/hour wage — big money in

these parts — were out of jobs.

“The community was hammered hard,” comments Toby

Benson, Rebuild America state program representative with

the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

The town lost its tax base, and its public services began

to erode. Perhaps most notable were the decline’s effects on

the educational system that always drew funds from taxes

on property values and commercial sales. For decades the

extraction industry supported East Helena. Its loss crippled

the town, threatening school financing.

Despite the town’s economic situation, leaders chose to

construct a new middle school because the children of East

Helena still needed an education, and the old school was

eroded. East Valley Middle School opened its doors in 1999.

But instead of rejoicing upon its completion, town and

school officials were frustrated because of its poor

“performance.”

Benson explains that East Valley came with indoor air

quality problems and comfort woes that the town did not

anticipate nor feel like dealing with.

Commissioning, the idea...

Getting projects funded for schools is a problem given

that East Helena’s municipal budget is stretched. To correct

the problems in East Valley Middle School would take an

overwhelming commitment on top of the commitment

already laid down to build the school.

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), a

consortium of electric utilities supported by rural

cooperatives, was conducting a regional project aimed at

demonstrating commissioning and the development of case

studies. This “Commissioning of Public Buildings in the

Northwest” project seeks to make commissioning standard

practice in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana. The

Alliance has pulled together 35 demonstration sites, seven

of which are schools and school districts.

The Alliance’s building commissioning effort hopes to

achieve four goals:

• Educate communities and their policymakers on

building commissioning;

• Demonstrate how commissioning can improve the

performance of buildings;

• Establish model policies for local governments to follow in

implementing commissioning in municipal facilities and

encouraging them in commercial and residential buildings;

• Show the hard data, results and success stories.

In 2003, the Oregon Office of Energy will compile the

case studies, cull the data and economics from the seven

schools to ensure they are “parallel” and publish the

findings. 

Commissioning at East Valley

As part of the Alliance’s project, the Montana DEQ

provided funding to East Valley Middle School to pay for

commissioning. The school district contracted with Facility

Improvement Corporation (FICO) to conduct commissioning

on the new school. 

The project was borne out of warranty issues that resulted

in a lack of comfort and high energy bills in the new

school. Occupants fretted about the comfort — it was

always either too hot or too cold — and the cash-strapped

town and principal felt the burden.

As part of the East Valley Middle School project,

commissioning was undertaken to analyze what needed to

be corrected under warranty by the contractor. According to

an executive summary of the commissioning report, the

specific goals of the project were as follows:

• Verify that the heating, ventilation and air conditioning

system and controls were installed correctly;

• Investigate HVAC system problems and determine

cause;

• Identify potential changes to building systems and

controls that will lower energy bills;

• Document material for the Alliance’s case study.

Commissioning revealed serious flaws in the operation of

the school. Several systems needed adjusting, including

calibration of control system components, changes in boiler

operation and programming problems with the control

system. The effort fixed the problems in the school.

What FICO concluded

After conducting commissioning, FICO says, “As a

Commissioning Authority, we need to educate school

Montana School Participation in

Commissioning Demo Leads to Energy Success

Continued on page 10
6 U.S. Department of Energy

ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Members of the California Multi-Family Housing

Consortium are implementing a detailed action plan that

seeks to integrate energy-efficient technology and design

into affordable, multi-family dwellings. 

“The sector has been largely ignored when it comes to

energy efficiency, and that is one relatively benign way to

help these families out,” Program Representative Cyane

Dandridge says.

Four critical points make up the Multi-Family Housing

Consortium’s plan of action, an ambitious agenda for this

new Rebuild America partnership striving to improve energy

efficiency in this “underserved” housing market in California.

The action goals of the California-focused consortium

include:

• Educating lawmakers and policymakers about the

benefits of energy efficiency in multi-family dwellings;

• Marketing the concept and public outreach;

• Sustainable planning that examines land-use issues, not

just the building;

• Transforming the market through case studies, pilot

projects and information sharing.

The fourth goal — transformation of the market — is the

ultimate for the consortium, but those involved recognize that

the other goals are stepping stones to revamping the market. 

