The first part of this webinar will provide an introduction to utility energy service contracts (UESCs) and describe the features and benefits of utilizing UESCs to install energy conservation measures at federal sites. The second part will introduce the newly launched UESC On-Demand Training Series. The modular series of short webinars has been designed to provide in-depth understanding of UESCs and is a great resource for federal agencies and utilities interested in UESC projects.
Instructors
Tracy Niro, Grid–Energy Technology Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Energy Read Bio
Tracy Niro is the utility energy service contract (UESC) program manager and Federal Utility Partnership Working Group chair at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). Tracy also manages the Renewable Energy Procurement Program and oversees utility acquisitions at DOE. Tracy was a 2009 Presidential Management Fellow and was awarded the Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Climate Change and Clean Energy to Australia in 2013. Tracy's career in energy began as a staff accountant for an investor-owned utility. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law.
Karen Thomas, Program Leader, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Read Bio
Karen Thomas serves as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory lead for the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program's (FEMP) utility energy services contract (UESC) team. She also provides technical support to energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for federal agencies and utilities (nationwide) to implement energy- and dollar-saving projects in federal facilities. She is the lead instructor for the FEMP UESC workshops and provides technical support to federal acquisition teams. An additional aspect of her lead role is growing the number of utilities providing UESC through strategic-partnership building with key utilities and leveraging private-sector investment (approximately $200 million annually) in federal energy projects.
Deb Vasquez, Program Leader, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Read Bio
Deb Vasquez is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory technical lead for the Federal Energy Management Program's utility energy service contract team. She provides technical support, training, and resource development for federal government energy projects that leverage utility industry capabilities and private financing to improve federal government facilities infrastructure.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this webinar, attendees will be able to:
- Explain the basis of the UESC authority as a tool for achieving energy and cost savings at federal facilities;
- Describe the basic features and benefits of a UESC that enable federal agencies to achieve long-term energy savings via comprehensive energy conservation measures;
- List various types of energy conservation measures commonly installed in UESC projects; and
- Utilize the UESC On-Demand Training Series as a resource for in-depth UESC education.
