January – February 2000 Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

DOE/EE-0211

Students Proclaim 

Efficiency Is Elementary

Announcing the 250th

Partnership

A dozen student ambassadors

from across the nation took their

ideas on how to make the nation's

schools more energy efficient

straight to Washington, DC on

November 17.

The U.S. Department of Energy

(DOE) and Owens Corning

appointed 12 energy ambassadors

based on their award-winning

essays on why “Saving Energy

Starts with Me.” The national

essay contest, in which thousands

participated, was part of a larger

educational program developed by

DOE and Owens Corning for 4th,

5th and 6th grade students.

Through the comprehensive,

energy-focused, in-class and takehome activities, students, parents

and teachers learned about the

importance of energy conservation

and simple steps to take at home

and at school to reduce energy use

and help protect the environment.

The ambassadors met with

government and industry officials

at the U.S. Capitol for the first

EnergySmart Schools Student

Summit to discuss the serious

problem of energy waste in the

nation's 112,000 K-12 schools. 

DOE estimates that as much as

25 percent of the $6 billion spent

annually on energy is wasted due

to inefficient roofing, heating, air

conditioning, lighting, and

insulation systems.

The students wrote an

“EnergySmart Schools

Proclamation” during the Summit

to encourage school

superintendents to improve the

energy efficiency of their facilities

and transportation vehicles and to

educate students on ways to save

energy. The ambassadors unveiled

the Proclamation at a national

news conference held November

18 at Patterson Elementary, one of

the oldest elementary schools in

Washington, DC. 

“The reason we wrote the

Proclamation is to let everyone

know that kids are serious about

saving energy,” said Jia Harden, a

sixth-grader at Patterson

Elementary School and an

EnergySmart school ambassador.

“We want to live in a world that

Continued on page 11 Continued on page 8

Sun Devils Delve Into

Building Audits

Teaming with Home

Depot in Toledo

Taking Stock of

Windows “Mining the Sky” in

New Mexico

Seeing Schools in a

New Light

America’s

Heartland Benefits

from EnergyWorks

A handful of partnerships

marked Rebuild America’s

launch back in 1995.

Among them was

EnergyWorks, which is

spearheaded by the

Metropolitan Energy Center

(MEC) in Kansas City, MO. EnergyWorks was

among the initial Rebuild America partnerships that

were awarded grants from the U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE) and received $500,000 in “seed

money” for new partnerships. 

The partnership, which targets schools, local

government and nonprofit buildings in the Kansas

City metropolitan area for energy-efficiency

improvements, is responsible for the retrofit of 4.3

million square feet comprising 58 buildings and

energy savings of $2.3 million per year. Its parent

organization, MEC, is an established nonprofit that

has focused on improving energy efficiency and

environmental quality in the Kansas City

metropolitan area since its inception in 1981. At

the helm of EnergyWorks for the past two years is

Voris Williams, formerly an ozone compliance

specialist with the Mid-America Regional Council in

Kansas City, MO.

EnergyWorks met with success early on and

attracted a wide range of partners including

Voris Williams
U.S. Department of Energy

View from DC

By Mark Bailey

Announcing Rebuild America’s 250th

Partnership!

From a Rebuild America perspective, what

better way to herald the new year, new

century and new millennium than to

announce that the program has reached a key

goal? And that is, to reach 250 partnerships by

2000. It is now official. Rebuild Austin, TX

will wear the mantle of the 250th Rebuild

America partnership. 

Plans are now underway for an event to

honor this milestone in Austin in late February.

Details to be announced. 

Led by I.Q. Hurdle, project director with the

East Austin Economic Development

Corporation, Rebuild Austin embodies strong

leadership, a broad scope of activities, and a

diversified roster of partners. It also embraces

a key Rebuild America theme: Using energy

efficiency as a catalyst for community

improvement and economic development. 

Partnership plans revolve around sustainable

development and a demonstration project

aimed at transforming a disadvantaged

neighborhood surrounding a local Baptist

church into a model of energy efficiency and

sustainability. Energy-efficiency solutions will

be incorporated into housing for families and

seniors, community buildings including a

daycare center, and office space for small

businesses. The project will create a training

center designed for replication in an estimated

70 churches.

As we move ahead with our plans to

expand Rebuild America into more

communities in the coming year, let’s be

mindful that Rebuild America is part of the big

picture of creating better communities through

sustainable development, clean technologies

and the wise use of our resources. Let’s keep

focused and help advance the concepts of

Clean Energy and Buildings for the 21st

Century as we continue to work together

toward an energy-efficient future.

Engineering students at Arizona

State University (ASU) are getting an

education about energy efficiency

and area apartment complexes and

businesses are benefiting from their

expertise. Beginning in the summer

of 1997, the ASU College of

Engineering, under the auspices of

Rebuild Arizona, embarked on a 5-

year program to perform building

audits on area businesses and

recommend improvements to

building owners. To date, ASU students have performed audits on 1.8

million square feet in the Valley of the Sun including retail space,

apartment complexes, commercial office buildings, an elementary school,

and city and state government facilities including a water treatment plant.

