Jackson EMC Supports Five State Collaborative to Fight Energy Waste in Southeast

For Immediate Release
April 10, 2007
Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is pleased to announce today's launch of The Southeast Rebuild Collaborative (SRC), a joint effort of the Southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina to promote energy efficiency.

Jackson EMC will support this partnership by promoting energy efficiency to new and existing school system construction throughout a 10-county service territory. "We enjoy a good working relationship with our schools and continue to promote energy efficiency throughout our service territory. We provide energy audits, the latest technology information, equipment selection advice and any information necessary to help our schools save energy and money," says Alan Shedd, Jackson EMC Commercial/Industrial marketing engineer.

The SRC is funded through a grant from the State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC) issued by The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO). The grant allows states to provide best energy management practices, software, training, and technical support to institutions in the Southeast.

Through the project, the Southeastern states will work as a region to collectively leverage federal programs and resources of the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Motivated to reduce energy waste, SRC states joined the ENERGY STAR Challenge and set a goal of improving energy efficiency by 10 percent or more using the resources provided by the SRC partnership.

"There is a growing sense that savings through energy efficiency are missed because institutions are unaware of readily available support products and services in our states and federal programs such as ENERGY STAR," said Michael Ohlsen, SRC Executive Committee chair. "This partnership will help building owners take advantage of resources that help save energy and money."

The project's goal is to reach out to 650 facilities per year throughout the life of the project. In total, the SRC plans to influence institutions owning approximately 49 million square feet of building space and avoid the emissions of 483 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually. For all participating states, the estimated benefits include a total annual energy savings of approximately $4.1 million.

The Florida Energy Office manages this multi-state effort with the support of The Cadmus Group, Inc. and other nationally recognized organizations such as the Florida Solar Energy Center and the Southface Energy Institute, among others.

To learn more about how you can get involved in the effort to save money and help protect the environment, visit the SRC Web site at www.southeastrebuild.org or call 1-866-SRC-4999.

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