Northwest Celebrates the 10th Annual Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards

Awards will recognize a decade of regional accomplishments, innovation and leadership.

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October 28, 2024 - Portland, Ore. – The Board of Directors of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) has announced the winners of the 2024 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards.

This year’s Awards will recognize the standout teams and individuals for their outstanding collaboration, innovative solutions, and career-long contributions to advancing energy efficiency in the Northwest. The alliance will also present its annual Chairperson’s Award, in recognition of individual dedication and effective, long-term commitment to NEEA’s Market Transformation work.


As we celebrate 10 years of the Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards, we are proud to honor these professionals whose achievements reflect a deep and enduring commitment to building a more resilient, affordable energy future for all Northwest customers.

- Becca Yates
Executive Director, NEEA

Individuals and teams from across the Northwest were nominated by their professional peers in energy efficiency to receive recognition in the categories of Rising Star, Innovative Collaboration and Lifetime Achievement.

The 2024 Leadership in Energy Efficiency winners include:

  • Andrew Barrington, Products and Services Manager, Avista, is being recognized with the Leadership in Energy Efficiency Rising Star Award. Barrington redefined Avista’s roadmap for achieving greater energy efficiency through an advanced customer engagement program that leverages AI to view home energy usage at the appliance level. His exemplary leadership and initiative have transformed how Avista uses customer data and AI-powered analytics for energy efficiency outreach to benefit high-consumption customers, business owners as well as high energy-burdened customers struggling with their energy bills.
  • Creekside Housing Development Project for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is being awarded the Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award for Innovative Collaboration. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Energy Trust and NEEA collaborated on the construction of the Creekside rural development property. This project supported the Tribe’s goals of creating comfortable, affordable and resilient homes for Tribal elders and their families. These net zero homes combine energy efficiency and renewable energy features to produce as much energy as they use, and some of those efficiency features also make the homes more resilient and safer in case of wildfires and smoke.
  • Nancy Hirsh, Executive Director of the NW Energy Coalition is being recognized with the Tom Eckman Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award for Lifetime Achievement. For nearly 30 years, Hirsh has been a change agent in advancing comprehensive, innovative and bedrock regulatory and legislative energy efficiency policies and programs in the Northwest. At the Coalition, Hirsh has facilitated a diverse array of organizational, utility, state and interest groups as a cohesive alliance for more than three decades. Her contributions will benefit the Northwest now and into the future as the region looks forward to achieving its energy goals with equity, decarbonization and affordability at the forefront.
  • Susan Hermenet, Vice President of Analytics, Research and Evaluation at NEEA is being awarded with the Chairperson’s Award. Since joining NEEA’s staff in 1999, Hermenet has championed alliance efforts to increase the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and practices on behalf of Northwest customers. During her tenure at NEEA, she has helped develop and lead several important Market Transformation functions, including portfolio management, cost effectiveness analysis and modeling, value metrics forecasting and reporting, market research and evaluation, data and market analysis, and data management. She has also spearheaded and directed NEEA’s largest regional studies, including the End Use Load Research project, and the 5-year Commercial and Residential Building Stock Assessments.

The complete list of nominees and additional details on winners can be found on neea.org.

This year’s ceremony will mark the 10th anniversary of the Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards. The winners and nominees will be celebrated at a hybrid luncheon on Thursday, December 5 at 11:30 a.m. in Portland. The event is free for both virtual or in-person attendees, and reservations can be made at neea.org/leadershipawards.

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The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is an alliance of more than 140 utilities and energy efficiency organizations working on behalf of more than 13 million energy consumers. NEEA is dedicated to accelerating both electric and gas energy efficiency, leveraging its regional partnerships to advance the adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices.

Since 1997, NEEA and its partners have saved energy equivalent to powering more than 700,000 homes each year. As the second-largest resource in the Northwest, energy efficiency can help offset most of the region’s new demand for energy, saving money and keeping the Northwest a healthy and vibrant place to live.

Media Contact:
Carolyn VanWinkle, NEEA

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