“The program exposes the students to existing building equipment and

to the technologies available to substantially upgrade them and prepares

them to make appropriate recommendations for energy-efficiency

improvements,” notes Rebuild Arizona partnership leader Jim

Westberg of the Arizona Department of Commerce-Energy Office.

Partners of Rebuild Arizona include the City of Tempe, the City of

Scottsdale and the Arizona Public Service Company.

According to ASU Faculty Research Associate of engineering 

David Chau, students have identified $700,000 in energy-efficiency

improvements that would yield annual energy savings of $400,000 if

implemented. He says the students are an independent third party and

do not recommend contractors or specific products to building owners,

nor do they participate in energy-efficiency installations.

The improvements that building owners have made based on student

recommendations include lighting, electric motors, HVAC equipment,

chillers, variable frequency drives, air compressor cooling towers, and

daylighting using skylights with reflective mirrors to minimize summer

heat gain, Chau says. Students also recommended the use of controlling

devices such as occupancy sensors, timers and photocells. 

The Arizona Department of Public Safety used a matching state 

grant to implement the students’ recommendations and installed a new

chiller, energy-efficient motors, occupancy sensors and 350 efficient 

light fixtures, according to Chau. Students have found that lighting

operating costs, which represent approximately one third of

building energy costs, can be significantly reduced, he notes. 

Sun Devils Score 

Energy-Efficiency Points

2 Continued on page 5
U.S. Department of Energy

Residents of Toledo, OH, are gaining hands-on experience in

home repair and improvement thanks to an innovative

partnership between Neighborhood Housing Services of Toledo

(NHS) and The Home Depot.

NHS, lead partner in Rebuild Toledo, expanded its

HomeOwnership Center to offer The Home Depot University, a

series of eight classes covering weatherization, drywall, painting,

plumbing, electrical, landscaping and other topics.

“Home improvement and maintenance is not something

people inherently know,” said Rebuild Toledo Manager Paulette

Huber. “People are interested in improving the value of their

homes and making them more attractive and comfortable. This

is a way to learn from the experts.”

Giving Back to Communities

The partnership began in early 1999, when Huber approached

Home Depot with the idea for taking their training program out

of the store and into the community.

“The Home Depot is dedicated to giving back to the

communities where we work and live,” said Jim Watson,

Toledo Home Depot store manager. Since the first classes

began in May, the company has donated more than $22,000 in

materials, cash and labor.

The free classes are held in the evenings in a house that NHS

is renovating, which Huber said makes a difference: “There’s a

tremendous sense of satisfaction because people are working on

a real house, not a set.”

Each series of classes enrolls about 25 people; the four held to

date have all been full. The Home Depot experts provide tips,

materials lists, safety information and complete instructions. 

Participants who attend at least seven classes receive a free copy

of the how-to book, Home Improvement 1-2-3.

Building with a Fresh Perspective

Since its founding in 1977, NHS has focused on home

ownership as the key to community redevelopment. Their

services include homebuyer education, mortgage and

improvement loan programs, and residential weatherization

programs.

Huber said a large part of their work involves creating

affordable, energy-efficient housing that gives people the choice

of staying downtown. After acquiring houses in central city

neighborhoods, NHS either does a complete rehab or tears them

down to build new homes.

“Before joining Rebuild America, we built to code,” Huber

said. “Now we have a fresh perspective and the impetus to

build energy-efficient homes that serve our clients even better

than before. We’ve done three ENERGY STAR® homes and have

18 more slated.”

Home Depot University was a logical next step for NHS,

according to Huber. While NHS had offered many classes on

the home-buying process, they hadn’t focused on owning a

home. Now they’re taking a comprehensive approach to 

energy efficiency.

“Right now, this is the only program of its kind in the

country,” Huber said. “But it is replicable across Rebuild

America. There is an effort by Home Depot to build

partnerships like ours nationwide, and they need to find nonprofits to talk to.”

For more information, contact Paulette Huber at 

419-691-2900 or e-mail rebuildtoledo@toledolink.com.

Rebuild Toledo And Home Depot Offer A 

Do-It-Yourself Degree

Ribbon cutting for first ENERGY STAR®

modular home in Ohio.

Joanne Wilson learns to

cut ceramic tile.

Kathy Parker and Scott Group learns the finer points of staining wood.

Main grout tile.

3
U.S. Department of Energy

“We have momentum, we have direction and we have the

nucleus of a strong industry/DOE partnership that has the real

potential to implement massive efficiency projects in the near

future.” That’s Rebuild America Business Partners Team Leader

Doug Avery’s assessment of the initiative’s first summit held

December 2 in San Francisco. 

“We also have the opportunity for a true partnership where

each participant has a real voice in how Business Partners works

and how we jointly leverage the tremendous resources provided

by DOE, Rebuild America and private industry,” Avery notes.

