MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaii has been selected to participate in the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices’ Policy Academy on State Building Efficiency Retrofit Programs for the second straight year.

Hawaii is one of only six states selected by the NGA to participate in this competitive building retrofit program. The Policy Academy will provide targeted technical assistance from NGA Center staff, expert faculty and consultants as well as other assistance to improve energy and resource efficiency in state facilities.

“The NGA Policy Academy will provide Hawaii with additional national assistance in reviewing both legislative and regulatory proposals for advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in our building sector,” said Gov. Linda Lingle. “Participation in the NGA Policy Academy to institute building retrofit programs will help move us closer to the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative goal of 70 percent clean energy by 2030.”

“The Policy Academy will assist Hawaii in innovative funding and financing mechanisms, energy use benchmarking tools, workforce training programs, targeted education and outreach measures,” said State Energy Administrator Theodore Peck. “The NGA Policy Academy, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, will help the state develop larger-scale building programs that will lower energy use and create jobs for our residents.”

The NGA building retrofit program complements the State’s ongoing efforts to reduce Hawaii’s dependence on imported oil, increase energy security, strengthen the local economy, and utilize the state’s renewable resources.

Building retrofit programs may include measures such as air sealing, insulation, upgrading or replacing heating or hot water systems, lighting upgrades, window replacement, appliance replacement with ENERGY STAR products, solar thermal hot water, and energy management system installation.

The state Energy Office and the NGA Policy Academy will seek to partner with many state agencies including The University of Hawai‘i system, the Department of Accounting and General Services and the Airports Division of the Department of Transportation which are currently three of the largest energy consumers among state agencies.

Last October, the State entered into a contract with Noresco, LLC, an energy services company to implement energy efficiency improvements to 10 State office buildings within the State Capitol District, including the State Capitol, that comprise over 1.3 million square feet of building space.

The project is expected to save over 6.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, reducing utility bills by 30 percent, which equals approximately $3.2 million per year in operational savings.

This reduces Hawaii’s dependency on imported fossil fuels and will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide equivalent by 9,917 tons each year. These reductions are comparable to eliminating 1,647 cars from the road.

For more information on the NGA Policy Academy visit: www.nga.org/center/eenr