U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Office – Better Buildings Partners

Southeast Community Consortium

Progress Within 23 Months of Program Launch*

4,674

residential evaluations completed

2,524

residential energy upgrades completed

122

residential loans provided (for a total of more than $1.2 million)

26

commercial evaluations completed

25

commercial energy upgrades completed

99

workers trained

103

workers certified

Developing a plan to make training resources available to all cities.

*Progress is reported through December 2012.

Learn more about earlier program milestones

The Southeast United States has experienced some of the fastest population growth in the country—a 20% increase in the last decade, according to the U.S. Census. What's more, annual electricity consumption in the region is projected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to grow 45% between 2000 and 2020. In an area ripe to reap the benefits of energy efficiency, the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) was developed in 2007 to promote energy efficiency throughout the region.

With $20 million in seed funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Better Buildings Neighborhood Program, SEEA is using its established resources and networks to help upgrade homes and commercial businesses in a consortium of 13 cities across eight states and one territory. Because each city has taken a unique approach to developing and administering its local retrofit program, this group of cities will create program models and best practices to transform the market for energy efficiency across the Southeast. Several of the participating communities have chosen to brand their programs "Worthwhile Investments Save Energy," or WISE.

Program Design: Consortium Cities Adopt Innovative Approaches
Financing: Financing Options Make Upgrades Accessible
Workforce Development: Strengthening the Southeast Job Market With Qualified Workers

Consortium Cities Adopt Innovative Approaches

The SEEA Southeast Consortium of local energy efficiency programs is managed by partners, ranging from local government and nonprofit organizations to utilities and private entities. SEEA provides tools and resources to the local programs, allowing them to share information and best practices. In addition, SEEA develops program marketing materials that the individual communities can utilize, where appropriate.

These programs are pioneering innovative local approaches to increasing energy efficiency. Outreach strategies include neighborhood energy challenges, door-to-door canvassing, social media marketing, and media events. To encourage residents to conduct their own home energy evaluations, for example, the local program in Jacksonville, Florida, created home energy audit backpacks that can be checked out from the local library free of charge. The do-it-yourself kits contain tools and instructions for conducting an energy evaluation, as well as information on how to complete simple energy upgrades at home.

Financing Options Make Upgrades Accessible

SEEA Southeast Consortium cities are using a broad range of financial offerings to help property owners offset the upfront cost of energy efficiency upgrades. Most programs offer rebates and other financing opportunities. By leveraging existing financing mechanisms in their communities and creating some new ones, cities have also established a variety of financing options to help fund energy efficiency improvements, including loan loss reserves, revolving loan funds, and interest rate buy-downs.

In New Orleans, Louisiana, NOLA WISE is leveraging additional American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to create a loan loss reserve for residential financing. The loan loss reserve will enable NOLA WISE to provide nearly $12 million in residential loans to local residents, which is more than 10 times as many loans than would have been available otherwise. Charleston, South Carolina, has established a $250,000 revolving loan fund to allow consumers to finance their energy efficiency improvements. In Jacksonville, Florida, the program has partnered with a local credit union in an interest rate buy-down program, which provides the lenders with upfront payments to reduce the interest rate for home and building owners.

In addition, SEEA has established a $2 million loan loss reserve fund to help insure lenders against defaults in payments, thus lowering the risk to the lender and supporting low interest rates being offered to consumers.

Strengthening the Southeast Job Market With Qualified Workers

With more building owners making energy efficiency improvements, demand for more qualified professionals has also increased. SEEA Southeast Consortium cities are moving aggressively to strengthen the local infrastructure to support job opportunities over the long term. In Charleston, South Carolina, the program established a job training program that has trained more than 200 contractors on energy efficiency improvements; regional marketing materials and campaigns; professional networking; and business development. The Atlanta, Georgia, program has partnered with a local nonprofit organization to design a citywide workforce development plan to maximize job growth. Other cities have implemented a contractor rating system to encourage quality performance.

Contact

Eileen Nebut
enebhut@seealliance.org
404-602-9647

U.S. Department of Energy
Better Buildings Neighborhood Program
BetterBuildings@ee.doe.gov