National opportunities and challenges for gas-efficiency programs are increasing, and CEE members are stepping up to address them. CEE has seen growth in the number of natural gas and combination members, and now has a fully-staffed team to help move issues forward.

“Natural gas utilities are facing an increasing need to provide energy-efficiency programs for their customers,” according to Bruce Johnson, Co-Chair of the Gas Committee and Director of Energy Management for KeySpan Energy Delivery. “CEE has recognized the opportunity to provide greater service to its members by creating a forum for discussing the challenges faced by gas-efficiency programs.” The expansion of the Commercial Kitchen Initiative to several gas-powered technologies built momentum, and the outcomes of the Natural Gas DSM Summit, held last November in Dallas, provided direction to CEE’s efforts and growth in this area.

Over the past year, CEE has increased its staff dedicated to natural gas work to three full-time employees. The most recent to join the team is Michelle Rosier (see related story). With this addition, CEE now has the capacity to address the opportunities identified by members as well as the ability to take on new challenges more rapidly. CEE Program Manager Eileen Eaton has worked partially with the gas team but now works in the residential sector full time.

Thus far in 2007, the gas team has been focusing on residential water heaters (see related story). It also has begun exploring opportunities to improve the gas furnace portion of rooftop, “gas-pack,” unitary HVAC systems. The recent CEE Program Meeting in Boston gave members an opportunity to discuss progress on both these fronts.

One of the next committee priorities is exploration of natural gas savings opportunities in commercial HVAC. Gas program staff are working closely with the Residential and Commercial HVAC Committees to make sure efforts are integrated and complementary. During the coming months, CEE staff will complete the gas-pack research and begin work on exploring commercial boiler opportunities. The goals are to provide actionable information to our members on opportunities in commercial HVAC and lead market transformation efforts in these areas. For an example of an opportunity in this area, see (see "Wal-Mart installs high-efficiency rooftop units in stores").For more information, please contact Kara Rodgers.

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