Current and prospective Business Partners convened

to review the initiative, consider standards for

membership, and examine ways to better market the initiative

for both the Business Partners and Rebuild America.

Avery wants an industry council to set standards for

acceptance into the Business Partner ranks. He also stresses the

importance of getting feedback from the Business Partners to

shape the “Rules of Engagement” between Business Partners and

Rebuild America partnerships.

Several Business Partners are already “in action” with

partnerships. The City of Reno has signed a performance

contract with Sempra Energy Services to implement $1.4 million

in energy-efficiency improvements. The scope of work includes

implementing lighting upgrades in 60 buildings, installing

By Susan Douglas

Building owners pay an enormous

price for old and inefficient windows.

According to the U.S. Department of

Energy, 25 percent of the energy used to

heat and cool buildings goes right out

those windows. Inefficient fenestration

products contribute to unnecessarily high

energy bills and reduce the comfort level

of the people who have to live and work

inside those buildings.

Energy-efficient technologies now

available can dramatically improve the

overall energy performance of a building.

Building owners nationwide are taking

advantage, and realizing substantially

lower energy bills that provide an ample

return on their investments in energyefficient upgrades. These technologies

include:

• Low-e coatings, a microscopically thin

metal coating applied to the glazing

surface, and spectrally selective

glazings, which reflect the infrared

radiation in sunlight and help keep

buildings cool in the summer

• Inert gas fills, such as argon and

krypton, which improve the

insulating properties of a window

and help keep buildings warm in the

winter

• Warm edge spacers, which improve

the insulating properties of a window

by reducing heat transfer at the edge

of insulating glazings

Research now underway will lead to

improved performance in the future.

Electrochromic windows will

automatically adjust their tint, providing

extra shading when the sun is at its

hottest. One day, windows may even

serve as mini power plants, with small

heating coils inserted in the glazing that

can produce heat during the winter, and,

in some cases, completely replace

traditional baseboard or central heating.

The National Fenestration Rating

Council (NFRC) administers a uniform,

independent energy performance rating

and labeling system for windows, doors

and skylights. NFRC recently adopted a

new site-built procedure that will allow

manufacturers and glazing contractors to

certify the performance of their site-built

products. We encourage commercial

building owners to specify NFRC-certified

products for all retrofits and new

construction.

For more information on energyefficient window technologies, contact

Susan Douglas, NFRC Administrator, at

301-589-6372, or Alecia Ward at the

Efficient Windows Collaborative, 202-530-

2245, www.efficientwindows.org.

Windows are Key to Building Energy Performance

Work Bench

4

Business Partners Convene in San Francisco

The NFRC Energy Rating Label

Continued on page 9
U.S. Department of Energy

Public Housing Takes the Stage at Hall of Fame

Nearly 80 participants attended “Energy Opportunities in

Public Housing,” a conference presented by Rebuild Ohio, and

Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority (SMHA) on November

15-16 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.

Attendees represented 20 public housing authorities and six

partnerships, says conference organizer Mike Williams,

maintenance and development director for SMHA.

“They came to learn about Rebuild America, HUD [U.S.

Department of Housing & Urban Development] incentives and

partnerships,” Williams said, “and they walked away with a

sense of excitement about energy issues.”

Rebuild Ohio’s Manny Anunike, a conference organizer,

agreed. “We want to work with many more public housing

authorities in our Rebuild Ohio partnership, and at this

conference we formed a real focus on their issues.”

Conference speakers addressed electric industry deregulation

and the opportunities it holds for public housing authorities.

Representatives from HUD and state agencies also discussed

innovative approaches authorities around the country are taking.

Rebuild America Business Partners FirstEnergy Corporation

and Viron Energy Services sponsored the conference and

participated as presenters. Along with national laboratory

representatives, they discussed performance contracting and

energy audits, the role of energy service companies, and tools

available to help authorities manage their resources.

Rebuild America representatives Juli Pollitt and Geri Perrotte

provided an in-depth look at Rebuild America and the resources

available through the U.S. Department of Energy to assist

partnerships. They also assembled a “Building Partnerships”

roundtable featuring Ohio partnership leaders. 

Attendees were enthusiastic about their time in Canton,

ranking the overall conference near-excellent on their

evaluations. “The topic is timely and there was a good level of

interest from the audience,” wrote one participant. And, from

another: “My expectations were both met and exceeded.”

For his part, Williams is focusing on next steps. “We already

have added one new member to Rebuild America, and several

others have an interest in aggregation,” he says. “With such a

small percentage of public housing authorities taking advantage

of Rebuild America, we definitely plan more conferences 

like this.”

For more information, contact Mike Williams at 330-454-8051

or Manny Anunike at 614-466-6797.

