Will retailers soon add the title of Energy Advocate to their name? The answer may increasingly be yes.
An ever-growing number of cities and corporations are looking at their building portfolios as key pathways to boost bottom-line cost savings. They also want to improve the health of their employees, contribute to reaching sustainability goals, and positively impact their company brands. One such venue through which retail sustainability managers, energy managers, facility managers, and more can become involved is the City Energy Project (CEP). CEP is a national initiative that works with 20 U.S. cities to catalyze energy efficiency improvements in public and private buildings. A joint initiative of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Institute for Market Transformation, CEP is designed to break down traditional barriers to efficiency investments. CEP works to improve access to supporting data, eliminate incentive misalignments, and increase the availability for needed capital.
Participating CEP cities work to create and deploy custom efficiency strategies that drive energy improvements in the local real estate market. These policies and programs offer many opportunities for PRSM members to engage locally on energy- and water-efficiency initiatives and contribute to the development of national best practices. PRSM members are encouraged to engage with relevant cities on the energy- and water-efficiency initiatives under way. Involvement can range from participating in challenge programs or advising on local policies and better understanding how to meet compliance requirements. Using local financing options to invest in energy efficiency efforts and attending local trainings on new technologies and techniques to reduce energy use. For example, under the CEP, San Jose hosted a workshop last month to discuss zero net energy strategies for existing buildings. For more information on this specific training, visit www.newbuildings.org/existing-building-workshops.
The CEP looks forward to exploring ways PRSM and its members can engage with the project and its participating cities to unlock continual savings. In the interim, to learn more about the program and the individual cities involved, visit
www.cityenergyproject.org.
CEP is a national initiative that works with 20 U.S. cities to catalyze energy efficiency improvements in public and private buildings.
PRSM members are encouraged to engage with relevant cities on the energy- and water-efficiency initiatives
under way.