Not all new housing developments use energy-efficient

technology and design, although U.S. Department of Energy

programs like Rebuild America and its network of nearly

500 partnerships are trying to change the landscape. This

consortium is carving out a niche in the housing market

among the houses that are traditionally less expensive to

build and purchase — and thus contain few energy

efficiency design elements.

The consortium recognizes that incorporating energy

efficiency does not necessarily drive up the cost of these

houses. But the current problem, Dandridge explains, is that

policy does not encourage their construction and that the

public and those in the industry are unaware of this fact.

Because the consortium recognizes this, it must convey

these principles; thus the need for its diligence on the issue.

Participants are hard at work developing a Web site for easy

access to information. They are sitting down with

lawmakers and policymakers to help drive the adoption of

state and local codes for energy efficiency in construction.

They are documenting successes to prove it can be done.

And they are doing it all with limited funds and within the

program architecture already set up.

“We need to understand how to best serve this market,

which is completely underserved, by leveraging existing

programs, not creating new ones,” Dandridge emphasizes.

Participants in the consortium — described by Dandridge

as “every type of group working with the multi-family

sector” — all share the common goal of revamping multifamily buildings to make them more energy efficient. With

this goal comes increased comfort for tenants of such

housing whose income levels generally lie between poverty

and middle class, and an improved environment with lower

pollution levels.

A follow-up to the consortium’s meeting over the summer

was held December 5, and committees meet continuously to

flesh out details of the action agenda.

Participants include: Nehemiah Stone of the Heschong

Mahone Group; Maura Clark, Rebuild America state

representative for California; Doug Shoemaker, Non-Profit

Housing Sustainable Working Group Policy; and Matt Pesce,

Rebuild America Public and Affordable Housing Market

Sector representative.

Dandridge’s organization, Strategic Energy Innovations,

a Rebuild America partnership, spearheads the consortium.

For more information on the Multi-Family Housing

Consortium, contact Cyane Dandridge at cyane@sei.org.

California Consortium Addressing Energy

Efficiency in Multi-Family Housing

Continued from page 1

Colorado Builds Momentum on Performance Contracting

• Academy 20 School District;

• Fort Morgan School District.

Most include water as well as energy usage in the

upgrade plans. Most are likely to use the full 12 years

permitted under state law for performance contracting.

The highest-profile project, roughly estimated at $1.5

million, may be the upgrade for the state capitol building and

the complex of state office buildings surrounding it in Denver. 

About a dozen energy service contractors are able to

compete for performance contracts in Colorado, giving the

state and local governments a healthy competitive

marketplace.

And although they can’t be discussed yet, there are a lot

of potential projects in the works.

The ten new projects follow on the heels of 26 other

Rebuild Colorado projects where performance contracts are

already delivering energy savings after an energy investment

of $26 million in state and local government facilities – the

buildings of school districts large and small, rural counties,

state colleges and other government operations.

“There’s just a lot of new momentum now in performance

contracting,” Smith says.

For more information contact Linda Smith, Rebuild

Colorado, 303-894-2383 x 1203.
TECHNOLOGY

U.S. Department of Energy 7

Wind Energy Moving to the Forefront of U.S.

Energy, Rebuild America Partnerships

In 1978, Congress passed the Public Utilities Regulatory

Policy Act (PURPA) that, among other things, created an

incentive for the development of renewable energy. This act

requires utilities to purchase energy created from “qualifying

facilities” at the utilities’ avoided cost of producing power. A

solar panel, biomass plant or a wind turbine therefore has

guaranteed buyers for any electricity it generates thanks to

PURPA.

This incentive has advanced the level of technology in

renewable energy such as wind power, albeit at a slow

pace. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports that the

wind was first harnessed 7,000 years ago. In a more modern

context, since the passage of PURPA, it has taken nearly 25

years to dramatically lower the cost of producing electricity

from wind. But wind power is finally moving to the

forefront of the energy industry. 

Of the various forms of non-hydroelectric renewable

energy, wind power is leading the charge as the single

fastest-growing electric technology in the world. Its cost has

dropped to one-tenth of its cost two decades ago, and it is a

driver for employment — creating more jobs per dollar

invested than any other form of electricity generation.