ASU engineering students also teamed

with the Arizona Department of

Commerce’s Housing and Energy Offices

to help lower utility bills for residents of

the 124-unit Mercy Court Apartments in

Phoenix. The Housing Office provided

State Housing Trust Fund monies to

install the measures recommended by the

students. The Energy Office helped

prepare bid specifications and monitored

the installation of the following measures

in coordination with the property

manager: 

• Converting incandescent exterior

lighting by the apartment entry walls

and back patios to compact

fluorescent technologies 

• Converting exterior parking lot

lighting from incandescent to highpressure sodium technology 

• Converting the kitchen light fixtures

to more efficient fluorescent lighting. 

• Testing and sealing leaks in heating

and cooling equipment ductwork in

each apartment 

• Installing shade screens on all east,

west and south facing windows. 

The property manager reports that

residents are pleased with the installation

and especially with the added privacy

provided by the shade screens. The

installation of all of these measures cost

$70,000 and is expected to save the

apartment building owner and residents

over $20,000 annually. The owner pays

the utility bill for the common areas

while residents are responsible for the

utility bills for their own apartments. The

Energy Office will be working with both

parties to track their utility bill savings.

For more information, contact Jim

Westberg of the Arizona Department of

Commerce at 602-280-1434 or e-mail

jimw@eps.state.az.us.

5

Sun Devils 

Continued from page 2
U.S. Department of Energy

Lighting Retrofits with Daylighting: Seeing

Schools in a New Light

Through Rebuild Greater

Albuquerque, Rio Grande High School

was treated to a double dose of lighting

improvements that included a “hybrid”

technology offering a mix of artificial and

natural light. 

Organized by Barbara Ford of the

South Valley Energy Action Team, the

event at the high school officially

launched the partnership and its efforts

to make Albuquerque a more “livable

community” through efficiency and

renewable energy projects. More than 15

Albuquerque partners – including the

City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque Public

Schools, the Public Service Company of

New Mexico, and Diversified Systems

Manufacturing – have been working with

Rebuild America representatives since

September 1998. 

Four Rebuild America Business

Partners – FineLite, Prudential Lighting,

NORESCO, and Watt Stopper – provided

pro bono services and on-site lessons

about energy-efficiency technologies

during a demonstration retrofit of four

classrooms. Business Partner contractors

conducted energy audits, replaced

inefficient T-12 lamps with efficient T-8

linear fluorescent lamps, and installed

lighting controls, dimmable ballasts and

daylighting systems. Students

plan to monitor the improved

systems for energy savings

and post the results on a web site. 

The Rio Grande students presented a

summary of the anticipated energy

savings and technology installed in their

classrooms to DOE Deputy Assistant

Secretary Mark Ginsberg. In his

remarks, Ginsberg stressed to students

the importance of saving money through

energy efficiency and joked that they

“couldn't blame poor lighting for missing

homework assignments anymore.” Other

Rebuild Greater Albuquerque energyefficiency projects, including one led by

the Solar Energy Association, were

demonstrated in the school courtyard.

Energizing Students

A 1999 California Board for Energy

Efficiency study found that students in

daylit classrooms progressed at a rate 20

percent faster on math and 26 percent on

reading tests in one year compared to

their counterparts in classrooms that

offered little daylighting. The lighting

retrofits at Rio Grande – especially the

daylighting units – were a big hit with

the teachers and students.

“I just feel more energized by

daylighting,” says teacher Pam Mackara.

“I hope every classroom eventually has a

system like the one I – and the students

– are enjoying. I’m not surprised by the

claims of better health and performance.

Surely sunlight confers a psychological as

well as a physical boost to the 

human body.” 

The hybrid lighting system by

Prudential Lighting in one classroom uses

two 2-by-2-foot daylighting units to

harvest enough daylight to almost

obviate the need for artificial light

altogether. Prudential determined that

Albuquerque received 350 days of good

sunlight each year with the help of

SkyCalc, a program developed by DOE,

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and the

California Energy Commission for the

Skylight Initiative Committee. On these

days, daylighting provides enough light

for the classroom, with the possible

exception of the blackboards, which may

require some artificial lighting.

The “Type A” daylighting units

installed in the Rio Grande’s classrooms

filter out harmful UVA and UVB light and

most of the infrared or heat associated 6

Albuquerque, NM was the site of two important events held

November 16. At the first, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

launched the Rebuild Greater Albuquerque partnership during a

ceremony to recognize Rio Grande High School for retrofitting

four classrooms with energy-efficiency technologies. (See Partner

Update, Nov-Dec ’99). At the second, DOE officials helped

dedicate a solar carport at the city's Indian Pueblo Cultural

Center as part of the City of Albuquerque's Million Solar Roofs

Initiative partnership and its Rebuild America partnership. 

DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Ginsberg

addresses Rio Grande High School students.

Continued on page 7
U.S. Department of Energy

Lighting Retrofits

Continued from page 6

with sunlight, while letting in full-spectrum white light – readily

available even on cloudy days. Other components of the hybrid

system are the sensors, T-8 lamps, dimmable ballasts, and timers.

