GENE RODRIGUES Board Chair KATHLEEN HOGAN EPA

CEE’s ENERGY STAR^® Board Committee is taking dramatic steps to further the relationship between ENERGY STAR and CEE members. The goal is to maximize and expand the value of this successful partnership for efficiency programs.

The Committee organized an ENERGY STAR Marketing Workshop, hired a brand advisor and has formulated a work plan to offer strategic input on the overall program.

Twelve Board members, including Chair Gene Rodrigues of Southern California Edison, are participating in the ENERGY STAR Board Committee.

Kathleen Hogan, Director of EPA’s Climate Protection Partnerships Division, directs the EPA ENERGY STAR Program and has been an ongoing participant and supporter of this project.

Hogan also participates as a Special Advisor to the CEE Board.

“Thanks to the work of Kathleen Hogan and her staff, the brand is second to none,” said Rodrigues. “It has tremendous credibility with consumers. As full partners with ENERGY STAR, we want to 1) help protect the brand and 2) find, identify and adopt the best ways to leverage the brand.”

June meeting activities
To establish context and advance greater understanding of the ENERGY STAR Program, CEE organized ENERGY STAR marketing sessions at the June meeting. On June 15, the morning session on branding (attended by ENERGY STAR staff and CEE Board members) started off with a branding tutorial given by Cynthia Jolicoeur of Marketing Drive, the EPA brand advisor.

EPA brand manager Maria Vargas followed with a discussion about the application of brand management principles to ENERGY STAR. CEE’s brand advisor, Tim Volk (of Kelliher, Samets, Volk) led the third session, discussing brand user perspectives.

Afternoon sessions, opened to all members, examined two aspects of ENERGY STAR marketing: differentiating “super efficiency (levels that exceed ENERGY STAR specifications)” and expanding the ENERGY STAR brand to services.

To meet the needs of various programs for greater savings from ENERGY STAR, a “Best of the Best” initiative within the ENERGY STAR brand was discussed.

Rodrigues commended the work of Hogan and her staff. “The notion of EPA allowing this marketing partnership is an outstanding example of us coming together, working effectively with a strong and powerful ally,” he said.

Ongoing committee work
In addition to the workshop and the use of a brand advisor, the Board Committee is pursuing a number of topics that focus on ways that ENERGY STAR can best serve efficiency program administrators.

The topics include:

• maintenance of brand integrity
• brand management
• joint water and energy opportunities
• promoting “super efficiency”
• addressing other energy-efficiency brands and movements

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