Presenting at SED’s Inaugural Accelerate Philly

^{Edison Energy’s Thomas Szarawarski being interviewed by John Failla, Founder of Smart Energy Decisions.}

On December 9-10th, Edison Energy sponsored Accelerate Philly, an inaugural event hosted by Smart Energy Decisions. The event served as a platform to connect corporate energy buyers in the Philadelphia region with suppliers and “share best practices to accomplish their objectives of improved energy efficiency and expanded use of renewable energy.” Benjamin Landry, Account Manager, and Thomas Szarawarski, Director, attended on behalf of Edison Energy.

Thomas Szarawarski presented on Day 2 of the event, on the topic of “How to Thrive in a Changing Legislative Environment” in a sit-down interview with John Failla, Founder and Editorial Director of Smart Energy Decisions. They discussed “new legislation for the city. In November, the Philadelphia City Council passed a bill to create a new Building Energy Performance Program. Signed by the Mayor last week, the Office of Sustainability will work with building owners and operators to implement this legislation in early 2020. Szarawarski explained that requirements for this ‘building tune-up’ legislation, will be sorted out in the next six to eight months with a pilot next fall.  He urged ‘those in the room to consider the importance of influencing the legislation. This is an opportunity to go and help with the bill by giving input’ during the development stage. ‘One of the challenges of legislation like this is that there are a lot of vertical markets that need to be included so it needs to be aggressive enough to have an impact without being cumbersome enough to dissuade people from being able to do it well. It’s a fine line so your voices need to be heard and shared with regard to where the bill is going.'”

Check out Smart Energy Decisions for more highlights from the event.

As cities and state continue to drive energy and sustainability goals, business and organizations are forced to create new strategies and take action. In this evolving legislative landscape, our energy team is tracking policy changes daily – contact us today to learn more on how we help your organization not only adhere to local and state laws, but also leverage legislative mandates to build holistic energy and sustainability strategies and achieve your goals.