Saturday, October 12, 2013
Discover new products and services, learn about best practices, network with your peers, boost your company’s productivity, and explore new markets.
As the nation pushes towards energy independence, new opportunities abound for electrical contractors. Contractors can seize these opportunities and find independence from the uncertainties of the bid world. How will the advances in emerging technologies, energy efficiency, renewables, energy storage, combined heat and power and the projected abundance of natural gas impact our businesses?
Washington, DC is the perfect place to come and learn from many of the people most directly shaping this new energy world. Come to the third annual Energy Forum, listen to keynotes from policy makers, hear from owners and project developers, and learn from a panel of your NECA peers already working on these types of projects.
In 2011, energy produced in the United States provided about 80% of the nation’s energy needs. The remainder of our energy was supplied mainly by imports of petroleum. In 2011, natural gas production exceeded coal production for the first time since 1981, and in December 2012 economists with UBS bank tallied some $65 billion in announced construction of new plants related to cheaper natural gas and said another 11 plants had been announced worth billions more.
In 2011, total renewable energy consumption and production reached all-time highs of 9 quadrillion Btu each; biofuels production was about 9 times greater than in 2000, and wind generation was about 20 times greater than in 2000. Energy efficiency is a low cost way to save money, support job growth, reduce pollution, and improve the competitiveness of our businesses. We spend more than $400 billion each year to power our homes and commercial buildings, consuming more than 70% of all electricity used in the United States, about 40% of our nation’s total energy bill. And much of this energy and money is wasted—20% or more on average. If we cut the energy use of U.S. buildings by 20%, we could save approximately $80 billion annually on energy bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs.
For most of these technologies, firm employees already have the knowledge and training to do the job safely, productively, and within cost and time constraints. Unfortunately, those skills are not always utilized by firm management due to the disconnect that exist between winning the work and doing the work. The hundreds of contractors and their employees that have attended the NECA Energy Forum over the past couple of years have left armed with actionable information on identifying the opportunity, selling their firms’ services and winning new work, thereby giving them a competitive advantage over both their non-union and union peers.
As in years past, the Energy Forum will wrap up just in time for the NECA Green Energy Challenge, the annual NECA Student Chapter competition. And remember that energy solutions education at NECA 2013 Washington DC will complemented by related management workshops and technical workshops offered throughout the Convention and the NECA Show. See you at the Energy Forum!
Saturday, October 12 12:00 pm–4:00 pm
- $145 for NECA members
- $75 with full Convention registration
- Lunch is included with registration