News & Press Releases

The State of the Organization  — March 2010:

Due to a strong final push in the accounting department, the Utah Energy Conservation Coalition was able end 2009 in the black. What does this mean for 2010 and what does this say about 2009? For starters, our 2009 budget was designed to break even, based on a plethora of activities designed to reduce our overall expenses and liabilities. We also scaled back many of our free energy code training programs and began to offer our HERS training on an as needed/requested basis. We began an in-depth review of all our policies and practices with the desire to better service all of our customers. We looked for new revenue sources in areas such as existing home energy audits, encouraging builders to participate in utility energy incentive/rebate programs, Sustainability/Green Building practices (becoming involved in the NAHB Green Building Program as a Green Verifier –this is still progressing into 2010), participating in Utah statewide energy efficiency training with local community colleges and educational institutions, as well as continuing to offer quarterly e-newsletters dealing with energy efficiency issues in the Utah. I want to state that I feel we were successful in a majority of all of these areas which resulted in a better performance than we predicted. In many ways, we beat the odds by being bold and decisive.

Because of our strategic planning efforts several years ago and because of our operational discipline (we continue to be willing to be flexible in our attitudes and procedures) we had the tools to strongly position ourselves for the post-recession economy. However, we continue to never compromise in our quality of work and service. This is not to say that 2009 was a ‘bed of roses’ in any way at all. It was a difficult year and I’m glad it’s behind us. However, 2010 is a new year, with new opportunities. At this time we are pushing our services components to continue to expand our focus toward new markets and new members so that we can diversify our revenue and create a more sustainable future.

As a realist, I remain optimistic about 2010, yet I am also cautious. The Coalition is not immune to these economic downturns. Diversifying our revenue, creating more sustainability in our programs and businesses, and building a healthier rainy day fund will not happen overnight, but you should know that we committed to doing just that. We are moving forward, and ask that you join us!

– David A. Wilson  (Executive Officer)