Danfoss held its second EnVisioneeringSM Symposium in Chicago Oct. 25, which focused on how states are developing energy efficiency policy that will help America meet the energy challenges of the 21st century and also explored the drivers and problems of state action.

“States know that energy efficiency is critical to helping energy suppliers address demand and lessen our economic vulnerability,” said Diane Shea, executive director of the National Association of State Energy Officials, one of the keynote speakers. “To run today’s economy without the energy-efficiency improvements that have taken place since the early 1970s, when the state energy offices were organized, we would need 43% more energy supplied than we use right now.”
She noted that many states offer incentive programs like tax credits and direct rebates to help businesses and consumers use energy-efficient equipment.

In New York State, a new building construction program initiated in 1999 has helped save $27 million in energy costs per year and reduced peak energy demand by 39%, according to Craig Kneeland, senior project manager for the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority, who also spoke at the event.

While in some areas, states have made important and lasting contributions to energy efficiency, some manufacturers and others have expressed “fear of creating a patchwork of regulatory systems that will drive up production costs, make energy efficiency harder to afford and make American business less competitive as a result,” said John Galyen, president of Danfoss North America Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning.

U.S. Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) was to discuss America’s global energy technology strategy at the third 2006 EnVisioneeringSM Symposium, scheduled for Dec. 4 in Washington, D.C. Danfoss said it plans to release a comprehensive industry report, detailing the discussions and ideas set forth during the conferences in January 2007, at the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Expo in Dallas.

For more information, visit www.envisioneering.danfoss.com/symposium.