On February 7th and 8th, 2011, grantees from across the Midwest Region and the states of MN, IA and MO, gathered at Argonne National Labs to participate in a DOE sponsored EECBG and SEP networking and peer-exchange event.  Seventy-eight people attended, including sixty-eight grantees from fifty unique city, county and state municipalities.  DOE Project Officer and HQ representatives also attended, along with technical moderators from the Technical Assistance Program (TAP).
The event was a success! 

One Grantee talked about the unique and valuable experience of attending a Regional Peer Exchange meeting: "This was a great event.  Our experience with federal grants has been impersonal and bureaucratic, and this forum revealed there are programs and assistance directly available to make these grants easier to manage.  The sharing of specific projects among peers was key to this event's success.  Every government organization/agency has a different contact for sustainability projects, so to gather everyone in one place to share info saves a lot of time.  This needs to be a model for all federal grant programs in the future."

Attendees participated in two small-group discussion sessions entitled “Sharing Solutions that Work” and “Planning for Sustainable Success” and there were four panel discussions:
• Midwest Initiatives for Energy Projects: EECBG and Post EECBG
• Energy Savings: Monitoring, Verifying, Reporting and Communications
• Financing and Driving Demand for Energy Efficiency Retrofits and Clean Energy Installations, and
• Municipal Energy Saving Building Technologies.
Peer interaction during these panels and breakouts was strong, with valuable resources being shared amongst participants.

Grantees networking at the Midwest Regional Peer Exchange Meeting.  One Grantee said about networking at the Peer Exchange Meeting: “Thank you for the opportunity to meet face-to-face with other grantees and TAP.  I've met really nice people to work with and ask questions about their projects so that we can move forward with new energy efficient projects in the future.”

Grantees appreciated the dedicated networking opportunities that were structured into the meeting.  These included a poster-presentation session featuring four ARRA-funded projects during the extended registration period and refreshment breaks, as well as an organized dinner and a (fun!) trivia event in the evening of Day 1.  Grantees developed new relationships with their neighbors and other fellow grant recipients, and have already been connecting in the days following the meeting.
Grantees also appreciated the opportunity to meet one-on-one with DOE programmatic representatives, to discuss unresolved programmatic issues and work out solutions in-person.


Grantees participating in the Trivia Event. One Grantee said the meeting was "a lot more fun than I anticipated.  Grantees were well prepared to discuss their ideas and programs.  Great camaraderie and incredible 'customer service' by meeting organizers."

Some meeting highlights include:

  • Networking with State Energy Offices (SEO): Several local ARRA recipients were able to meet face-to-face with staff from their respective SEOs. It’s important to note that State Energy Offices have been around for a while and often have technical expertise, a network of connections, and sometimes even additional funding available for other ARRA recipients. SEOs may even be able to provide resources to your local businesses, residents, and municipally-owned utilities.
    Peer-matching: Grantees had a lot of time at the Peer Exchange Meeting to converse about their projects with one another. During the event, grantees with questions were able to benefit from the experience of their peers on topics ranging from solar hot water heater installation to working with banks to develop energy loan products. These conversations happened formally in panel presentations and poster sessions as well as during coffee breaks, in the elevators, over dinner, and in the hotel lobby. Each attendee received a contact list to ensure that these conversations continue well into the future.

  • Ideas for New Programs: With all the ideas being shared, most attendees left with a few new resources or project ideas. These included:
      Technologies like geothermal systems, induction lighting, and solar and small-scale wind installation.
    • Financing programs such as revolving loans, qualified energy conservation bonds, and FHA PowerSaver loans, as well as taking advantage of federal and state tax credits or state-specific incentives.
    • Other strategies such as building stronger relationships with local businesses, energy savings performance contracting, taking more advantage of Solution Center resources, and utilizing marketing and social media.
    The Midwest Peer Exchange event helped to re-energize local and state staff, create connections among government energy practitioners, and highlighted resources that will be useful throughout the rest of the Recovery Act timeframe and beyond.  

Meeting presentation and resources are available here:  EECBG & SEP Regional Peer Exchange Meetings
The remaining DOE Peer Exchange Meetings are as follows:
o Southeast -- March 3, Miami, FL     (http://doetapsep2p.eventbrite.com/)
o Northwest -- March 7‐8, Portland, OR     (http://doetapnwp2p.eventbrite.com/)
o Mid‐Atlantic -- March 10‐11, Washington, DC     (http://doetapmap2p.eventbrite.com/)
o South Central -- March 15‐16, San Antonio, TX     (http://doetapscp2p.eventbrite.com/)
o Northeast -- March 29‐30, Boston, MA     (http://doetapnep2p.eventbrite.com/)


Our gratitude goes out to the folks at Argonne National Labs, who generously donated the wonderful space and additional supplies! 

Content for this blog post courtesy of Zach Abrams & Therese Dorau, Regional Coordinators, ICF International.