Stories are popping up all over the professional news

media and in school district, association, local government,

neighborhood and other types of newsletters all over the

country. Hardly a week goes by without an article on wind

power appearing in the Office of Energy Efficiency and

Renewable Energy (EREN) Network News. Wind power is

building in strength and power.

The reasons are apparent. Wind power is free and always

replenished. In both theory and practice it is simple – wind

turns turbine blades, which turn a rotor, which generates

electricity. Turbines generate not a single molecule of

pollution or carbon dioxide, and new technology enables

turbine blades to spin even at low wind speeds.

Drawbacks are that wind energy is intermittent, some

believe it despoils the landscape, and it can kill birds. Also,

connecting wind turbines to the power grid is an

infrastructure challenge. However, its cleanliness, life-cycle

cost and relatively simple technology — which mean lower

operating and maintenance costs — are making it popular.

Research and development, in part conducted and

sponsored by DOE, has led to many advancements in wind

energy that have resulted in the decrease in price per

kilowatt-hour of electricity from 40 cents to four to six cents.

The non-profit RAND Corporation recently conducted an

analysis claiming that the Pacific Northwest can increase its

reliance on green power through 2020, in part through wind

energy, without harming the economy.

And, as stated, news stories continue to appear all over

the country. In West Virginia, as the Charleston Daily Mail

reports, Mount Storm Wind Force, a Pennsylvania

company, received approval to construct 166 wind turbines

in two West Virginia counties. Site work is expected to

begin in 2003. These generators are expected to produce

250 megawatts of power.

Seattle City Light, a Rebuild America community

partnership, already purchases 50 megawatts of windgenerated electricity from the Stateline Wind Farm in

Washington. 

And a Virginia Rebuild America community partnership is

pursuing wind power to export onto the electricity grid.

Northampton County joined Rebuild America in early 2002

to obtain technical resources to bolster its ongoing

sustainability quest. Its latest vision is the construction of a

wind farm with a capacity to generate at least 50 megawatts

of electricity.

The role of wind energy may be limited until it gains

broad community support. Some feel that wind turbines are

blots on the landscape. Others are concerned about their

impact on the flight behavior of migratory birds.

Led by Gov. George Pataki, New York is one of the

strongest supporters of wind energy. However, at least in

one instance, investors in a wind project in Cherry Valley ran

into stiff opposition at the local level. Patient work by wind

energy proponents to obtain the approval of communities

will ensure the acceptance of wind power and ultimately

steer the direction of wind energy in the United States.

For more information on wind power, visit the Office of

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Web site at

www.eren.doe.gov. For more information on Northampton

County, visit http://www.esva.net/~northampton.

More and more turbines are generating electrical power these days.
8 U.S. Department of Energy

Community partnership representatives convened at a

Rebuild America Peer Forum November 19-21 at the historic

Edison Walthall Hotel in Jackson, MS. 

Representatives of partnerships in the Atlanta Region

shared experiences and learned new information from state

and program officials. Strategies for promoting energy

efficiency were presented and discussed.

Greg Andrews, Rebuild America Team Lead for the

Atlanta Regional Office, opened the annual forum by

emphasizing three ways to improve energy efficiency in

buildings: design, technology, and operations and

maintenance. The program agenda reflected the three

different topics.

Martha Jane Murray, an architect with The Wilcox Group,

kicked off the presentations by addressing the question:

how do you get the design profession to adopt sustainable

building practices? 

She urged architects to take a leadership role in energy

efficiency by promoting sustainable design within their

profession. Murray recommended that architects look to the

medical profession’s Hippocratic Oath, “first do no harm,”

when designing a building. Architects must ask themselves,

“Is this material hazardous? Is this the most sustainable

project?” Murray noted that simply orienting a building more

thoughtfully on the site is an easy way to save energy with

little or no extra cost.

Richard Heinisch of Lithonia Lighting discussed new

developments in lighting technology that make lamps more

efficient while improving light quality. He compared

traditional lighting sources with compact fluorescent, pulsestart metal halide and LED technologies. He said that an

often overlooked technology is sensor controls. Why light a

space 100 percent of the time if it is only being used 10

percent of the time?

