Thought Leadership from Sieben Energy Associates

Energy planning has become essential business practice at many major corporations. Understandably, smaller organizations have been slower to join the trend. Now may be the time to act. After falling sharply during the recession, energy prices are expected to escalate substantially in the near future. In addition, sustainability and energy benchmarks have become increasingly important to potential customers and investors looking to differentiate organizations. For these reasons, an actionable, effective energy plan is a valuable tool in the hands of leadership of any organization, large or small. 

This overview of energy planning first examines how select corporations have integrated energy into their strategic planning. Regardless of size, industry, budget, or location, thinking about energy and implementing steps to improve energy consumption and procurement have the potential to reduce cost, improve efficiency, and excite existing and potential clients and customers. Whether you employ four, four hundred, or forty thousand people, a realistic energy plan can help sustain and grow your business.Copy this template before you save.

Energy efficiency has always been central to the business of Sieben Energy Associates. In a newly published report for Environment Illinois, entitled "Saving Energy, Growing Jobs", Rob Kerth and Max Muller discuss the energy efficiency sector in Illinois. They conclude that "330 individual businesses and 737 retail outlets in Illinois are already working to increase the efficiency of our state's homes, businesses and industry."

Sieben Energy Associates is one of those 330 businesses, and it is featured in a lengthy case study on pages 12-13 of the report, under the headline, "Twenty Years of Energy Efficiency Leadership: Sieben Energy Associates of Chicago". The piece focuses on the history and success of SEA as well as trends and opportunities for the industry. The entire report serves as an excellent introduction to the business case for energy efficiency.Copy this template before you save.

In a feature article by Jennie Morton in this month's issue of Buildings Magazine, Dan Bailey of Sieben Energy Associates is quoted several times discussing the future of solar photovoltaics. The article, "The Next Wave of Solar", introduces thin-film solar cell technology, which makes it possible for solar cells to be incorporated into functional parts of a building. They no longer need to be accessories placed on top of or next to the structure.

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) are a growing trend. BIPVs seamlessly combine the solar cells with standard materials used in the building envelope—such as roofs, glass, or façade. Solar cells are no longer confined to the domain of building engineering; they increasingly appear in the context of building design and building architecture.

The United States has not adopted into federal law an advanced energy policy that targets energy production and consumption with respect to climate impact. Despite a lot of talk and a handful of bills proposed in Congress since President Obama's inauguration a year and a half ago, no comprehensive legislation has been able to pass both the House and Senate. A handful of bills have been proposed. None of the efforts to date was able to garner significant political momentum or public support. Healthcare and finance reform have stolen the show, and the headlines.

But all this changed when tragedies at a coal mine in West Virginia and an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in dozens of human casualties and cast America's attention on fossil fuels. How Congress will respond depends on many variables, and nobody knows for certain whether any climate (or even energy) legislation will become law by January 2011. But trends indicate that if no comprehensive package emerges from Capitol Hill, states and regions will continue to strengthen their own environmental standards, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may assert its authority to control pollution widely viewed as an anthropogenic cause of climate change.