Recently, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released their annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. The report ranks U.S. states, and it does so by assessing the progressiveness of each state’s energy efficiency policy.

Notably, some of the top-scoring states are also home to McKinstry offices: California (#2), Oregon (#4), Washington (#8), Minnesota/Illinois (tie or #10), Colorado/Iowa (tie for #12), Arizona (#17), and Wisconsin (#22) were all above-average to excellent, based on the ACEEE’s metric.

The ACEEE metric is based on a variety of factors, among them a state’s utility and public benefits policies, transportation policies, building energy codes and compliance, state government–led initiatives around energy efficiency, and appliance/equipment standards.

Policy development work may not seem like an obvious focus for a construction company, but McKinstry is committed to being proactive, planning and executing for the long haul, and ensuring the best possible outcomes for our clients.

In light of this correlation between McKinstry’s presence and sophisticated energy efficiency policy, here are some thoughts from key McKinstry leaders on the ACEEE report and how the company approaches energy efficiency policy:

Megan Owen, Strategic Market Development Director, Seattle

“These ACEEE rankings are an affirmation of all the good work we do with our customers across the country to move the energy efficiency economy forward. In particular, our Midwest regions have a focused approach to advocate for policies and programs that open up faster and more cost-effective pathways for schools and local governments to address maintenance and operational issues in their facilities.”

Paul Gustafson, Business Unit Manager, Minneapolis

“There are quite a few initiatives in Minnesota around green power, solar energy, and overall energy efficiency. The state’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Program (GESP) promotes energy efficiency in state facilities, and we’re working within that program right now.

We have a number of employees who are members of professional organizations, as well as local and regional chapters of K-12 associations, since we work predominantly with K-12 schools and municipalities. It’s good to be in the room when policy is discussed or made.”

Dan Choi, Business Development Director, Madison, Wisc.

“In Wisconsin in particular, we have ‘enabling’ legislation, so we utilize lobbyists and consultants—not to change anything, but to keep responsible energy efficiency policy in place and make that policy a win for our clients and for Wisconsin.

Our clients have a huge need for legislative authority and funding tools that support energy infrastructure upgrades—so anything we can do to help keep good policy in place is more of a benefit for them.”