August 15, 2012
PA Energy Services Coalition
With a mission to achieve:
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Infrastructure Modernization - without the need for up-front capital
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Environmental Stewardship – mitigation of greenhouse gases
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Economic Development – real jobs now
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National Security – relieving our dependence on foreign sources of
fuels
The Energy Services Coalition is the only public and private coalition
of individual energy experts focused on the promotion of Guaranteed
Energy Performance Contracting.
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The summer construction and vacation season is nearly over. I
trust that everyone has taken an opportunity to enjoy the summer
weather and managed to decompress just a bit. We look forward
to a busy Fall and close to the calendar year. A number of key
events have been keeping the PA Leadership Team busy – please
read below for additional details. |
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ESC MARKET TRANSFORMATION CONFERENCE 2012
Please join us for the Energy Services Coalition’s Market
Transformation Conference on August 23-24, 2012 at the Loews
Vanderbilt Hotel Nashville,
This important event will facilitate sharing of best practices
among public and private sector participants in order to advance
public facility retrofit programs utilizing Energy Savings
Performance Contracting (ESPC). The conference sessions
will be discussion-oriented and designed to deliver fresh ideas
to maximize the success of existing ESPC programs and actionable
steps to create new statewide models that fit your states’
needs.
Conference Topics
2ND ANNUAL PA CHAPTER WORKSHOP
Our Workshop Committee is busy planning for our 2nd
Annual PA Chapter Workshop. The venue shall be the same as last
year, the Hollywood Casino in
The date is not finalized, but rumors have it that November is
the targeted month. If you are interested in helping plan this
event, please contact our Workshop Committee Chair,
Sherri Laurusevage
PA COMMONWEALTH GESA PROCESS PROGRAM DISCUSSION.
The Commonwealth of PA, Dept of General Services shall be
holding an ESCO industry meeting to discuss the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania's new approach to the GESA Program and give ESCO's
the opportunity to ask any questions they may have. The
meeting is to be held in the Corporate Board Room 1st Floor
Arsenal Bldg., 18th & Herr Sts. Harrisburg, PA on Monday, August
27, 2012 from 9:30am to 11:30am. Invitations went out to
many ESCO representatives early this week. If you did not
receive an invitation, and are interested in attending, please
contact Ms. Jenna Ditmer via email at
jditmer@pa.gov.
Visitor parking at the facility is limited, there is street
parking available around the complex or you may call
OUTREACH INITIATIVE – POTENTIAL FUNDING
The PA Chapter of ESC has been discussing with members of the
Pennsylvania Energy Partnership and PennFuture on strategies to
increase target market education and outreach efforts on Energy
Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs). A federal funding
opportunity has been identified that could enable funds to be
dedicated to this purpose. The opportunity is being
offered by the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development
Administration program. The application deadline for the
$50 million program is yet to be determined, but expected to be
due in December with an average award size of $500,000.
The grant program seeks to leverage regional assets to support
strategies designed to create jobs, leverage private capital and
encourage economic development. Please contact our
Resource Committee Chair,
Diane Shellenhamer, if you are interested in learning
more.
MEMBERSHIP
We are Number 6! What? We aren’t number 1? The Youth Baseball
season is coming to a close – some of the world’s best 12/13
year old baseball players have arrived in
However, we do know that there is an opportunity to grow our
membership, and we ask those "NOT
YET Members" to resolve during the remainder of
this year to re-commit yourself to this group.
Benefits of membership include
initial consideration for speaking opportunities at our events,
email notifications and information available to Members Only,
ability to participate in our local Leadership Team, opportunity
to participate in National initiatives, and much more.
As you fill out your membership form on the ESC website
(https://www.energyservicescoalition.org/membership/),
be sure to indicate that you wish to be affiliated with the PA
Chapter. That action will assure that a portion of your
dues will come back, directly, to our Chapter. These funds
make it possible for us to host events like the Annual Workshop.
This gives all of our participating organizations the ability to
touch end users, see new technologies, and network with peers in
the supply chain of performance contracting delivery.
UPCOMING EVENTS
ESC’s
MARKET TRANSFORMATION CONFERENCE
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Quarterly News
ESC Market Transformation Conference
Thursday & Friday, August 23/24, 2012
2nd Annual PA Chapter Workshop
Hollywood Casino
PA Commonwealth GESA Process Program Discussion
August 27, 2012
Outreach Initiative
Strategies to increase target market education
Membership
We are Number 6!
Up Coming Events
Future Activities to be aware of
PA Leadership Team |
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Can’t we get a grant for that?
After six years of working in community and economic
development, I’m all too familiar with this question. Many
people think that grant money is readily available. This belief
is even stronger when a project involves an energy efficiency or
renewable energy component. The truth is that funding available
in the form of grants is limited and getting more so every year.
However, this shouldn’t discourage someone with a legitimate
project from applying. There are, however, a few things to keep
in mind when developing a project for funding.
Start planning early.
The information required for many grant applications can be
daunting. The earlier an applicant begins to evaluate their
project the better. What are the major project activities? How
much will it cost and how long will it take to complete these
activities? What are the goals and objectives for the project?
Know the funder.
Program requirements and guidelines can vary significantly
depending on the agency. Eligibility, match requirements,
submission and approval procedures, and evaluation criteria are
all things to keep in mind when developing an application. In
addition to the traditional funding streams at the state and
federal levels, community foundations can be a great funding
source.
Be flexible.
Oftentimes, the amount of funding an applicant is looking to
secure is more than the maximum award for the program. This can
be a real challenge, especially when trying to coordinate the
project with multiple funding agencies to make the budget whole.
It’s important to remain flexible and make every attempt to find
the “best fit” when shopping around for funding.
Get creative.
Even in the current fiscal climate there are plenty of funding
opportunities out there and a little creativity will open more
doors. If the total cost of the proposed activities is too high,
consider scaling back the project or completing it in phases as
funding becomes available.
There’s money out there for “e2” and renewable energy projects
and with some research, planning and a little perseverance, you
can secure funding for your project. Above all, keep the current
fiscal realities of dwindling state and federal grant funding in
mind. This “new reality” dictates having reasonable expectations
on securing public funding along with a strong commitment to
generate local matching funds.
Brandon Carson |
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