Robert Somers of 2RW Consulting discussed building

commissioning. Somers debunked the prevalent assumption

that commissioning is only about heating, ventilation and

air-conditioning. He emphasized that commissioning is for

all building systems and it can reduce change orders,

improve a building’s performance and provide greater

occupant comfort. 

Somers recommended that the commissioning authority

be independent of the design team. Ideally, the owner

should include the commissioning authority from the very

start, even before the plans are drawn. Although

commissioning can increase construction costs by one-half

percent to 3 percent, he said non-commissioned buildings

have 8 percent to 20 percent higher operating costs as

compared to commissioned buildings.

The forum continued on the second day with what

Andrews referred to as “Rebuild America boot camp.” The

state program representatives and partnership leaders

reported on current activities and exchanged strategies and

ideas. How to get people actively involved in partnerships

was discussed. Several participants advised that

representatives reaching out to government agencies and

other groups should be cognizant of the fact that many

baby boomers are reaching retirement age. It is important to

know who will be working in that agency within the next

several years to be sure the partnerships will continue. 

Dennis Clough, Rebuild America products and services

coordinator, concluded the morning session with a

presentation on Rebuild America’s products and services

and resources available through www.rebuild.gov. 

During lunch, state Rep. Tyrone Ellis spoke about

positioning Mississippi as a leader in energy efficiency and

stressed the importance of tying sustainability with

economic development. He commended the efforts of

Rebuild Mississippi.

The group later toured the physical plant at Baptist

Medical Center. Harry Brister, of the facilities department,

explained how the hospital is collecting waste heat from an

electricity generator and using it to help power the chiller

system. Brister remarked that the hospital has saved about

$700,000 per year in energy costs since the system was

installed in 1991.

The site tours continued with a visit to Mississippi

College. The facilities staff led a behind-the-scenes tour of

several campus buildings and their mechanical systems. The

following day, attendees divided into small groups to

develop reports to identify ways the college can save

energy dollars.

Peers Gather in Mississippi 

to Exchange Ideas

Greg Andrews, Rebuild America team lead for the Atlanta Regional

Office (left), and Dr. Lloyd Roberts, Mississippi College, discuss energy.

Continued on page 9
U.S. Department of Energy 9

Part of Rebuild America’s allure is that it is more than

retrofitting buildings with energy-efficiency technology. It is

changing the way Americans think about and behave with

energy. It is about small businesses doing their part to lower

pollution levels. It is about creating teams of students to live

in a world of conservation and energy efficiency.

Strategic Partner Alliance to Save Energy recently

presented an Earth Apple Award to Pinole, CA, high school

students and the Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI)

partnership for helping the kids’ school, city government

and local businesses save money through energy audits.

The students received a digital camera and a plaque

recognizing their efforts.

Twenty students participated in the year-long Energy

$mart Schools program developed by SEI, based in San

Rafael, CA.

“We developed this program not only to educate students

about the importance of conserving energy but also to

provide them hands-one experience as energy auditors for

their school and local small businesses performing a

valuable service for their community,” notes Cyane

Dandridge, executive director of SEI and a Rebuild America

program representative.

The program engaged students in their community and

also helped local small businesses save money.

SEI staff taught the students how to perform energy audits

for lighting. The student “Watt Cops” completed an energy

audit of their high school and then presented their findings

to the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board.

The work led to the students gaining the support of the City

of Pinole Redevelopment Agency, prompting the students to

conduct energy audits for 15 small businesses, including the

city-owned post office building. 

The City of Pinole gave the students $150 for each audit,

which helped pay for an SEI-led trip for six students to visit

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Fundraisers, business sponsors and local organizations

financed the balance of the cost.

While visiting MIT, the students attended classes,

participated in an energy-efficiency lab, took an admissions

tour and visited energy-efficient dormitories. During a visit

to an animation technology research laboratory, one student

exclaimed, “Wow, I never realized math could be so cool!”