Sensors monitor the incoming daylight and send electrical

messages to a new array of compact fluorescent lights, which

are dimmed or brightened as needed with dimmable ballasts.

Timers turn on the blackboard lights based on “patterns of

need”. Even if artificial lighting was required all the time,

efficient T-8 lamps – which replaced the conventional T-12

lamps – use 10 percent less energy. Payback periods for this

new hybrid system – which benefit from a greatly reduced

requirement for fluorescent lighting – are expected to be seven

years or less.

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) spent approximately $7.5

million of public funds for electricity in fiscal year 1997-98 – $2.2

million of this amount was spent on classroom lighting alone,

according to David Robertson, APS facilities planning engineer. 

“DOE is proud of Albuquerque's accomplishments with

Rebuild in such a short time”, says Denver Regional Team

Leader Dave Waltzman. “The Albuquerque Partnership has

shown tremendous initiative in planning, undertaking, and

implementing real hands-on projects in creative ways. The way

they have linked the schools with the Rebuild America Business

Partners should serve as a model for other partnerships.” 

To learn more about how Rebuild America Business Partners

can help expand your community partnership's resource base,

visit www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/rebuild and click on "Business

Partners," or e-mail Doug Avery at dougavery@earthlink.net. 

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

officials helped dedicate a solar carport at

the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC)

as part of the City of Albuquerque's

Million Solar Roofs initiative and its

Rebuild Greater Albuquerque

partnership. 

DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy Dan

Reicher, Dave Melton of the Indian

Pueblo Cultural Center, and

representatives of the Albuquerque

Million Solar Roofs Partnership, were on

hand to help dedicate the 10 kw system,

which is the largest commercial

photovoltaics (PV) array in New Mexico. 

The PV panels were installed atop a

solar carport or shading structure in the

parking lot of the IPCC, and convert

sunlight directly into electricity.

Reicher spoke about the importance of

renewable energy to an audience of about

70 and presented a plaque from Million

Solar Roofs to IPCC President Rafael

Gutierrez. In his comments, Melton

described the PV method of using solar

energy to make electricity and conserve

water by reducing coal processing as

“mining the sky, making it rain.” 

A comprehensive monitoring system

will be installed to monitor and calculate

annual energy, water, and money savings

resulting from the PV array. A kiosk

inside the Cultural Center will graphically

convey the energy savings to the 400,000

visitors to the Center each year. The

solar carport will serve as an educational

tool for the public, according to Melton. 

Denver Regional Team Leader Dave

Waltzman sees potential for greater

Native American involvement in Rebuild

America. 

“The program with the Pueblo Cultural

Center shows how dedicated individuals

can successfully build partnerships with

Native American programs and

communities,” says Waltzman. “The

Albuquerque initiatives have been an

exciting opportunity for DOE to work

with committed and innovative

community leaders in New Mexico.” 

7

“Mining the Sky” in New Mexico

Dan Reicher addresses the audience under the

cover of the IPCC’s new solar carport.

From left: Dave Melton and Rafael Gutierrez of

IPCC with DOE Assistant Secretary Dan Reicher.
U.S. Department of Energy

Snapshot

Juli Pollitt

is the Chicago

Regional Team

Leader.

Vital Statistics: 

Lives in

Waukegan, IL,

about 40 miles north of Chicago, in the

very northeast corner of the state. Shares

house with best friend, Cheri; 6-year-old

son, Mikey; and two cats and a dog.

Current Role with Rebuild America: 

Regional Team Leader for Rebuild

America in the Department of Energy’s

Chicago Regional Office. 

Office covers the states of Illinois,

Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Most rewarding aspect of your work: 

I find many aspects of this work

rewarding. I probably get the most out

of letting the people who are actually

doing the real work of the program know

how greatly their efforts are valued.

Generally speaking, though, it’s always

rewarding to see people excited about

doing something that they believe in and

that they believe makes a difference.

Your greatest Rebuild America

challenge: 

Finding the best way to use Rebuild

America as an opportunity to apply the

full range of energy-efficiency and

renewable opportunities to a

stakeholder/community. We wrestle all

the time with a multitude of program

identities – it’s confusing to the end 

user. We should consider it progress

whenever we can find a way to simplify

access to resources.

What you like to do in your 

spare time: 

Spare time?! As a single parent with a

busy career, I don’t have too much of

that. When I can, I make time for

gardening (hybrid tea roses are a passion

of mine) and music – both have a

profoundly calming affect on me.

Something you haven’t tried but think

you might be good at: 

Being independently wealthy.

A book you recommend: 

The Fran Leibowitz Reader. A very funny

woman with a wry wit and little concern

for political correctness.

Where you’d live, if you could live

anywhere in the world: 

Outside the range of my cell phone 

and pager.

never runs out of energy, but first everyone has to stop wasting

it. We want everyone to start saving energy in their schools and

their homes now.”

