Forum Witnesses the Unveiling of Exciting New Energy Efficiency Initiatives & Announcements 

Washington, D.C., May 11, 2016 – Today the Alliance to Save Energy’s (Alliance) 9th annual Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global) opened, welcoming nearly 500 international delegates from the business, government and nonprofit sectors to Washington, D.C. for the world’s premiere, invitation-only forum dedicated to energy efficiency.

The two-day forum kicked off with exciting announcements from a wide range of energy efficiency leaders, including the World Resources Institute (WRI), The Climate Group, the Alliance to Save Energy, ASHRAE, the Global Alliance for Energy Productivity, Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO), Danfoss, Southern Company, Legrand and Ingersoll Rand, proving that EE Global serves as the world’s incubator for new ideas, technologies, business models and public policy that can propel action on energy efficiency to make economies more productive while simultaneously combatting climate change. 

Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan said, “It’s an honor to once again welcome global energy efficiency leaders to Washington, D.C. to exchange information on the incredible transformation that is occurring in economies around the world as a result of forward-looking policies and the unprecedented and growing levels of investment in energy efficiency. EE Global continues to catalyze the movement to greater energy productivity by providing forums and opportunities for sharing best practices and policies and for building partnerships and alliances to drive energy efficiency as the world’s greatest energy resource.” 

Alliance Honorary First Vice-Chair Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), one of EE Global’s keynote speakers, said, “This year’s EE Global Forum comes at a vital moment in the energy conversation here at home and around the world. With last month’s overwhelming bipartisan passage of the Senate’s Energy Policy Modernization Act and with over 170 countries signing the COP-21 climate agreement in New York, energy efficiency presents itself as a vital tool to help us to meet these important goals and continue advancing to a modern energy economy. With efficiency at the helm of our energy system, we have a proven path for reducing energy costs and creating millions of new American jobs.”

Recognizing the important revolution occurring in the built environment toward more energy-efficient buildings and systems within those buildings, the Alliance will present EE Visionary Awards to honor three diverse campuses around the world that are beacons of energy efficiency.

The award winners are Taiwan-based Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, being honored for its new cancer treatment building, which boasts LEED-HC Platinum certification as well as 42 percent greater efficiency than standard buildings; Stanford University in recognition of its brand new, state-of-the-art, Central Energy Facility, which is transforming the university energy supply away from fossil-fuel based energy and toward grid-sourced electricity; and, the UN City campus located in Copenhagen that is cutting its predicted energy consumption by 55 percent and has earned the highest energy-efficient Danish building code ratings.

EE Global’s two plenary sessions feature high level speakers from Lockheed Martin, PG&E Company, Edison Electric Institute, Whirlpool Corporation, International Energy Agency (IEA), Comisió Nacional para el Uso Eficiente de la Energía (CONUEE), Danfoss, The Climate Group, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) and the Alliance to Save Energy. The May 11 opening plenary session focuses on driving energy productivity in the digital age, exploring the ways in which the energy system of the future is being shaped by increased grid connectivity, information technologies, and the diversified use of electricity across the economy. May 12 features a plenary session focusing on doubling energy productivity through government leadership, touching on the interplay between business and government.

This year’s EE Global Forum features 16 Executive Dialogue sessions that provide the opportunity for in-depth and engaging discussion between panelists and attendees on topical efficiency issues. Sessions focus on the role of energy efficiency in many spaces – including connected systems, the Paris climate agreement, investment and financing issues, building design and the transportation sector.

New this year to EE Global and expanding the learning and partnership opportunities is the Solutions Showcase – an interactive, audience-driven video contest that features innovative energy-efficient products and solutions from a wide variety of the conferences sponsors and participating companies and organizations. The winning three videos will be shown at the morning plenary on Thursday, May 12.

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The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy and national security.