Over the past week the SJVCEO team attended the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative (SEEC) in Sacramento. The SEEC Conference is put on by the Local Government Commission (LGC), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), the Institute for Local Governments (ILG) and the three California IOU's once a year. SEEC provides education and tools on climate action planning, energy reduction as well as peer-to-peer networking and technical assistance. By attending the conference our team was able to gain insight into what the state of California's energy efficiency industry is as well as what the future holds. Speakers for the conference ranged from CPUC commissioners all the way to energy managers from Washington D.C.

During the course of the SEEC Conference our team was able to hear panel discussions as well as have interactive training sessions. Topics for the sessions ranged from legislative updates to how to frame your conservation message to fit your market. Each training session covered either a tool to complete energy efficiency projects or how to market your energy efficiency programs or projects. Which ever break out sessions our team attended they walked away with another bit of knowledge or were reinvigorated about the work the work that they do.

We here at SJVCEO look forward to the SEEC conference each year so that we can sit down and meet with our peers along with learning. There is something to be said about face to face conversation and networking. While at the SEEC conference we are able to put a face with a name that we may have had a conference call with. Having a place where partnerships can go and connect will only help energy partnerships and IOU partnerships to grow in the future.