The second annual Energy Services Coalition Energy Stewardship Champion awards were given to 12 states. The 2017 Champion states were recognized for a combination of their political leadership, programmatic design, and the amount of private sector investment in Guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contracting (GESPC) in their state. The Champion states in alphabetical order include: Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.
The first-ever Energy Services Coalition Energy Stewardship Champion awards were given to ten states. The 2016 ESC Champion states were recognized for a combination of their political leadership, programmatic design, and the amount of private sector investment in Guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contracting (GESPC) in their state. The Champion states in alphabetical order include: Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington.
The chart below demonstrates that each of the Champion states have a great many programmatic key attributes in common:
While the Champion states have similarly designed programs based on the ESC’s Key Attributes, there are areas in programmatic design or political leadership in which their individual state’s efforts are recognized as best practices as presented in the highlights below:
- Colorado has one of the largest ESC State Chapters in the country with 37 members that meet on a regular basis to promote the benefits of, and provide education on the widespread use of energy performance contracting in public and private facilities. In May, 2016, Colorado hit a significant milestone when the state joined four other states in the ESC's Race to the Top "Half-Billion Dollar Club." To date, 140 public jurisdictions have executed 188 energy performance contracts, in administration buildings, schools, courthouses, jails and correctional facilities, libraries, health clinics, veterans housing, ballparks and other community facilities.
- The State of Delaware and the ESC State Chapter have partnered to promote GESPC solutions for failing and inefficient equipment in aging public buildings to reduce utility costs and energy and water consumption. To date, more than $125 million in energy savings projects have been implemented in Delaware as a result of a GESPC. The Delaware ESC Chapter is known for its outreach and education efforts and events. Since 2014, the Chapter has staged the nation’s largest state conference focused on performance contracting.
- Hawaii, with the full-support over the years from its executive branch, has completed more than $442 million of energy performance contracts since 1996. Hawaii is the nation's ESC Race to The Top leader for per capita investment ($325.25 per capita) in GESPC, a recognition that has been championed by Governor David Ige in press releases and public announcements. The state will save an estimated $1.1 billion in electricity costs over the life of the contracts that have been implemented in 225 buildings and facilities covering 96 million square feet.
- The Commonwealth of Kentucky’s statute requires energy service companies not only provide an energy savings guarantee, but also an annual reconciliation statement that documents through a prescribed Measurement and Verification protocol the annual energy savings achieved versus the guarantee. Total GESPC investment in Kentucky exceeds $750,000,000.
- The Commonwealth of Massachusetts benchmarks energy usage in its buildings, and requires reporting and measurement and verification on all GESPC projects. Massachusetts’ Department of Energy Resources works closely with local units of government in implementing GESPC projects in communities throughout the state, and to date has implemented more than $865,000,000 in performance contracting projects.
- New Mexico has implemented more than $63 million in GESPC projects, with $18 million in 2015 alone. The state’s GESPC program is self-funded through a charge on projects that ranges between 1 and 3 percent of the total project cost. The fee is charged to the facility owner and is paid out of their project’s energy savings. The fee covers the state’s GESPC program for use of contract instruments, and for the program’s oversight of the project and technical assistance.
- North Carolina provides oversight of performance contracting projects in the state, and benchmarks energy usage in K-12 facilities, community colleges and technical colleges. The state also tracks GESPC projects in all state buildings, colleges and universities. To date, more than 74 public jurisdictions throughout North Carolina have executed GESPCs, leveraging nearly $500 million in private sector investments into an estimated $50 million in guaranteed annual energy cost savings.
- Ohio adopted its landmark energy savings performance contracting legislation in 1985, and since that time the state has completed nearly $1.5 billion in energy projects. The state uses a complete standardized contract set of instruments that must be used for state facilities. These documents have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate legal, finance and procurement authorities in the state.
- Virginia has implemented more than 70 GESPC projects in public facilities. The projects support Gov. Terry McAuliffe's 2014 Virginia Energy Plan on reducing energy consumption in state buildings and his Executive Order 31 which directed state agencies to reduce their electricity consumption in state buildings by 15 percent by 2017. Total GESPC investment in Virginia exceeds $761,000,000.
- Washington has more than $1.2 billion in GESPC projects completed since 1986, with $334 million worth of projects having been implemented in the past four years. Each year these projects are saving the Washington taxpayers more than $40 million in annual utility costs reductions to public facilities. Washington pioneered GESPC technical assistance through an Interagency Agreement that allows its Department of Enterprise Service’s Energy Programs to provide overall contracting and project management services to local governments, school districts and state agencies. Compensation for this technical assistance is based on a pre-determined fee based on the total GESPC project value.
The Energy Services Coalition is a public private partnership promoting the benefits of, providing education on, and serving as an advocate for the widespread use of energy performance contracting in public and private facilities. The ESC provides a unique forum in which all stakeholders can work together to address and overcome any barriers which are limiting the effective use of GESPC. For more information about these programs or how to develop or enhance your GESPC program contact us at info@energyservicescoalition.org.