With the success of the program, SEI was able to find jobs

for three students with local energy audit programs this past

summer. Pinole funded a job for one of the students to

perform 15 more audits during the summer months. The

student identified more than $6,000 in potential energy

savings. The city also committed to retrofitting the post

office to make the building more energy efficient. 

The Local Government Commission, a new Rebuild

America partnership, recently invited SEI and a student to

make a presentation on energy efficiency at the 2nd Annual

New Partners for Smart Growth conference in New Orleans

January 30 – February 1, 2003.

The school also announced that it will continue the Watt

Cops program this year. Two of last year’s juniors will lead

this year’s group during their senior year.

After participating in the program, one senior decided to

change her college major to environmental science and

others expressed an interest in energy efficiency and

conservation careers. One student noted, “When I grow up,

I want an energy-efficient house because I learned how

important energy efficiency is to saving our environment.”

For a paper on this Energy $mart Schools program, visit

http://www.seiinc.org/papers/E$Sprogram.pdf.

California Students Recognized for Helping

Community Save Energy

Joe Zupo, Owner, Pinole Valley Barber Shop, and students (left to right)

Elisa Martinez, Karla Duran and Alba Barragan.

The program concluded with a question and answer

session with Dan Sze, National Program Manager for

Rebuild America, and an open group discussion addressing

regional activities, programs and needs.

Sponsors of the exchange included the Mississippi

Development Authority-Energy Division, which

demonstrated the true meaning of Southern hospitality.

Sarnafil Roofing Systems, Inc., FMS Lighting

Management Systems, Inc. and Mississippi Power

Company also supported the forum.

For more information on the Atlanta Regional Peer Forum,

contact Greg Andrews at greg.andrews@ee.doe.gov

Continued from page 8

Peers Gather in Mississippi to Exchange Ideas
10 U.S. Department of Energy

Snap Shot: Mel Powers

Mel Powers is a Rebuild America

customer service representative for

the states along the Eastern

Seaboard.

Vital Statistics 

Mel lives in the historic coastal

plains town of Weldon, NC — in the

northeastern part of the state near

the Virginia border — with his wife

Gail, a school guidance counselor,

and daughters Jacqueline, a freshman

at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, and

Melanie, age 10. The family has two pets — a Teacup

Pomeranian named “Cody” and a tabby named “Gonzo.”

How long have you been working with the

Rebuild America program?

I’ve been working with Rebuild America since 1997 while

employed by Choanoke Area Development Association

(CADA) when the organization signed on as the lead agency

for the Roanoke Chowan Rebuild America partnership.

How did you get into this line of work?

I served as Manager of Community Services for CADA,

which included responsibility for a myriad of human service

programs in the four-county service area, such as affordable

housing, employment, emergency assistance, weatherization,

energy efficiency and other related programs. 

With the assistance of Lawrence Wilson, director of the

North Carolina Office of Economic Opportunity (which

funds community action agencies in the state), and the

North Carolina Energy Office we were able to get

administrative support for our Rebuild America activities

covered as part of the Work Plan for Community Services

Block Grant. This provided us with the needed support to

help organize a four-county partnership that would

eventually have 33 organizational partners. 

I’ve been involved in community building for the past 20

years and really liked the concept of working from the

bottom up with Rebuild America marketed as “not just

another government program.” This approach was highly

successful with the Roanoke Chowan partnership and

allowed us the opportunity to share the success with

partnerships across the nation.

I was fortunate enough in 1999, when the opportunity to

be involved on a full-time basis as a regional representative

with Aspen Systems presented itself, to be asked to come

on board as part of the Customer Service Team. And I’ve

thoroughly enjoyed it!

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

Having the opportunity to travel and work with the

diverse constituency of Rebuild America.

What is your favorite thing to do in North

Carolina?

North Carolina truly is the variety vacation land. Within a

few hours you can travel to the beach or the mountains. I

enjoy visiting the mountains and my wife loves the beach,

especially the Outer Banks. So we try to do both.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Fishing in the Roanoke River, reading a good book

(historical fiction) and cooking for family and friends for the

holidays are all favorite pastimes.

What is your dream job? 

To serve as a management consultant to local

governments and communities addressing quality of life

issues. I guess I’m doing it now!

What is your dream vacation?

