National Association of Energy Service Companies 1615 M Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036
202/822-0950 FAX: 202/822-0955
info@naesco.org
National Association of Energy Service Companies

2007 NAESCO's 24th Annual Conference

October 24-25, 2007
Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, Pasadena, CA
(Golf Tournament and Workshop October 23)

Press Release

September 5, 2007

Contact:
Terry E. Singer
202/822-0950 Phone
202/822-0955 Fax
tes@dwgp.com

NAESCO's October Conference in Pasadena, CA to Explore Expansion of New Market Opportunities for Energy Services Industry
Diane Munns to Keynote

The National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) is hosting its 24th Annual Conference in Pasadena, California on October 24 – 25, 2007. To be held at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel and Spa, the conference theme of “The Expanding Horizon for the Energy Service Industry” reflects the various market stimuli behind the industry's evolution and growth as well as an examination of the market impact of the strong upswing in interest in energy efficiency.

Diane Munns, executive director of retail energy services for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), will be the keynote speaker. She will be speaking about the energy efficiency commitments under the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency, the recommendations of its Leadership Group, and the Edison Electric Institute member perspective. Ms. Munns co-chaired the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency. Prior to her current position as EEI Executive Director, she served as a member of the Iowa Utilities Board where she made energy efficiency one of her top regulatory priorities. She also served as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) from March 2005 to November 2006.

Conference sessions will examine how energy services companies are capturing new customers, implementing new technologies and meeting the demands of emerging market objectives. Brenna Walraven, Chairman & Chief Elected Officer, Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, opens the conference as the lead-off speaker in a session focused on the commercial real estate market as a customer for energy efficiency services. She will provide unique insights into the challenges of marketing and delivering energy services to this sector. A leader in the building industry, Walraven is known for reaching out to a broad range of constituencies and serving as a bridge to bring new ideas and technologies to the building industry. She has been active in BOMA for over 20 years, is immediate past chair of the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) Task Force and actively supports the industry wide efforts to improve the financial and environmental performance of real estate assets through improved energy efficiency. She presently serves on California Governor Schwarzenegger's Real Estate Industry Leadership Council and on the Department of Energy and US Environmental Protection Agency's National Leadership Group in the development of a National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency.

Day One will also include a panel of utility energy efficiency program managers and government program managers and analysts examining the level of success in meeting the aggressive energy savings targets in California and reporting on the status of the California State Buildings program in helping achieve those savings targets. Wednesday's final sessions explore emerging industry trends and practices, with special focus on how the expanding bundle of performance contracting services is changing ESCO offerings and how measurement and verification practices are evolving to meet new market needs.

The conference continues on Thursday and starts with an exciting session on major new initiatives which are dramatically expanding market reach. Representatives of ESCOs and financial institutions involved in the Cambridge Energy Alliance and the Clinton Climate Initiative will talk about the new business models being introduced through these initiatives and representatives of the investment community will talk about the impact of the rapidly evolving and broad-based interest in green technologies on the capital markets. To close the conference, speakers will discuss how efficiency and renewable technologies can be more effectively integrated into successful and economically attractive project design and implementation, which renewable technologies are likely to be market winners, assess the impact of the California solar initiative on growing market opportunities, and detail how the increased focus by universities on sustainability may change what universities are seeking from energy service providers.

Dian M. Grueneich, Commissioner, California Pubic Utilities Commission, will be the speaker for Thursday's lunch. As a leader in the movement to reexamine the efficacy of existing measurement and verification practices in meeting the expanding needs of different market niches, she will focus on how Measurement and Verification practices need to change to meet new challenges and needs. Ms. Grueneich is a nationally recognized expert in energy and environmental issues and is a strong advocate of ensuring reliable energy service, addressing climate change, implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, and offering customer choice.

Also on the conference agenda in Pasadena is a special pre-conference workshop focusing on avoiding contractual mishaps in the development of an Energy Services Agreement. A panel comprised of a building owners representative, specialists in arbitration, and contract attorneys will highlight the ways to ensure maximum contract transparency and minimize contractual disputes between the service provider and customer. In the rare instance, when contractual disputes require third party intervention, alternative dispute resolution will also be addressed as a substitute for litigation.

Terry E. Singer, Executive Director of NAESCO, said “The conference is very timely as it focuses on the many new opportunities and initiatives driving market growth and expanding business offerings. The energy equation is shifting and the energy services industry is in a unique position to lead the way.” She added that “Industry expertise developed over twenty years and built on billions of dollars in energy efficiency investment provides a strong platform from which to capitalize on the current market opportunities.”

The NAESCO 24th Annual Conference will feature over 40 leading market practitioners including

  • Peter Liu, Initial Founder & Vice Chairman, New Resources Bank
  • Brenna Walraven, Chairman & Chief Elected Officer, Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International
  • George Caraghiaur, Vice President, Energy Services, Simon Property Group
  • Roy McBrayer, Deputy to the State Architect, Program Manager, Green Building Initiative, State of California Department of General Services
  • Scott Nauman, Manager, Economy and Energy Division, Corporate Planning Department, ExxonMobil
  • George Malek, Manager, Energy Efficiency, ComEd
  • John Avina, Founder, Abraxas Energy Consulting
  • Len Pettis, Chief of Plant, Energy & Utilities, California State University, Office of the Chancellor
  • Larry Eisenberg, Executive Director, Facilities Planning & Development, Los Angeles Community College District
  • John Newcomb, Principal, Newcomb | Anderson | McCormick
  • Steve Morgan, Vice President, Clean Energy Solutions, Inc.
  • Shelley Fidler, Principal, Van Ness Feldman
  • Anita Molino, Partner, Bostonia Partners
  • Steve Schiller, Principal, Schiller Consulting, Inc.
  • David Birr, President, Synchronous Energy Solutions
  • David Bruder, Manager, Non-Residential Energy Efficiency Programs, Southern California Edison
  • Duane Larson, Senior Manager of Portfolio Integration, Pacific Gas & Electric Company
  • Athena Besa, Customer Programs Policy & Support Manage, San Diego Gas & Electric Company
  • Dale Sartor, Applications Team Leader, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

NAESCO is a national trade association comprised of ESCOs, utilities, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, financial institutions and other organizations both domestic and outside the U.S. involved in the delivery of energy efficient services and products. Additional information about NAESCO's 24th Annual Conference can be found at www.naesco.org.

For further information, contact Terry E. Singer at 202/822-0950.

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