"Why We Need To See The Light About Energy Efficiency"

This is the title of a cover story in the current issue of TIME magazine (1/12/09) by Michael Grunwald.  It is definitely worth reading and thinking about.  One particular paragraph caught my attention:

"[I]t's a simple concept: wasting less energy.  Or more precisely, consuming less energy to get the same amount of heat for your shower, light for your office, and power for your factory.  It turns out to be much less expensive, destructive and time-intensive to reduce demand through efficiency than to increase supply ...a nationwide push to save 'megawatts' instead of building more megawatts could help reverse our unsustainable increases in energy hogging and carbon spewing while creating a slew of jobs and saving a load of cash."

HUD has been openly concerned about energy efficiency and consumption for well over a decade, and they've taken some steps in regulation.  HUD Form 9834, used in Management and Occupancy Reviews, has questions on energy conservation measures and is allowing HUD to capture some data.  Public Housing Authorities (PHA's) have been the focus of slightly more rigorous requirements.  There will certainly be more to come.

There's no doubt that HUD is spending an enormous amount of money on energy and that an enormous amount of energy is being squandered.  This state of affairs is, to use an operative word from Mr. Grunwald's article, "unsustainable."

Some owners are already well into the development of energy efficiency plans and initiatives, but many more seem to have an attitude that they'll worry about it when HUD comes out with more stringent requirements, i.e., "Do this or else....."  I have seen a similar attitude over the years about fair housing training ("We'll get training when we get sued...").  To me, that's a bit like saying, "I'll start carrying my wallet in my front pocket after I get mugged."

I think part of the reason for this is that there is a misperception that energy conservation will involve spending lots of money.  And Michael Grunwald is correct when he writes that energy efficiency "needs an agent."

I am proud to have had a role in the development of NCHM's latest course, Energy Reduction Specialist (ERS).  As anyone who has attended NCHM programs can attest, we have never been stingy in sharing what you can start doing right now that will make a difference at your property.  Energy Reduction Specialist is no exception.