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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs on the Southeast Rebuild Collaborative

What is the Southeast Rebuild Collaborative (SRC)?

The state energy offices of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina created the Southeast Rebuild Collaborative (SRC). This collaboration promotes energy efficiency to school districts, state and local governments, and colleges and universities in the member states with the goal of motivating institutions to save energy and reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. The SRC will rely on a Technical Support Team to provide expertise.

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Who is on the Technical Support Team?

The SRC relies on a team of experts led by The Cadmus Group, Inc. Other organizations in this team include Catalyst–Financial Group, the Council of Educational Facility Planners International, Florida Solar Energy Center, Public Technology Institute, the Sheinkopf Group, and Southface Energy Institute.

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How did the SRC collaborative originate?

All five states are partners in EPA's ENERGY STAR® program and DOE's Rebuild America program. In 2005, the SRC took up the EPA Challenge to make a better world 10 percent at a time. In spite of broad support from the federal government, states lacked the resources to bring this federal program to the local level. To overcome this barrier, SRC was created thanks to a grant from the State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC) issued by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO). This seed money enables the SRC to make it easier for school districts, local governments, and other institutions in the Southeast to use best energy management practices, software, training, and technical support developed by EPA and deployed by a team of experts.

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How does SRC propose to save energy?

SRC proposes to save energy by making it easier for people to learn how they can make a difference and encouraging them to persuade decisionmakers in their institutions to commit to taking action. Actions can range from learning about products and services available at no cost, or tracking and measuring energy use, to implementing comprehensive energy retrofits and energy upgrades in their facilities. SRC's Technical Support Team has developed strategies to increase energy efficiency for the target institutions in the member states.

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Does the SRC have tangible goals?

Through the 30-month project, SRC intends to: (1) directly influence at least 1,300 institutions-encouraging them to promote a culture of energy efficiency and establish best management practices; and (2) transform 10 percent of the organizations influenced-indicated by at least one building upgrade project within the institution under way that demonstrates best energy efficiency design and practices. If successful, the multi-state program will become self-sustaining after a 30-month start-up period supported by SRC.

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Is SRC targeting specific institutions to help meet its goals?

Each state has set recruitment and support goals shown in Table 1. SRC's goal of collaborating with approximately 650 facilities per year will be achieved by reaching out to organizations with whom SRC's offices have existing relationships by responding to ad-hoc calls from interested parties that learn about this project and by using existing listserves that reach facility, budget, environmental and health officials in SRC's five states.

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How can SRC meet its goals?

SRC's strategy will focus on identifying and enlisting public sector market leaders who can motivate their peers. These leaders are public sector institutions, the associations that support them, and emerging organizations that promote green buildings. To move quickly and to minimize costs, SRC will use existing branded federal materials, tools, and resources, such as those from ENERGY STAR, and guidance such as DOE's High Performance Schools guide. SRC's selection of the Cadmus Group as the implementation contractor – a firm intimately familiar with these materials, tools, and resources–will minimize ramp-up time and costs. SRC has chosen to use existing tools to determine ways to save energy in new buildings and buildings undergoing major renovations, resulting in reduced facility life–cycle costs. Development costs will be kept to a minimum.

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Is SRC reaching out to specific individuals within the targeted institutions?

SRC recognizes the contributions that different stakeholders can make to the success of this program. For teachers, students, and champions of the environment, SRC provides an opportunity to learn more about energy efficiency and take action in local school districts. These individuals can join as Participants. For government and education decisionmakers, SRC is a readily available platform that provides campaign materials, training, and technical support to improve the way institutions are using energy. Institutions join as Affiliates. For national, state, and local for–profit and non-profit associations, it's a way of bringing the national campaigns to the local level using the power of the private sector and grass-roots organizations to help others save energy. This third type of organization can join as Allies. SRC Participants, Affiliates, and Allies are collectively referred to as members.

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Can you summarize the types of members?

Participants: Individuals.
Affiliates: Institutions that own or lease buildings.
Allies: Private sector and grass-roots organizations with energy saving, pollution prevention, or other goals consistent with those of SRC.

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What is the process for joining?

Participants and Affiliates can join in several ways. The easiest is to fill out the simple online New Member form. After you join as a Participant, check to see if your organization also qualifies to join as an Affiliate. If it does, then join online as an Affiliate too. The Affiliate form asks for three contacts: (1) the person who can officially represent your institution, such as the Mayor, the City Manager, the Superintendent, or the CFO; (2) a second party responsible for public information; and (3) the organization's energy or facilities manager. The application is considered complete when the formal representative confirms.

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Do individuals need to meet eligibility criteria to be accepted as SRC participants?

SRC is open to any individual Participant. By providing contact information, he or she will receive free publications, invitations to events, training opportunities, and tips on how to save energy.

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Can any individual within a target institution sign up on behalf of the institution?

SRC does not want to build barriers to entry. Any one employee of the institution can sign up as an individual Participant and request basic information to serve that institution. To receive member services, such as technical support or program support, a senior manager from the institution must formalize the relationship with SRC by answering additional questions in the application, also available on the SRC Web site.

