A Letter from Our Chair
January 20, 2020
Dear Member:
Re: 2020 Alberta Energy Efficiency Alliance Membership
Thank you so much for being a member of the Alberta Energy Efficiency Alliance (AEEA). This letter provides important information updates and highlights key Alliance accomplishments made possible only due to your ongoing support.
New Executive Director - Amy Roesler
Our previous Executive Director, Wayne Morishita, left AEEA at the end of November. We thank Wayne for all of his efforts and wish him well in his new endeavours leading an industry association in the health care field. I am very pleased to announce Amy Roesler as AEEA's new Executive Director. Amy has extensive industry experience, having worked in senior roles with BC Hydro and CLEAResult. As our former Board Vice Chair, Amy is already well known to our members and I am confident that you will be well served by her leadership. Congratulations Amy!
Board Meetings Open to Members
While the Board retains the discretion to hold closed meetings for matters which are confidential or sensitive in nature, AEEA's general practice will be to have open Board meetings which all members are welcome to attend. This was the historic practice of the Alliance for many years, and your Board believes a return to this approach will enhance engagement and communication with members. Details of the next Board & Members' Meeting January 23 have been provided in separate correspondence.
2019 Year in Review
Highlights of Alliance activities conducted on your behalf in 2019 include:
Policy Advocacy
o Engagement with Alberta Energy on energy efficiency as a resource and the
o Pre- and post-election outreach to the UCP on the benefits of EE and funding model alternatives (in the absence of a carbon tax)
o Post-election grassroots social media campaign targeted at policy makers on the benefits of EE (coordinated with Efficiency Canada)
o Op ed Energy efficiency makes sense and it doesn't need a carbon tax placed in Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal (written jointly with Efficiency Canada)
o Provided submission highlighting the environmental benefits of EE during
Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) consultations and recommended TIER as an EE program funding source. Coordinated EE messaging with QUEST, who also made a TIER submission.
o Ongoing participation in the AUC Distribution Inquiry processFebruary Energy Efficiency Summit
o Leading speakers from across North America including keynotes from The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi (Minister of Natural Resources, Government of Canada) and The Honourable Shannon Phillips (Minister of Environment and Parks, Province of Alberta)
o Included for the first time an industrial EE workshop coordinated in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Industry Partnership for Energy Conservation
o Over 225 attendees - over 81 per cent of survey respondents rated the conference as excellent or above average
Looking Ahead in 2020
Given the current policy uncertainty in Alberta, the role of the Alliance as the collective voice of the EE industry has never been more crucial. Further to a post-election Board strategy session, the Alliance will continue to:
• Promote and raise awareness of the key benefits of EE
• Take a short, medium and long-term approach to advocacy and highlight to policy makers various funding models and potential interim funding sources, while we work toward the long-term goal of seeing Alberta become a leader in EE.
• Ultimately, we desire an apolitical funding and policy framework to sustain comprehensive EE programming in Alberta. We will continue advocacy to that end on behalf of our membership.
• Further details regarding our 2020 work plan and priorities will be discussed at the January 23rd meeting. Your input is welcomed.
Your membership in AEEA connects you to Alberta's EE industry forum for information sharing, networking, collaboration and professional development. We have already begun planning for our 2020 Summit to be held in Calgary in the spring. You won't want to miss this stimulating and informative event.
Thank you very much for your continuing support. By working together, collectively we accomplish much more to advance the cause of EE in our province.
Sincerely,
David Conn
Board Chair