UMC Joins NW Energy Coalition

UMC was recently voted into the membership of the NW Energy Coalition (NWEC). As one of our region’s most respected think tanks, NWEC leads the Northwest’s broadest alliance of energy interests in designing, promoting, and implementing clean, affordable, and equitable energy policy grounded in analytical expertise. NWEC advances policy on buildings, utility, and transportation to hasten energy efficiency, demand management, renewable resources, energy storage, and smart infrastructure for the Northwest.

"The NW Energy Coalition is pleased to welcome UMC, to our membership. Both UMC and NWEC have a mutual interest in energy-efficient buildings and in strengthening the clean energy economy in the Northwest. We have been impressed with the stewardship demonstrated by UMC staff on our board and as individual members. We are glad to have UMC join the NW Energy Coalition in this new capacity and continue our work together.”

 - Nancy Hirsh, Executive Director, NWEC

UMC is a natural fit for joining the NW Energy Coalition. Here’s how we made the case in our application:

“UMC is the 'boots on the ground' of smart buildings and energy policy – we have a vested interest in creating healthy, sustainable, energy-efficient buildings. We’re the strong local jobs building the Northwest’s clean and enduring energy future.

Supporting both public buildings and commercial-scale private buildings, UMC’s energy experts help building managers meet their energy, carbon reduction, and environmental goals. For new buildings, we install and maintain smart energy infrastructure. And as an Energy Savings Performance Contractor (ESPC), we renew aging infrastructure with energy-efficient systems and apply the utility savings directly to the cost of building improvements, driving even old buildings toward high-performance leadership.

We are also helping to build a modern utility infrastructure that aggregates a community’s thermal energy demand and centralizes production and distribution. Connected customers contract for thermal energy as a service, displacing the cost, space, and complexity of energy generation in individual buildings. We envision a future where integration of waste heat and renewable energy at a community scale becomes the norm – creating more sustainable, economical, and flexible energy generation via modern thermal energy districts.

Just like the NW Energy Coalition, UMC is in it for the long haul. For over a century, UMC has developed and redefined the skylines of the Pacific Northwest. Our diverse team takes pride in creating exceptional building experiences and innovations that will define this region for the next 100 years. Joining the Coalition helps us to team better than ever with the Northwest’s energy thinkers, so we can contribute to and keep learning from our community’s building energy expertise.”

Prior to joining UMC, both David McCaughey, a Senior Business Developer for UMC’s Energy Services Team, and Bonnie Frye Hemphill, UMC Director of Policy & Partnerships, have been serving on the NW Energy Coalition’s board of directors. But yes, UMC, Inc., still had to apply and be “voted in” by the NWEC membership! Good job, UMC.