DOE Assistant Secretary Dan Reicher promised that the

signed Proclamation will be forwarded along with energyefficiency advice and teaching materials to school

superintendents in conjunction with Earth Day 2000 in April.

Reicher praised the ambassadors for their interest in saving

energy. 

“The kids have done their jobs by writing this well-thoughtout Proclamation, and now it's time for school administrators

across the country to address this serious issue of energy

inefficiency in our schools,” Reicher said.

“We are very proud of the contributions that all of these

ambassadors have made to the EnergySmart Schools campaign

and appreciate the thousands of other children

who wrote essays,” said Glen Hiner, CEO of

Owens Corning. “These kids are definitely making 

a positive long-term impact in our nation and on our planet.” 

The event attracted media attention and the story was featured

in the Washington Post, Scholastic News, Weekend Today

(NBC), The Early Show (CBS) and several national radio shows,

including The Carrey Brothers, Home Improvement USA, and 

The Money Pit.

For more information, see the DOE press release at

http://home.doe.gov/news/releases99/novpr/pr99309.htm. 

View the winning essays and the Proclamation on the

EnergySmart Schools web site on 

www.eren.doe.gov/energysmartschools. 8

Students Proclaim 

Continued from page 1

The 12 designated

energy

ambassadors are

pictured here with

Deputy Secretary

of Energy T.J.

Glauthier, top row

at left, and

Owens Corning

Sr. Vice President

Bob Lonergan.
U.S. Department of Energy

Rebuild Richland completes library

project...Rebuild America and Pacific

Northwest National Laboratory dedicated

the City of Richland (WA) Library on

November 4. Rebuild Richland replaced

the library’s 30-year-old lighting system

with high-efficiency units that resulted in

over $8,000 per year in energy costs

savings, improved lighting levels and

reduced maintenance requirements. 

Rebuild America plays ball...The

Rebuild America program has been

proposed as the primary platform for the

San Diego Regional Energy Office's

(SDREO) efficiency projects. SDREO is

currently working on a $411 million

efficiency project to create a Ballpark

District in the heart of Downtown San

Diego. The District will include

residential lofts, restaurants, shops,

entertainment and conference facilities

and a 40,000-seat, open-air, multiple-use

ballpark that will feature natural grass

and serve as the home of the San Diego

Padres. The City of San Diego will be

incorporating its energy-efficiency

building policy into numerous areas of

this project. SDREO estimates taxpayers

will save over $375,000 in electricity costs

per year, and reduce CO2 emissions from

power plants by more than 1,400 tons

annually.

Rebuild Cedar Falls wins award...The

Center for Energy and Environmental

Education (CEEE) at the University of

Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls has

received the 1999 Iowa Energy

Leadership Award. The Iowa

Department of Natural Resources

presents the award annually to recognize

outstanding innovations in energy

efficiency and renewable energy. 

CEEE is the community coordinator for

Rebuild Cedar Falls. 

Rebuild New Hampshire issues

RFP...Rebuild New Hampshire has sent a

Request for Proposals (RFP) to city, town,

school, county and other local

government officials and community

partners to encourage investment in

energy efficiency and renewable energy

improvements to existing buildings.

Qualified applicants will receive grants

for energy-efficiency and renewable

energy improvements under the

Community Energy Partnership (CEP)

Grant Program from the Governor’s

Office of Energy and Community

Services. Individual CEP grants may not

exceed $15,000 or 40 percent of a

project’s total cost, whichever is less. 

Develop New Albany, Inc.

honored...Develop New Albany, Inc.

(IN), a Rebuild America partnership,

received the Downtown Special Events

Award at the Annual Indiana Main Street

Conference in Evansville, IN, in

September. Partner representative Jackie

James of PNC Bank in New Albany was

also honored as Board Member of 

the Year. 

Havasupai Indians to receive

weatherization and energy-efficiency

assistance...Rebuild America Seattle

Regional Team Leader Paul Johnson has

announced that the U.S. Department of

Energy, through the Weatherization

Assistance Program and Rebuild America

has committed $20,000 for weatherization

and energy-efficiency retrofit activities for

the Havasupai Indians of the Grand

Canyon in Arizona. The program will

focus on providing weatherization

training to Havasupai housing staff,

weatherizing homes audited by the

Rebuild team in October, and exploring

potential partnerships for the

Weatherization and Rebuild America

programs on reservations. 

Rebuild America Briefs

variable frequency drives on pumps

and air handler units, replacing

chillers, and installing a solar panel

over a pool, among other

improvements. 

The State of Connecticut Energy

Office organized a financing

workshop sponsored by ONSITE

SYCOM Energy Corp. Connecticut

Rebuild America representative

John Ruckes reports that ONSITE

SYCOM received high marks from

the audience for its educational

presentation. 

