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Milwaukee Energy Efficiency (Me2)
Contact: Elissa Berger, Me2 Coordinator [eberger@cows.org]
In the effort to reduce the negative effects of fossil-fuel dependence and create jobs at the same time, energy efficiency projects are star performers. The idea is to improve inefficient buildings, at once saving property owners money, reducing demand for coal-generated electricity, and providing both skilled and unskilled work for local contractors and their employees. The local economy benefits in the long term, because less imported fuel is needed after building efficiency improves.
With energy prices rising, building retrofits can often be funded out of the energy savings. Large users can take advantage of “performance contracting,” obtaining guarantees from contractors that their savings will exceed their costs, and as a result many large facilities have been retrofitted in recent years. Because of higher transaction costs, however, many homes and smaller commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings still waste energy through inefficient heating, cooling, lighting, appliances, and industrial processes.
Solving this problem is a matter of organization and policy.
Beginning in June 2007, COWS and the Milwaukee mayor’s office convened a group of advisers from government, business, labor, community groups, and philanthropy to establish Milwaukee Energy Efficiency, (Me2). Me2 is working to design and implement an innovative program that will allow small-property owners and even renters to use a process similar to performance contracting in order to achieve energy savings. Property owners or renters (with landlords’ cooperation) would receive an audit listing conservation measures that could be paid for out of energy savings in a given period. They would repay the cost of the measures via their energy-utility bill.
Me2 is now focusing on the details of program design and implementation.
Learn more about Me2 stakeholder meetings
Additional Resources Include:
- Project backgrounder on slides
- Utility billing programs
- Mayor Tom Barrett's remarks at the Mayors' Climate Summit (text)
- Mayor Tom Barrett's remarks at the Mayors' Climate Summit (video)