Dear HPW Members and Friends,
Home Performance Washington has been promoting whole house energy efficiency for a little more than three years now. I'm proud of our accomplishments, especially the early work we did getting BPI standards and training established and bringing utilities and conservation programs on board with the home performance approach. When we started, there was no way to get BPI certification in Washington, no auditor or installer training programs, no utility audit programs or incentive programs, and no companies with "Home Performance" in their names. HPW has brought people into the industry, created community, and created change.
Now we are in a different phase. The programs are going full bore and our members are busy. Yet, there are significant challenges ahead as programs reach the end of their funding. The private market hasn't caught on and, while our members are busy, most aren't thriving financially.
New President - Shannon Ellis-Brock
My term as president is coming to a close this month. I'm really excited to announce that the Board has elected Shannon Ellis-Brock as our new president! Shannon, who is Chief Operating Officer at Puget Sound Community Credit Union, has been a powerful contributor since she joined the board last year.
She has led the credit union to provide excellent home performance-based loans, which now provides the financing for the Community Power Works and Repower Kitsap and Bainbridge projects, and has devised a special loan package to promote the 20/20 Refit Challenge project.
On a personal level, Shannon has been a tremendous support and has helped the board to develop new plans which will be rolled out in the months to come. Members have needs, HPW needs to provide solutions, and Shannon is the best person to lead us there.
Here's how Shannon describes herself:
I have been with Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union (PSCCU), since 2012 and am currently the COO. I've taken great pleasure and some pride in watching the credit union nearly triple in size during my time, largely due to the credit union's commitment to offering innovative lending products for energy efficiency upgrades and renewables. But the best part of my job is the relationships I have devolved with contractors, trade associations, community groups and the green building community. I've developed not only working partnerships but more importantly friendships.
When I'm not working I enjoy spending time with my husband, cooking grand feasts for family and friends, exploring neighborhoods, visiting craft distilleries and when the wind is right flying one of our seven kites.
You can contact Shannon through info (at) homepeformancewashington.org, or by calling (425)456-2686.
Lance Kling
HPW's board has also been strengthened by the addition of Lance Kling, who will now be coordinating our membership meetings. Lance, who has been running the Seattle LEED Users Group, is intent on recapturing the energy and attendance that our general meetings enjoyed in previous years. There will be some changes in both scheduling and content when our meetings resume in September.
Here's how Lance describes himself:
Lance has spent most of his professional life in energy efficiency and the built environment. In 2008, after nearly two decades in the building materials industry, he became a Certified Green Building Professional through Build It Green of California. The following year he received his LEED professional accreditation specializing in Building Design & Construction. He’s a Building Performance Institute Building Analyst and Shell Specialist, and HERS Rater Level I. In May of 2011 he moved to Seattle from San Francisco where he served on Efficiency First’s Best Practices Committee and was Co-Chair of the Real Estate Working Group. Lance is a Steering Committee member for the Seattle Branch of Cascadia Green Building Council, the current Chair of the Seattle LEED User Group, and a member of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.
You can contact Lance at lance.kling (at) gmail.com or by calling (206)605-1214
Thanks!
Thanks to everyone who has helped build HPW and the industry. To Ammen Jordan, who served as our Executive Director for almost two years, to the board members who have served over times and to the members who have helped the group while building great companies and services. To the utilities, community colleges, energy programs, and supporting members. To our partner non-profits, such as Efficiency First, Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, Built Green King/Snohomish and the Northwest Energy Coalition.
It's been a pleasure and honor to be involved in the development of HPW. Let's make sure that the spirit of community and cooperation continues to grow over time and that Home Performance becomes the new norm in our state.
Sincerely,
David Bangs