Jon Wellinghoff of NORESCO

briefed participants about the

lighting upgrade demonstration

project that four Business Partners

(NORESCO, WATT Stopper,

Prudential Lighting, and FineLite)

had successfully completed in

Albuquerque at the Rio Grande

High School. 

For information about the

Business Partners initiative, visit

www.eren.doe/buildings/rebuild and

click on Business Partners or contact

Doug Avery at 310-798-6927 or email dougavery@earthlink.net.

Business Partners 

Continued from page 4

9
U.S. Department of Energy

10

Where do you go online to find solutions to your partnership’s

energy-efficiency needs? What web sites can give you a leg up

on buying energy-efficient equipment in bulk, on tools for

evaluating building energy use, or on sustainable building

practices? The chart below identifies the web sites that provide

some useful resources for partnerships. 

Energy Consumption

Tools and Software

ENERGY STAR®

Benchmarking Tool:

www.epa.gov/buildings/l

abel/html/benchmarking.

html

An online resource that

evaluates building

energy performance

using detailed data on

the building’s physical

attributes, operating

characteristics, and

monthly energy

consumption. Identifies

buildings that are

eligible for recognition

as an ENERGY STAR®

Building.

Energy-Related Software

Tool:

www.eren.doe.gov/

buildings/tools/directory

Describes 174 energyrelated software tools

for buildings, with an

emphasis on using

renewable energy and

achieving energy

efficiency and

sustainability in

buildings.

Online Home Energy

Audit: 

http://hes.lbl.gov/

How much energy your

home is using? Web site

visitors can receive an

energy audit online by

inputting detailed

information about their

residence. The audit

gives a close

approximation of how

much energy the house

currently uses and offers

advice on ways to

improve energy

efficiency.

Community Solutions

What’s Working in Other

Communities:

www.eren.doe.gov/

cities_counties

Need help to jump start

local energy projects?

This series of fact sheets

developed for DOE’s

Office of Energy

Efficiency and

Renewable Energy cues

you in on tried and true

approaches. 

The Local Government

Commission (LGC):

www.lgc.org/welcome.

html

LGC provides a forum

and technical assistance

to enhance the ability of

local governments to

create and sustain

healthy environments,

healthy economies, and

social equity. Intended

to provide up-to-date

information on energy

efficiency, renewable

energy resources, utility

restructuring and more. 

The Main Street

Program:

www.mainst.org/

Designed to improve all

aspects of the

downtown or central

business district, Main

Street communities take

steps to stimulate the

local economy by

rehabilitating buildings,

creating jobs, recruiting

new businesses and

transforming downtown

areas into key

destinations for

residents and visitors

alike. 

Sustainable Building

Practices

U.S. Green Building

Council: www.usgbc.org 

The U.S. Green Building

Council positions itself

as a forum for

education, debate and

action on environmental

issues facing the

industry's varied

interests.

Green Building

Information Council

(GBIC):

http://greenbuilding.ca 

GBIC is a Canadian nonprofit organization

whose mission is to

disseminate information

worldwide about energy

and environmental

issues in the building

sector. 

The Green Building

Program:

www.ci.austin.tx.us/green

builder 

The Green Building

Program encourages

construction

professionals and

consumers to

incorporate sustainable

building practices,

systems, and materials

into residential and

commercial construction.

Electrical Deregulation/

Utility Marketplace

Utility Marketplace:

www.Utility.com 

www. Essential.com

www.Energy.com

www.GreenMountain.com

The Internet has opened

up a new marketplace

for buying goods and

services including

electrical energy for your

home or business. Get

up to speed on what

some of these electrical

suppliers can offer.

Utility Connection:

www.utilityconnection.

com

Provides links to 3,825

utility associations,

news sources, regulatory

and information sites.

Energy Central:

www.energycentral.com

A comprehensive stateby-state and federal

“Deregulation Watch.”

Energy-Efficient Products

Bulk Purchasing:

www.epa.gov/appdstar/

purchasing

The ENERGY STAR®

purchasing web site

makes it quick and easy

for your organization to

purchase bulk quantities

of residential and nonresidential energyefficient product. 

Windows, Doors and

Skylights:

www.nfrc.org

The National

Fenestration Rating

Council provides

accurate and reliable

information in the form

of a label to certify the

energy performance of

windows products. (See

Work Bench this issue.)

ENERGY STAR® Products:

www.energystar.gov

Provides lists of ENERGY

STAR® qualified products

such as appliances and

electronics and a store

locator to help you find

a retailer near you. 

The Green Building

Resource Guide:

www.greenguide.com 

A database of over 600

green building materials

and products selected

specifically for their

usefulness to the design

and building

professions, rather than

for their green material

content.

Solutions

Make your first stop the 

Rebuild America web site:

www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/rebuild
U.S. Department of Energy

national labs, ESCOs (Energy Masters,

Viron, Johnson Controls), state energy

office, City of Kansas City (MO), Greater

Kansas City Community Foundation, and

the Environmental Improvement and

Energy Resources Authority of Missouri.

