A previous post explained how consultation with prospective program partners before implementing an energy efficiency program can prove to be an essential component of the program’s overall success. Outreach during the “Design” phase of program development may seem counter-intuitive: program developers are trying to determine what they want in an effective program, not what other people want. But the reality is that nothing can truly be implemented without the participation of others, so program developers actually need to establish which of the viable alternatives they want. As discussed in the previous post on this topic, lending programs’ real choices can often be constrained by other parties that are essential to implementation.
Because of this, energy efficiency and renewable energy program efforts need to go through a series of steps and consultations, or outreach efforts, as they move from design to implementation:
- Specify program intent and objectives, but not implementation details. Discussions with consultants can lead to action options, and these, in turn, can be assessed in terms of how they weaken or strengthen the program in relation to its objectives.
- Compromise and adjust objectives, while avoiding rigid constraints. Outreach may reveal conditions that were unknown when the intended energy efficiency plan was originally specified.
- Modify program structures and plans as needed to increase participation rates by all program partners.
There is a benefit to maximizing pre-RFP and pre-implementation access to all potential program participants, whether they are responding to an RFP or not. State procurement requirements – or standard protocols developed at the local level – may limit local governments’ ability to make these kinds of contacts. Other program partners, however, may be able to take on that data collection role.
An example from Kansas City illustrates how outreach can be instrumental to a program’s success: The city’s Loan Loss Reserve plan included the Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) as a program partner. An independent nonprofit, the MEC agreed to be responsible for energy efficiency (EE) management in participating buildings. MEC recruited building owners who wanted to upgrade their facilities, identified non-DOE funds and credits available to people who were making EE investments, and determined borrowers’ baseline eligibility for loans.
Unfortunately, MEC—a non-city partner—did not have necessary guidance from the city about information needed. As a result, MEC’s lack of guidance ultimately led to the city’s Office of Environmental Quality (OEQ) receiving only one lender response, and the program was delayed. Today, Kansas City is issuing a second RFP, and to avoid these sorts of problems, the Procurement Department has authorized the necessary outreach with prospective program lenders.
This experience provides a good example of the importance of first identifying the partners and committed collaborators, and then setting up essential outreach and consultations with these collaborators, even if the outreach has to take place through alternative pathways.
For more information on the Kansas City OEQ’s energy efficiency program and its related outreach goals, please reply with a comment to this post. Technical Assistance is also available for program design, support, and guidance on LLRs and other financial mechanisms that drive renewable energy and energy efficiency at the state and local level.
Content for this Blog post courtesy of Peter Meyer of the E.P. Systems Group, a member of the Center for Climate Strategies team