As 2012 rolls in, I’m having a hard time believing the first full year of the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge has come to a close. We’re officially in our third and final year, and although we’ve come so far since the program started, there’s still a lot to be done. Overall I’m proud of the impact we’ve made in the state, and, personally, my contribution to tracking and quantifying that impact. My resolution for this final year is to be able to step back and do a holistic analysis of our successes and failures, generating the kinds of “lessons learned” that will contribute to the modeling and development of successful efficiency programs in the future. And while I try to focus on the big picture, it’s also constantly inspiring to think that each person who signs up for Home Energy Solutions or completes an upgrade through our program is someone we’ve helped waste less energy. I’m constantly amazed that the lighting program is something that only existed in theory before we arrived, and not only have we turned it into a fully functional program, but since last January we’ve been in over 300 homes, changed out almost 5,000 incandescent bulbs, and reduced atmospheric emissions by almost 200,000 tons. Not bad for one year’s work.