Working on it ... a cruise to an island with crystal blue

water, sunny skies, at a remote location.

Mel Powers

districts planning to build schools in the near future on the

advantages of building commissioning. ... As East Helena

School District now realizes, building commissioning can

provide a school district with a much better operating

building with a smoother shakeout and initial occupancy

period.”

According to Benson, “Commissioning appears to be one

of the best ways for building owners to be assured of

receiving a complex HVAC system and controls that [are]

designed and installed to be effective, efficient and meet

their needs.”

Finding the funding

Lessons learned extend beyond the concept of

commissioning. There are communities across the country

that experience serious fiscal deficiencies. Sometimes

obtaining the needed funding to conduct energy efficiency

activities — especially for school districts — gets left behind

because of that lack of funds.

East Helena School District found an opportunity to

receive grant money to participate in a project that also

netted it much improved comfort and energy savings.

Continued from page 5

Montana Schools Participate in Commissioning Demo...

Continued on page 11
U.S. Department of Energy 11

From big-time corporate headquarters to small-town

“mom and pop” stores, Rebuild America Business Partner

South Sun Energy Conservations, Inc. brings its

experience in making energy-efficiency technology

pervasive to Rebuild America partnerships nationwide.

Through the Rebuild America network of partnerships,

every community has the opportunity to learn about and

install South Sun’s window technology, used in such

prominent places as NASA and Bank of America buildings.

The most impressive product of South Sun Energy

Conservations is the WinsulatorTM — the company’s interior

storm window that can be installed in new and old

buildings. Since joining Rebuild America two years ago,

South Sun Energy Conservations has worked with

partnerships such as Rebuild Sarasota County to install the

Winsulator during retrofits of existing buildings. 

The Winsulator is an interior window attachment that

improves the energy performance of windows. The clear

acrylic panel, which reduces harmful ultraviolet rays up to

98 percent, attaches to existing glass windows through the

use of an insulated magnetic gasket. The gasket system

incorporates bellows that expand and contract as

temperatures change, to ensure that the Winsulator will stay

in place. By creating a space of insulating air between itself

and the original window, it saves energy by reducing

thermal transfer.

Sarasota County first installed the Winsulator in one of its

older government buildings. Prior to installation, county

officials had left some meeting rooms unused because the

intense Florida sun overheated them. Installation of the

Winsulator moderated room temperatures and made those

rooms useful again.

The county then installed the Winsulator in one of the

conference rooms on the 10th floor of the historic Terrace

Building. Although the product is designed to save energy,

county employees noticed it also reduced noise by 60

percent. Richard Elliott, facilities planner for Sarasota

County, notes he was amazed at how much traffic noise

was reduced after installation. The county opted to install

the product in the second conference room to restore the

usefulness of both meeting spaces.

Ed VerVane, CEO of South Sun Energy Conservations,

says that the Winsulator has been installed in 400 buildings

nationwide with that number rising quickly. In October, the

company joined the College of Charleston for the grand

opening of 114 Wentworth Street, an historic campus

building retrofitted with sustainable building features,

including the Winsulator. Charleston’s Board of Architectural

Review had previously approved the use of the Winsulator

for other buildings because it is not visible from the outside,

distorting the image of historic buildings.

“We can go to a 200-year-old window and improve it,

without disturbing the historic value,” VerVane says.

But as previously stated, the Winsulator is improving window

insulation in prominent facilities that range from colleges and

counties to naval bases and corporate office buildings.

The company recently completed work in Charleston, SC,

for the Naval Weapons Station, installing more than 800

panels in 28 buildings. Earlier in the year, 2,700 Winsulators

were installed in 17 buildings at the Naval Air Station in

Jacksonville, FL. With the success of these projects, the Navy

plans to install more Winsulators in other buildings

throughout the two bases.

And while the Winsulator has been used primarily in

retrofit projects, its use is expanding to new construction.

Bank of America installed the product in four new projects

and plans to use Winsulators in a building under

construction in Winter Haven, FL.

The company notes that the Florida Energy Office, through

the efforts of Edward Cobham, Rebuild Florida, issued a

grant through the States Energy Conservation Assistance

Program (ECAP) to assist South Sun Energy Conservations in

completing measurement and verification testing. 

