The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) presented three Champion of Energy Efficiency awards last night at its 19th biennial Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. The awards recognize leadership and accomplishment in the energy efficiency field. Winners are selected based on demonstrated excellence in research and development, energy policy, implementation and deployment, buildings leadership, or lifetime achievement. The winners for 2016 are:

• Margie Harris: For leading the Energy Trust of Oregon from startup to becoming one of the foremost energy efficiency program administrators in the United States, bringing large energy savings and financial and environmental benefits to Oregon consumers and businesses. 

• John Cymbalski: For his work leading the DOE Appliance and Equipment Standards Program, streamlining the rulemaking process, and improving transparency. More than 40 product standards have been completed under his leadership, achieving cumulative energy bill savings of more than half a trillion dollars. 

• EDF Climate Corps: For their innovative program to help organizations identify and implement energy efficiency measures in commercial facilities. Since 2008, over 600 Climate Corps fellows working in 400 public- and private-sector organizations have identified efficiency projects with the potential to save close to $1.5 billion in energy costs and reduce annual carbon emissions by 2 million metric tons. 

The winners were nominated by their peers and selected by a committee of ACEEE's Board of Directors from an impressive group of nominations. Selection criteria were based on each nominee's impact, innovation, and leadership in the energy efficiency field.

Learn more about the 2016 Champion of Energy Efficiency winners and stay connected with what's happening at Summer Study by following @ACEEEdc and #SummerStudy16 on Twitter and by visiting www.aceee.org to read the onsite newsletter, The Grapevine. Each day's edition is available in the morning from August 21 through August 26, 2016.