Technical innovations, emerging best practices, peer-to-peer mentoring, and evolving policies and programs are key features of our dynamic fast-paced home performance industry. Staying informed is essential to maintaining a competitive edge in the marketplace.

For over 25 years, Home Energy Magazine has been the leading industry publication providing “objective and practical information on residential energy efficiency, performance, comfort, and affordability [using the] only approach that really works, systems engineering.” The magazine submits all articles to a rigorous four-month review by a series of editors to ensure accuracy, clarity, up-to-date advice, pertinent data, and best practices vetted by industry leaders — making the magazine the “go to” resource for home performance professionals.

As an EF California member, you are eligible to receive a $20 discount on a Home Energy Magazine subscription, making it easy and affordable to stay current on topics such as HVAC, software, tools of the trade, BPI standards, green building, sick house syndrome, appliances and plug loads, renewable energy, and diagnostics as well as business best practices, financing, quality assurance, sales and marketing, and training. Check out the Home Energy Magazine Website at:http://www.homeenergy.org/ .

The Home Energy Magazine member discount is available for the print-only and print/online subscription options. Smartphone and tablet users with a print/online subscription can access over one year of digital editions, including PDF versions of the magazine that can be downloaded to your mobile or iBooks device for easy offline access.

One- and two-year subscriptions are available for individuals/small businesses and nonprofits (less than 50 employees), large businesses (more than 50 employees), and government and educational institutions.  To access your Home Energy Magazine discount:  Click here to continue.

EF California Plays Leadership Role at ACI

Road maps to local markets and a national chapter network were at the top of the EF California agenda for the 2013 ACI National Home Performance Conference held in Denver, Colorado, in early May.

Home Energy Leadership Summit:  The ACI Home Energy Leadership Summit is an executive level event designed to bring together the key leaders from the public and private sector who are working to drive residential energy efficiency into the mainstream. The goal of the Summit is to look out towards our ideal future and a possible road map to get there. We need to inspire innovation and collaboration in the marketplace, particularly focusing on government, utilities, finance, contractors, and homeowners.

The Current Road map: Align our interests. We've identified the key stakeholders, but we know their interests and movitations don't always align. Homeonwers want a comfortable and attractive house; utilities want to satisfy energy savings requirements; manufacturers and contractors want to grow their businesses and profits. We need everyone at the table to work on solutions that align interests, and this year's Leadership Summit will bring more individuals together to discuss how to accomplish this.

Gather important data. Our industry excels at collecting data. We measure how tight a house is and model potential energy savings, and researchers are collecting mountains of data from project homes. Data is critical to our success, and we need to gather important data on a national scale that will move our entire industry forward. Join us in this year's discussion about which benchmarks are the most critical, and what an industry scorecard should look like.

Build a successful workforce. We've raised the bar with standards and certifications, and now, momentum is growing in building science education and training. We need to attract the best and brightest to the industry, and we need a variety of successful business models to reach the mass market. Listen to and learn from successful leaders in our sister industries of HVAC, remodeling, and solar about how we can bridge the divide and stimulate industry growth.

 We must ask ourselves: What are the key benchmarks as we measure success on the current road map? Click here to read more. 

Left to right, front row: Damian Hodkinson/EF New York, Coby Rudolph/EF National, Chris Cone/EF California, Julie Tolliver/EF Cincinnati; back row: Will Schweiger/EF New York, Conrad Asper/EF California, Jamie Clark/EF Kentucky, Don MacOdrum/Home Performance Guild of Oregon; Rob Jones  and Mark Rixson/EF Kansas City. Additional attendees included Donna Sanders/EF Kansas City, Dan Kartzman/EF New York, Allison Weston/EF National, and Peter Van Buren/EF Maryland.