NC Energy Efficiency Alliance wins EPA's 2012 ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence

We're proud to announce that the North Carolina Energy Efficiency Alliance (NCEEA) won EPA's 2012 ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence. The Appalachian State University based organizations is a state-funded, nonprofit that aims to overcome market barriers to the widespread implementation of energy-efficient new homes by working with housing industry professionals.The NCEEA received ENERGY STAR recognition for its demonstrated commitment to raising awareness of the value and benefits of ENERGY STAR features in the home, and increasing the demand for ENERGY STAR Homes in North Carolina. Key accomplishments in 2011 include:

• Employing an aggressive direct-to-consumer marketing campaign promoting ENERGY STAR certified homes that focused on eight strategic market areas in North Carolina, resulting in more than 35 million billboard impressions, 5 million print impressions, and 10 million online ad impressions.
• Sponsoring 2,200 ENERGY STAR certified homes during its first year of participation in the program.
• Continuing its HERS Rater Incentive Program in which raters must promote ENERGY STAR certified homes to builders, and submit ENERGY STAR Certificates that meet NCEEA's incentive criteria.
• Hosting an inaugural summit event to identify market barriers, discuss strategies, and create initiatives and solutions to stimulate energy-efficient construction and the ENERGY STAR New Homes program in North Carolina.
• Engaging in builder outreach activities via ENERGY STAR training sessions at Home Builders Associations (HBAs). The sessions were offered to approximately 157 builders in nine North Carolina cities, including a number of under-served communities throughout the state.