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Must interested institutions meet eligibility criteria to be accepted as SRC Affiliates?

Due to funding limitations, SRC can assist only a limited number of organizations. SRC uses simple eligibility criteria in accepting members. Support will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis to:

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Are Rebuild America, EnergySmart Schools, and ENERGY STAR Partners welcome into SRC?

Yes, existing partners of federal programs such as Rebuild America, EnergySmart Schools, and ENERGY STAR can be grandfathered into the program by email request from any senior staff member from the organization. Many organizations have joined these federal programs, but experienced difficulty leveraging the benefits. SRC can fill that gap. Grandfathered institutions must still meet the eligibility criteria, are expected to update their contact information, and establish their goals. SRC will send an invitation, and the reply will be considered a suitable request for inclusion. These organizations will join as Affiliates.

Senior staff includes, CEO equivalent such as Superintendent, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Finance Officer, School Board Member; City Mayor, City Manager, City Council, County Executive; University President, Vice-President, University Board Member. Facility-related senior staff include: Director of Facilities, Director of Environment, Energy Director or any person listed in the original partnership agreement.

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How is participation demonstrated and what is received?

Participation is demonstrated by the intensity of the activities and programs undertaken by your institution. All participation is voluntary and is defined around the goals of the SRC.

Membership Level

What They Pledge

What They Receive

Anticipated Outcome

Participant
  • Commit to energy efficiency
  • Educate the community (e.g. staff, students)
  • Participate in one or more campaigns
  • Publicize achievements
  • Newsletter with energy saving tips
  • Electronic guides and manuals
  • Invitations to online training
  • Invitations to all campaigns
  • Motivated staff and students
  • Trained personnel
  • Involvement in energy saving activities
  • Documented energy savings

Members
(All participant services plus)
  • Train facilities personnel, and help others learn
  • Provide in-kind contribution

And may optionally:

  • Improve one existing facility
  • Or: design a new facility following energy-efficient guidelines
  • Account manager to assist with membership in various EPA and DOE programs
  • Technical support
  • Assistance with one or more campaigns
  • Documented energy savings

Allies
  • Commit to energy efficiency
  • Educate clients
  • Use SRC materials correctly
  • Participate in one or more campaigns
  • Publicize client's achievements
  • Account manager to assist with membership, such as partnership agreement
  • Electronic guides and manuals and 0nline training
  • Assistance with one or more campaigns
  • Educated consumers that then become good long-term clients

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How do Members contribute to SRC?

To meet our sustainability goals, SRC tracks participation and documents who receives assistance. There is no monetary cost to eligible institutions, but SRC requests in-kind contributions to help defray the costs of this initiative.

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Please indicate examples of in-kind contributions

In-kind contributions consist of materials, expertise, and time documented in the effort to promote energy efficiency. For example:

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Does SRC provide materials and guidance to make the in-kind contributions?

Yes, members have access to the member-only section of the Web site. All materials are available for downloading. We have PowerPoint presentations, videos, and documents in PDF format. We will also provide guides and training for your event. You can reproduce any materials from our site, but we ask that you credit the appropriate authors.

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What are the measures of success?

The measures of success for this project will be qualitative and quantitative. To measure success, Cadmus, the SRC's implementation contractor, has set in place the ability to track metrics of state-wide activity within the national ENERGY STAR program. The metrics that will be used to gauge the success of the program include:

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How are improvements in energy efficiency measured?

EPA makes it easy for states and associations to track energy performance improvement through its performance rating system, which is part of Portfolio Manager. Portfolio Manager is an Internet-based software system providing facility owners with data analysis and results. Performance measurement is at the heart of building improvement, and Portfolio Manager does the energy accounting. Data from other software platforms may be imported into Portfolio Manager using automated data transfer protocols (XML web services) or data upload spreadsheets.

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How is success recognized?

Every concrete action that helps reduce energy use by 10% or more helps the nation reduce energy waste. Overall, SRC will use ENERGY STAR's performance rating system to measure and track energy use and savings. Each state is also developing recognition. A number of associations are establishing ways to recognize improvements made by their members. For example, Public Technology Institute (PTI) is developing an award system that recognizes local government members at the building, agency, and government levels—each one recognized for improvements of 10% or more. The National Association of Counties (NACo) provides recognition to county courthouses that meet energy savings goals.

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What is the ENERGY STAR Challenge (the Challenge)?

The ENERGY STAR Challenge - Build a Better World 10% at a Time is a call to action by EPA and 30 states - including SRC members. It encourages building owners to improve the efficiency of their buildings by 10% or more and to capitalize on the environmental benefits and cost savings that will result. SRC is the local implementer of the Challenge, and we make it easy for people in all types of organizations to learn more and take action.

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What's the Connection between SRC and the Challenge?

To avoid duplication and save costs, SRC states are taking advantage of materials developed by national experts and made available to states that take the Challenge. By adopting this platform, our resources are spent wisely:

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Who can answer other questions about SRC?

You can contact us or call us toll-free at 1-866-SRC-4999.

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