Project retrofits have been funded

through public and private grants, 

low-interest loans, performance contracts,

internal organizational funds, 

Williams notes. 

Williams says DOE resources such as

consulting assistance from national labs

and the Facility Energy Decision System

(FEDS) analytical software helped boost

the partnership’s efforts.

The program’s biggest achievement to

date has been its role in assisting the City

of Kansas City (MO) in the retrofit of 3.5

million square feet of convention and

entertainment facilities including Bartle

Hall and the American Royal and Kemper

Arena. The project entails about $12

million in improvements in lighting,

HVAC and building controls that are

guaranteed to save $1.6 million per year

for 10 years through a performance

contract with Johnson Controls. Williams

says the performance contract made it

possible for the project to proceed.

EnergyWorks has also assisted Kansas

City with two outdoor lighting retrofit

projects to replace aging, inefficient

mercury vapor street lights with highpressure sodium and to replace red traffic

signals with LEDs (light-emitting diodes).

Funding for the Future

The biggest challenge facing EnergyWorks is finding a way to become selfsustaining once its DOE funding runs out

in less than a year, notes Williams. MEC

receives funding from DOE, the

Environmental Protection Agency, the

Kansas and Missouri energy offices and

private foundations.

“We’re working on establishing a fee

structure for our services,” he says.

“EnergyWorks is in the process of

expanding its scope in several directions.

About a year ago, we teamed with the

local council of governments to provide a

five-part energy management training

program for local government personnel.

This was very well received. We are also

looking to offer an energy/environmental

curriculum component to our projects

involving schools.”

EnergyWorks is also developing the

Heart of America Smart Builder Program

to incorporate energy- and resourceefficient technologies into new

construction in the Kansas City area. 

As have many of his Rebuild America

colleagues, Williams, a native of

Chattanooga, TN, took a circuitous path

to his current post in the energy field.

Armed with a communications degree,

he worked as a newspaper reporter

covering politics for The Knoxville (TN)

Journal in the late 1980s. By 1990 he

had a master’s in public administration

from Indiana University and moved to

Kansas City to take an auditing position

with the City Auditor’s Office. He

became interested in the energy sector

while working in air quality at his next

post with the Mid-America Regional

Council. He found himself drawn to

EnergyWorks when he saw that the

program produced tangible

environmental, as well as economic,

results and came on board two years

ago. Williams served on the Planning

Committee for the 1999 Rebuild America

National Forum.

In his spare time, Williams enjoys

playing the piano, hiking, and on clear

nights, tracking satellites in the sky. He

is part of SETI@home, a worldwide,

Internet-based scientific experiment that

is engaged in the Search for

Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). 

For more information, contact 

Voris Williams at 816-531-7283 or e-mail

voris@toto.net.

11

EnergyWorks At-A-Glance (data as of July 1999)

Buildings analyzed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total sq. ft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Buildings retrofitted . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total sq. ft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Capital investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Estimated savings of retrofits 

to date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Potential additional savings if analyzed

buildings are retrofitted . . . . . . . . . .

Total savings if all were retrofitted . . . .

= 107

= 7.4 million

= 58

= 4.3 million

= more than $23 million

= $2.3 million per year

= $1.4 million per year

= $3.7 million 

per year

Profile 

Continued from page 1
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 8 New Partnerships

City of San Angelo, TX

City of Wausau, WI

Four-County Community Services, Inc., NC

Johnston-Lee Community Action, Inc., NC 

Kingsville, TX

Rebuild Austin, TX

Rebuild New York Communities- Niagara Frontier, NY

Town of Grundy, VA

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.

Upcoming Events

FEBRUARY

Greenprints 2000: Sustainable Communities by

Design Conference and Tradeshow. February 

6-8, 2000 in Atlanta. Contact Morningstar

Management Group at 404-653-0606.

Buildings for the 21st Century Lecture Series:

Revitalizing Communities with Energy Savings.

February 17, 2000 at the National Building

Museum, Washington, DC. Presented by 

Ted Alexander of Rebuild Shelby (NC) and the

Uptown Shelby Association. Contact 

Jim Fremont of DOE at 202-586-5735. 

MARCH

Seattle Peer Exchange. March 1-3, 2000, 

in Portland, OR. Contact Paul Johnson, Seattle

Regional Team Leader at 206-553-2154 or 

e-mail paul.johnson@hq.doe.gov. 

American Association of School Administrators

(AASA) 132nd Annual Conference. March 3-6,

2000 in San Francisco. Visit

www.aasa.org/Events/events.htm.

National Association of Counties (NACo)

Legislative Conference. March 3-7, 2000 in

Washington, DC. Visit

www.naco.org/events/leg/index.com.

2000 NAHRO (National Assoc. of Housing and

Redevelopment Officials) Legislative

Conference. March 27-29, 2000 in Wash., DC.

Visit www.nahro.org/conferences/index.html