Here’s another important aspect of the Winsulator as the

threat of violent terrorist activity increases: The Department

of Defense is currently testing the Winsulator for a blast

mitigation rating. A positive rating — and early indications

are that the product will receive one — could be all the

proof needed that this technology stands a good chance of

being installed in homes and offices across the United States.

For more information, contact Ed VerVane at

ed@winsulator.com or 941-927-9460.

Reducing Energy Loss Through Windows

Through the Alliance and its Public Building Commissioning

Project, East Valley Middle School realized its full energyefficiency potential.

Rebuild America Program Representative Alan Nagle

encourages other school districts, as well as communities in

general, to follow East Helena’s lead in obtaining funding.

“Traditionally, public entities just turn to the state or

federal government for money to conduct these energyefficiency projects. But look around, look further. Sometimes

the funding is available if you turn to an organization

completely dedicated to the cause,” Nagle emphasizes.

The success of East Valley Middle School prompted the

Helena School District to conduct building commissioning

on its own buildings. The Southeast Montana City School

used the tool as well to its benefit.

BUSINESS PARTNER PROFILE

Continued from page 10

Montana Schools Participate in Commissioning Demo...
Rebuild America is a

network of partnerships –

focused on communities –

that save money by saving

energy. These voluntary partnerships choose

to improve the quality of life in their

communities through energy efficiency.

Rebuild America supports them with

customized assistance backed by technical

and business experts and resources.

Published bimonthly by the U.S.

Department of Energy to report on Rebuild

America activities, Partner Update now

incorporates news from Building America and

High Performance Buildings, energy-efficient

initiatives of the Office of Energy Efficiency

and Renewable Energy.

REBUILD AMERICA 

Office of Energy Efficiency 

and Renewable Energy

U.S. Department of Energy

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585-0121

Address Correction Requested

Upcoming Events

High

Performance

BUILDINGS

January

9-10 The Multi-State Conference on Clean Vehicles

Sheraton Grand Hotel at DFW Airport, Dallas, TX

Call 303-462-1647 or email cap@cleanairports.com.

15 California Energy Commission Home Energy

Efficiency Web Seminar, CA (statewide). 

Visit http://www.rebuild.org/events/

eventdetails.asp?NewsID=1454.

23 High Performance Buildings Workshop

Portland, ME Call 413-774-6051 or email

nesea@nesea.org.

24-25 High Performance Schools Symposium,

sponsored by the Council of Educational

Facility Planners International. 

Chaparral Suites Hotel, Scottsdale, AZ. 

Visit http://www.rebuild.org/events/

eventdetails.asp?NewsID=1403.

27 Preserving Historic Buildings Through

Sustainable Technology 

National Building Museum, Washington, DC

Visit http://www.rebuild.org/events/

eventdetails.asp?NewsID=1413. 

February

10-11 Energy Management Workshop, presented by

the Florida Solar Energy Center

DoubleTree Hotel Cocoa Beach Oceanfront,

Cocoa, FL Contact Dianne Wood at 321-638-1441

or email dianne@fsec.ucf.edu.

10-12 National Association of State Energy Officials

2003 Energy Outlook Conference 

Westin Grand Hotel, Washington, DC

Visit http://www.naseo.org/events/

outlook/default.htm.

To submit news or story ideas, contact: 

Brian Meeley, 202-466-7391, or email

bmeeley@pcgpr.com

Check Us Out: www.rebuild.gov or 1-800-DOE-3732

New Partnerships

• Energize Champaign, IL

• Virgin Islands Housing Authority, VI

• Hennepin County, MN

• Keene Housing Authority, NH

• Neshaminy School District, PA

• Hanover Schools – School Administrative Unit #70, NH

• Johnson County, KS

Marketing and Communications Rebuild America

Help Line 202-466-7868

Harry Brister, of

Baptist Medical

Center's facilities

department,

explains to Charles

Young and peers

how waste heat

from a generator

helps power the

hospital's chiller

system at a Rebuild

America Peer Forum

in Jackson, MS.