The Northwest has been at the forefront of strategic energy management for more than 15 years. Through collaboration and active practice, utilities and other energy efficiency program administrators, implementers, evaluators, researchers, regulators and industrial and commercial businesses have helped to standardize and streamline SEM best practices to further a regionwide commitment to energy conservation and efficiency.
Following a brief introduction to SEM, this document summarizes how the region’s clean energy stakeholders worked together in the Northwest SEM Collaborative and beyond to help lead the way in SEM innovation. By understanding where we’ve been and how we’ve arrived at the present, we hope to help the next generation of SEM practitioners build upon and advance the important work that’s been accomplished to date.