Harnessing the Financial Marketplace to Motivate Energy Performance: Experience with Institutional Investor Endorsers

Blaine Collison, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fran Teplitz, Social Investment Forum
Don Anderson, ICF Consulting

Keywords

Abstract

A window of opportunity exists as a result of recent focus on diverse issues such as corporate social responsibility; energy supply as a statewide or national challenge; energy price volatility; and environmental management as a core business issue. The ability of energy programs to attract the attention of high-level decision-makers has never been greater, yet most initiatives and associated market activity still focus on single-building decisions, solutions, and successes.

In order to move the mandate for improved energy performance to the highest corporate level possible, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ENERGY STAR program has engaged key stakeholders in the financial marketplace. EPA is helping these financial stakeholders - including mutual funds, investment houses, pension funds, and financial research providers - to understand both the business value of energy management and how energy issues can be integrated into their investment evaluations. Simultaneously, EPA is helping CEOs, CFOs, and other corporate decision-makers use ENERGY STAR to understand and respond to the growing power of the marketplace in valuing aggressive energy management results.

This paper will describe how to engage financial stakeholders to driver superior energy performance in corporations using new tools and metrics.