FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 2016
Contacts:
Steve Patterson, steve@arkansasadvancedenergy.com or (501) 537-0190
Mollie Merry Campbell, mollie@arkansasadvancedenergy.com or (501) 537-0190
LITTLE ROCK, JUNE 16 – Energy service providers will join representatives of Arkansas state agencies, colleges and universities, and cities and counties on Tuesday, June 21 for the Arkansas Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC) Summit hosted by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission – Arkansas Energy Office at Heifer Village Conference Room, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
This will be the second summit since the official launch of the AEPC program for state agencies in November, 2014. In the interim, the program has undergone several important legislative and administrative changes, including adoption of the Local Government Energy Efficiency Project Bond Act by the Arkansas legislature in 2015, enabling cities and counties to issue tax exempt bonds for energy efficiency projects that can be certified through the AEPC program.
The AEPC program enables taxpayer-funded public entities to reduce costs, improve the comfort and quality of public buildings, and address pressing deferred maintenance issues at no upfront cost. A recent jobs study commissioned by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation found that nearly 700 companies that employ more than 16,000 Arkansans are in the advanced energy economy. About 60 percent of those jobs are tied to energy savings equipment and services and will be directly affected by a vibrant AEPC program.
Qualified providers under the program that are participating in the AEPC Summit include Willdan/360 Energy Engineers, Presenting Sponsor; Clear Energy, Inc. and Performance Services, Partner Sponsors; and Entegrity Energy Partners; Harrison Energy Partners; Johnson Controls, Inc.; Powers of Arkansas; Schneider Electric; and Siemens.
Some ongoing AEPC projects will be discussed during the session, including projects at the Arkansas Department of Corrections, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Pulaski County. The program also includes presentations on financing and guidelines for participation in the AEPC program.
Arkansas Advanced Energy Association is a business group dedicated to growing Arkansas’s economy by expanding our energy workforce and manufacturing base through the increased development, manufacture, and utilization of advanced energy technologies.
The Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation is the educational affiliate of the AAEA. The Foundation promotes greater public understanding of advanced energy in Arkansas through research, public education programs and economic and workforce development. The Foundation is dedicated to informing the energy policy debate with well-researched, fact-based data on the advanced energy economy in Arkansas and by providing a public forum where state leaders can address Arkansas’s energy challenges for the future.
The Arkansas Energy Office promotes energy efficiency, clean technology and sustainable strategies that encourage economic development, energy security and the environmental well-being for all citizens of Arkansas.
Follow Arkansas Advanced Energy on Twitter @ArkAdvEnergy and like “Arkansas Advanced Energy Association” on Facebook.