Regional Calls

Monthly Regional Calls help create peer exchange opportunities for communities. This page includes information about upcoming regional calls, summaries, presentations and materials from past calls. If you have questions about specific regional calls please contact your Regional Coordinator.

Upcoming Regional Call Schedule

Region	Date	Time
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic/Southeast (including AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, PR, RI, SC, TN, VA, VI, VT, WV)	TBD	TBD EDT
Central, Midwest (including CO, KS, LA, OK, TX, IA, IL, IN MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, OH, SD, TX, WI)	TBD	TBD CDT
Northwest/Southwest (including AK, AS, AZ, CA, GU, HI, ID, NM, NMI, NV, OR, UT, WA)	TBD	TBD PDT

If you would like to join your Regional Call for the month please contact your Regional Coordinator for details.

Recent Regional Call Summaries, Presentations and Materials

May 2012

Institutionalizing Community Energy Manager Positions

As grant funds wind down, state, local and tribal agencies are seeking long-term, stable funding for staff to continue energy work initiated under EECBG. Whether referred to as energy managers, sustainability directors, or resource conservation coordinators, their positions are often not funded through an organization's budget. This discussion featured strategies used by peers to garner support and funding for creating or maintaining energy efficiency positions. With many budgets due by July 1, this discussion came at a critical phase in planning for the next year. Participants learned how other communities are creating municipal energy plans which outline a strategy for diversified energy efficiency program funding.

May 2012 Presentations	Date	Presentation
National Speaker Presentation- Dan Quinlan, Managing Consultant, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, "Municipal Energy/Sustainability Managers: Funding and Support"	5/2012	(PDF 352 kB)
Central Region Peer Exchange Presentation- Jay Anderson, Innovation Analyst/ Grants Coordinator, City of Colorado Springs, "Creating and Supporting the Position of Energy Efficiency Services Administrator"	5/2012	(PDF 3 MB)
East Coast Peer Exchange Presentation- Nate Boyd, Energy Project Manager, City of Orlando, "What Impact Can You Expect a Dedicated Energy Manager to Have on Your Organization?"	5/2012	(PDF 2 MB)
West Coast Peer Exchange Presentation- Julia Benabente, Energy Officer, City of San Jose, "City of San Jose Energy Fund"	5/2012	(PDF 1 MB)

June 2012

Starting and Managing an Energy Focused Revolving Loan Fund

While facing constrained budgets and pulling back on program directed funding, some states and local governments are continuing to succeed in implementing their strategic energy plans. They are developing low interest financing options that continue in perpetuity. EECBG and SEP have provided great opportunities to seed these programs. This peer exchange focused on the broad concepts of a revolving loan from our technical presenters as well as some on the ground lessons from our community speaker. The following questions were answered: How long does your interest rate have to be to make this model attractive to your customers? What are some nuances to doing this at commercial, residential, and/or industrial level? What are the ideal payback periods? How do you implement effective marketing? What partners make the most sense for your target market/ What value added services make these programs successful (audits, prescreened contractors and more)?

June 2012 Presentations	Date	Presentation
National Speaker Presentation- Pat McGuckin, Clean Energy Financing Programs, the Cadmus Group, Inc., "Practical Advice for Starting and Managing an Energy Focused Revolving Loan Fund"	6/2012	(PDF 4 MB)
Central Region Peer Exchange Presentation- Erick Shambarger, Deputy Director of Milwaukee Office of Environmental Sustainability, " Milwaukee Sustainability Achievements: From Cream City to Green City"	6/2012	(PDF 3 MB)
East Coast Peer Exchange Presentation- Katherine Gajewski, Mayor's Office of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia, "Energy Works: A Revolving Loan Fund for Building Energy Improvements in Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania"	6/2012	(PDF 2 MB)
West Coast Peer Exchange Presentation- Denee Evans, Executive Director, HomeFree Nevada, "Practical Advice for Starting and Managing an Energy Focused Revolving Loan Fund"	6/2012	(PDF 1 MB)

July 2012

Low-Cost, Creative Solutions for Marketing Energy Efficiency

If you build it, they will come...Or will they? What innovative marketing tactics have communities used to reach, educate and encourage the public to participate in energy efficiency programs? How can communities collaborate with stakeholder groups to spread the word, build brand loyalty and increase buy-in? Presenters discussed the various ways communities can implement low cost marketing campaigns utilizing private partnerships, traditional media, community-based social networking, cooperative advertising and retail promotional programs. Participants learned that through the use of creative partnerships and innovative outlets, communities can strive for high participation with minimal traditional advertising costs. Participants actively learned how to use Twitter, including strategies on hashtags, trending and tweeting.

July 2012 Presentations	Date	Presentation
Central Region Peer Exchange Presentation- Steve Meyers, EnerPath "Marketing Large-Scale Energy Efficiency in Mass Markets"	7/2012	(PDF 3 MB)
East Coast Peer Exchange Presentation- Maggie Fernandez, Miami-Dade Office Sustainability, "Best Practices for Implementing Effective Outreach Plans for Local Governments"	7/2012	(PDF 2 MB)
West Coast Peer Exchange Presentation- Gretchen Hardison and Nick Tranby, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, City of Los Angeles, "EECBG Community Outreach, Research and Public Education Grants to Non-Profits"	7/2012	(PDF 1 MB)