The Alliance to Save Energy is a bipartisan, nonprofit coalition of business, government, environmental, and consumer groups based in Washington, D.C. The Alliance states that it advocates for "energy-efficiency policies that minimize costs to society and individual consumers, and that lessen

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...

and their impact on the global climate." The Alliance's chief activities include

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...

, research, and

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, whic ...

to change U.S. energy policy. The Alliance was established on March 18, 1977, with the support of then U.S. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

. It was the initiative of Senators Charles Percy (R-Ill.) and

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing ...

(D-Minn.).

Member organizations

The Alliance includes more than 100 organizations committed to energy efficiency as a primary way to achieve the nation's environmental, economic, energy security, and affordable housing goals. Members include a wide variety of companies, nonprofits, industry groups, and government organizations.

Federal policy

The Alliance’s primary activity is developing, vetting, and advocating for federal, bipartisan energy efficiency policies. Areas of policy work include tax incentives for energy efficiency, appropriations for federal energy efficiency programs at the

Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-re ...

’s

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is an office within the United States Department of Energy. Formed from other energy agencies after the 1973 energy crisis, EERE is led by the Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and ...

and the

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale ...

, clean transportation solutions, federal energy management, funding for research and development, and more. Over its four decades of work, the Alliance has had a hand in shaping of number of significant pieces of energy legislation. In recent years, these have included the Energy Act of 2020, the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed in response to the Gr ...

, the Energy and Tax Extenders Act of 2008, the

Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007Pub.L. 110-140, originally named the Clean Energy Act of 2007, is an Act of Congress concerning the energy policy of the United States. As part of the Democratic Party's 100-Hour Plan during th ...

, the

Energy Policy Act of 2005 The Energy Policy Act of 2005 () is a federal law signed by President George W. Bush on August 8, 2005, at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The act, described by proponents as an attempt to combat growing energy probl ...

, the

Energy Policy Act of 1992 The Energy Policy Act of 1992, effective October 24, 1992, (102nd Congress H.R.776.ENR, abbreviated as EPACT92) is a United States government act. It was passed by Congress and set goals, created mandates, and amended utility laws to increase c ...

, and the

National Appliance Energy Conservation Act The National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987 (NAECA; ) is a United States Act of Congress that regulates energy consumption of specific household appliances. Though minimum Energy Efficiency Standards were first established by the Unite ...

of 1987. The Alliance also applauded the enactment of the

Paris Climate Agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and ...

in 2015.

117th Congress

The Alliance states that it supports a suite of energy efficiency policies designed to both reduce carbon emissions and fuel economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2021, the Alliance supported the introduction of the Main Street Efficiency Act of 2021 in the House by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and in the Senate by Sen.

Catherine Cortez Masto Catherine Marie Cortez Masto (born March 29, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Nevada, a seat she has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Cortez Masto served as the 32nd ...

(D-Nev.)
The bill
would, “require the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program to incentivize small business participation in demand side management programs.” The Alliance additionally supported the introduction of th
Open Back Better Act of 2021
by Rep.

Lisa Blunt Rochester Lisa LaTrelle Blunt Rochester (née Blunt; born February 10, 1962) also known by her initials LBR, is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman and first ...

(D-Del.) and Sen.

Tina Smith Christine Elizabeth Smith (née Flint, born March 4, 1958) is an American politician, retired Democratic political consultant, and former businesswoman serving as the junior United States senator from Minnesota since 2018. She is a member of th ...

(D-Minn.), which would “provide grants to federal and state agencies and tribal organizations to implement building projects that increase resiliency, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and grid integration.” Additional legislation supported by the Alliance in the 117th Congress includes th
HOPE for HOMES ActNO EXHAUST Act
and th
Blue Collar to Green Collar Jobs Development Act

Alliance to Save Energy initiatives

50x50

The Alliance convened the 50x50 Commission on U.S. Transportation Sector Efficiency from 2017-2019 with the stated goal to reduce energy use in the transportation sector 50% by 2050. The Commission released two reports, �
50x50: Reinventing U.S. Mobility
” and �
Building the Foundation for 50x50: A Policy Proposal for Infrastructure and Surface Transportation Authorization.
�� Following release of the latter, the 50x50 Transportation Action Network was formed to implement the recommendations from the reports. The recommendations include a number of federal policy actions intended to encourage electric vehicle adoption, invest in sustainable infrastructure, improve port and airport efficiency, strengthen public transit and rail systems, and accelerate research and development.

Active Efficiency

In September 2019, the Alliance launched th
Active Efficiency Collaborative
a group of industry leaders, NGOs, and public sector institutions that works to accelerate the adoption of Active Efficiency. Active Efficiency optimizes the use of energy by integrating the benefits of traditional energy efficiency measures with the opportunities presented by digital technologies. The Collaborative aims to take advantage of new advances in the energy sector, including digitalization, distributed energy resources, beneficial

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histo ...

