WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced the creation of the State Energy Efficiency (SEE) Action Network. The network is designed to help states achieve maximum, cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in homes, offices, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities by 2020. Through the network, member organizations will assist states with their energy efficiency initiatives, including residential efficiency programs, financing solutions, and improved availability of energy usage information.

Led by DOE and the EPA, the SEE Action Network will provide targeted technical assistance to states in order to reach national energy goals. The network will drive energy efficiency by using a broad set of goals from the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, a public-private initiative that began in 2005 to create a sustainable commitment through the collaborative efforts of gas and electric utilities, utility regulators, and other partner organizations. Its goals range from establishing state-of-the art billing systems about consumer energy use to developing strong energy efficiency policies at the state level.

The initiative’s National Action Plan Vision for 2025: A Framework for Change, last updated in 2008, outlines strategies to cut the growth in U.S. energy demand in half, achieving $500 billion in net energy savings and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. The SEE Action Network aims to achieve those goals five years early. To kick off the new network, the SEE Action Executive Group is set to meet in early March.

For more information, visit www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-programs/seeaction/index.html.

Publication date: 03/01/2010