NEET Taskforce Shoulders On

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Taskforce (NEET) issued its final report (www.nwcouncil.org/neet) earlier this year, but this group of largely senior utility executives – ably staffed by Ken Canon – decided to maintain themselves as a group and help the region push on the energy efficiency accelerator. Executive Committee membership was extended to Dave Zapponi of the Northwest Food Processors Association and to Stan Price of NEEC. A recent meeting of the Executive Committee focused on the necessity to move from the policy guidance and issue identification stage of the NEET Final Report to a regional Action Plan that maps out tactical activities consistent with meeting the challenge of the Draft 6th Power Plan. Work is underway to put a structure and process in place to achieve this. There is widespread regional recognition that the “easy” energy savings of CFL’s is soon gone with the implementation of new federal standards. Meeting more aggressive efficiency targets will likely require a new mix of technologies and practices and a “faster to market” mindset by the three legged stool of successful energy efficiency projects – the customer, the serving utility, and the trade ally.