, and smart devices to achieve deeper

decarbonization Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels b ...

and reduced energy burdens. According to the initiative’s website, its activities include “deepening collaboration among stakeholders, cultivating champions, and developing strategies and policies to scale up Active Efficiency.” In 2021, the Collaborative was chaired by Sarah Orban Salati of the

New York Power Authority The New York Power Authority (NYPA), officially the Power Authority of the State of New York, is a New York State public-benefit corporation. It is the largest state public power utility in the United States. NYPA provides some of the lowest-co ...

and Bert Van Hoof of

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washi ...

CarbonCount

CarbonCount is a metric developed by the Alliance to Save Energy that quantifies the impact of investments in U.S.-based energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects given the expected reduction in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions resulting from each $1,000 of investment. In 2015, Bloomberg New Energy Finance honored CarbonCount with its Finance for Resilience (FiRE) award. FiRE is an open and action-oriented platform that collects, develops and helps implement powerful ideas to accelerate finance for clean energy, climate, sustainability and

green growth Green growth is a term to describe a hypothetical path of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable. It is based on the understanding that as long as economic growth remains a predominant goal, a decoupling of economic growth from resou ...

. FiRe singles out ideas that have the potential for incremental finance of at least $1bn in clean energy in the first three years of implementation, that are achievable within 1–3 years. Hannon Armstrong's 2015 issuance of Sustainable Yield Bonds secured by a portion of its utility scale solar and wind real estate related assets was the first investment to be certified under the CarbonCount methodology, receiving a CarbonCount score of 0.39 metric tons of CO₂ offset per $1000 of investment. In 2016, Deutsche Bank received a CarbonCount score of 0.18 metric tons of CO₂ offset per $1000 of investment in a portfolio of rooftop solar PV systems.

EmPowered Schools

Since 1996, the Alliance has led energy efficiency education programs in schools. In 2021, the EmPowered Schools program was active in more than 200 schools across the country, teaching students the fundamentals of energy efficiency and about opportunities in green careers. According to the Alliance, schools that participate in the EmPowered program generally see 5-15% energy savings on their energy bills.

Energy Efficiency Forums and Summits

The Alliance hosts an annual forum for leaders in energy efficiency. The Energy Efficiency Global Forum website states that the event, “brings together the brightest minds in energy efficiency to discuss pressing issues, identify emerging trends, and connect with peers from dozens of countries around the globe.” The forum is typically hosted in Washington, D.C., but in 2018 it was held in Copenhagen, and in 2020 and 2021 it took place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alliance recently hosted Policy Summits in 2020 and 2022 with a focus on federal energy policies and priorities.

Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards

Since 1993, the Alliance has awarded progress in energy efficiency with its annual Star of Energy Efficiency Awards. Typically awarded at an annual dinner gala in Washington, D.C., winners have included individuals, government organizations, corporations, nonprofits, and utilities who demonstrated a commitment to advancing energy efficiency.

Board of Directors

The Alliance to Save Energy board includes CEOs, presidents, and senior executives of companies, associations, consumer, and environmental organizations, as well as officials from state government, universities, and law firms. The first board of directors and board of advisors were chaired by Senator Percy and

Henry A. Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the preside ...

, respectively. Honorary chairmen included Senators

Daniel J. Evans Daniel Jackson Evans (born October 16, 1925) is an American politician who served as the 16th governor of Washington from 1965 to 1977, and as United States senator representing Washington State from 1983 to 1989.H. John Heinz III Henry John Heinz III (October 23, 1938 – April 4, 1991) was an American businessman and Republican politician from Pennsylvania. Heinz represented the Pittsburgh suburbs in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and ...

and

Timothy E. Wirth Timothy Endicott "Tim" Wirth (born September 22, 1939) is an American politician from Colorado who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat in both the United States Senator, United States Senate (1987-1993) and the United States ...

. The current board Honorary Board of Advisors is chaired by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) serve as honorary vice-chairs. Honorary Board members include Rep. Michael Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. David McKinley (R-W. Va.), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and

Kandeh Yumkella Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (born July 5, 1959) is a Sierra Leonean agricultural economist, politician, and the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy ...

. The Board of Directors is chaired by

Georgia Power Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consoli ...

President, Chairman, and CEO Christopher Womack. Other officers include

Puget Sound Energy Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is an energy utility company based in the U.S. state of Washington that provides electrical power and natural gas to the Puget Sound region. The utility serves electricity to more than 1.1 million customers in Island, ...

President and CEO Mary Kipp,

Johnson Controls Johnson Controls International is an American Irish-domiciled multinational conglomerate headquartered in Cork, Ireland, that produces fire, HVAC, and security equipment for buildings. As of mid-2019, it employed 105,000 people in around 2,00 ...

Vice President of Global Consumer Relations Katie McGinty, EnerGreen Capital Management LLC Founder and Managing Partner Carolyn Green, and Alliance President Paula Glover. The Chair Emeritus is Gil Quiniones, CEO of ComEd.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Energy conservation in the United States Environmental organizations based in Washington, D.C. International energy organizations