STATE OF HAWAII HONORED WITH NATIONAL ENERGY AWARD FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

News Release from Hawaii State Energy Office September 6, 2013

HONOLULU — Hawaii ranks first in the nation for energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) investment per capita, a distinction acknowledged last month when the state accepted the Energy Services Coalition’s prestigious Race to the Top award for the second year in a row.

“Energy remains a priority of this administration, and Hawaii’s top national ranking affirms the significant progress we are making in the area of energy efficiency,” said Gov. Neil Abercrombie. “Our investments in energy savings performance contracting will not only reduce costs at state facilities, it is also expected to create several thousand jobs.”

ESPC is an innovative approach to implement energy and water efficiency retrofits in buildings using guaranteed energy savings to pay for projects. Race to the Top ranks states by investment per capita in energy savings performance contracting. Hawaii leads with an investment of $132.25 per capita, with Ohio coming in second with $108.58 and Kansas in third with $97.77.

In August, the Hawaii State Energy Office accepted the Race to the Top award at the annual Energy Services Coalition Conference in Denver, Colo. At the event, the coalition recognized Hawaii for its outstanding commitment to energy efficiency, environmental stewardship, and economic development through ESPC.

“Through performance contracting, we are saving $14.2 million and 60.9 million kilowatt hours per year,” said Richard Lim, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT). “Over 20 years, these energy savings will be equivalent to powering an estimated 171,623 households for one year.”

The State Energy Office has been providing technical assistance for performance contracting to state agencies and counties since 1996. Entities which have performance contracts counted in this year’s ranking include the University of Hawaii at Hilo, University of Hawaii Community Colleges, Judiciary, Hawaii Healthcare Services Corporation, Department of Accounting and General Services, and Public Safety Department, as well as the County of Hawaii, County of Kauai, City and County of Honolulu.

At the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting in June, the state committed to achieving another $300 million investment in performance contracting for state and county facilities over the next three years as part of its mission to achieve 70 percent clean energy by 2030. This investment will not only reduce energy costs at state facilities, but it is also expected to create several thousand jobs.

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For more information on Hawaii’s ESPC projects, visit http://energy.hawaii.gov/energyperformance-contracting. To see the complete Race to the Top list, visit http://www.energyservicescoalition.org/espc/table.aspx.

About the Energy Services Coalition

ESC is a national nonprofit organization, composed of a network of experts from a wide range of organizations, working together at the state and local levels to increase energy efficiency and building upgrades through energy savings performance contracting.

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