Efficiency Exchange Conference Highlights Energy Efficiency in a Changing Environment

The Bonneville Power Administration and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, in partnership with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and utilities throughout the Northwest are hosting the fifth annual Efficiency Exchange conference.

The region-wide event focuses on promoting innovation, discussing emerging trends and sharing new ideas on how utility energy efficiency programs can adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace. This year’s event will be at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on May 9-10, 2017.

“BPA is proud to be a partner in this excellent event where cutting-edge ideas, technologies and research are shared for the benefit of the people of the Northwest,” said Richard Génecé, BPA vice president of Energy Efficiency. “Efficiency Exchange provides a vibrant forum for people, products and policies that make our region a national trendsetter in the efficient use of energy.”

This year’s conference kicks off with a keynote from Shane Snow, an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. Snow is co-founder of the content technology company Contently, which helps creative people and companies tell great stories together. Shane serves on the board of the Contently Foundation for Investigative Journalism, and is the author of Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking. Snow's writing has appeared in Fast Company, Wired, The New Yorker, and dozens more top publications.

The second day of the conference will feature Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy. The Alliance, a premier non-governmental organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., has worked for nearly four decades to advance energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security. Under Callahan’s leadership, the Alliance conducts policy, communications, research, education, and market transformation initiatives in the U.S. and abroad.

“The Northwest has a rich history of leading innovation in energy efficiency through region-wide collaboration,” said NEEA’s executive director, Susan E. Stratton. “Efficiency Exchange brings together thought leaders and program experts to surface ideas and new insights that help shape our energy future.”

In addition to the two keynotes, energy efficiency experts from around the Northwest will present on a range of topics, such as green load building, emerging technologies, and driving energy efficiency through digital engagement.

“Energy efficiency is the region’s second largest resource after hydropower, and it continues to be our largest least-cost new resource. These savings have also lowered ratepayers’ electricity bills by $4 billion a year,” said Henry Lorenzen, chair of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

“Events like the Efficiency Exchange play a critical role in helping to nurture its development and advance the next generation of energy efficiency. The Council strongly supports the conference and looks forward to working with our partners to build on the region’s success.”

Between sessions, attendees can visit the Conduit Lounge and register, post and share information on Conduit, an online community that facilitates collaboration and coordination among energy efficiency professionals in the Northwest.

View the full agenda of the conference at efficiencyexchangenw.com.

About the Bonneville Power Administration BPA is a not-for-profit federal agency that markets renewable hydropower from federal Columbia River dams, operates three-quarters of the high-voltage transmission lines in the Northwest and funds one of the largest wildlife protection and restoration programs in the world. BPA and its partners pursue cost-effective energy savings in all sectors of the economy, and together they have saved enough electricity through energy efficiency projects to power four large American cities. www.bpa.gov

About the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance is an alliance of more than 140 utilities and energy efficiency organizations working on behalf of more than 13 million energy consumers. NEEA is dedicated to accelerating both electric and gas energy efficiency, leveraging its regional partnerships to advance the adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices.

Since 1997, NEEA and its partners have saved enough energy to power more than 900,000 homes each year. As the second-largest resource in the Northwest, energy efficiency can offset most of our new demand for energy, saving money and keeping the Northwest a healthy and vibrant place to live. www.neea.org

About the Northwest Power and Conservation Council The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is an agency of the four Northwest states of Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington. Under the Northwest Power Act of 1980, the Council develops a Northwest Power Plan to assure the region an adequate, efficient, economical, and reliable power supply while protecting, mitigating and enhancing fish and wildlife that have been affected by the construction and operation of hydropower dams in the Columbia River Basin. Through the power plan the Council sets strategies and establishes targets for energy efficiency in the region, and through the Regional Technical Forum (rtf.nwcouncil.org) the Council and other Forum partners work to verify that efficiency measures implemented by utilities produce real savings.