About

Experience, Innovation, Thinking Outside the Box

Sid Pelston, Managing Director of the Alliance for Energy Efficiency is a pioneer in the energy efficiency industry – since 1976. Mr. Pelston developed partnering relationships with LED manufacturers and installation contractors to build their businesses and extend pricing advantages to benefit buildings served by AEE.

Mr. Pelston also partnered with trade associations, chambers of commerce and property management companies to provide a highly efficient process to cost-effectively bring energy efficiency to the broad marketplace.

For examples of buildings Mr. Pelston’s companies have served over the years, click here:

Below are decades-long highlights of Sid Pelston’s career serving the marketplace.

Rand Corporation

Mr. Pelston served as Senior Advisor – Energy and Environment for the RAND Corporation to develop the strategies to provide its services to companies in the private sector. Until then, Rand had offered its expertise and services almost exclusively to the military and government agencies.

California Energy Commission (CEC)

Mr. Pelston’s company was selected by the CEC to reduce energy demand in the early 2000s. As a result, more energy demand reduction was achieved than from any other company working with the CEC, including major utility subsidiaries. The CEC granted millions of additional dollars to the company, which reduced 17,000 kilowatt energy demand. The CEC issued a report of the program success, which was also featured on the CEC website.

Southern California Edison (SCE)

SCE awarded funding in 2009 by SCE to reduce energy demand. Such significant demand reduction was achieved so that 100% of the allocated funding was consumed.  SCE added funding multiple times. Additional contracts and funding were provided through 2013 in consideration of results achieved.

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD)

A big picture strategy was presented to PUSD to reduce energy demand and maintenance cost for the lighting, controls, ventilation, heating and air conditioning. A study was completed and Opportunity Report developed. Pasadena Water & Power (PWP) provided funding to cover the full costs for the comprehensive energy upgrade project. All resources were secured and managed for the implementation of a district-wide program for PUSD.

Boston Edison

Boston Edison was falling short of its demand reduction goals in 1990. They were unsuccessful in securing three major energy users for their program – being Brandeis University, City of Boston and Boston Unified School District. The utility requested Mr. Pelston to take over the task to bring these three entities into the Boston Edison program. In relatively short order, all three contracted to participate in the Boston Edison program.

South Bay Cities Council of Governments

During the early 2000s, the California Public Utilities Commission provided funding to the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) to reduce energy cost for commercial buildings in their cities. A marketing strategy was developed for each city to inform businesses in their cities of the opportunity. Projects were developed and implemented. The results prompted SBCCOG to write a report of the program result and for the City of Torrance to summarize the results for their city onto the city’s website.

Building Owners & Managers Assn (BOMA)

Programs were arranged with BOMA Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco to guide BOMA members to reduce energy cost with utility and manufacturer incentives generally covering the full cost of energy projects. The results were noted in BOMA’s Newsletter, which stated: “We are changing the way an association thinks and acts with opportunities individual companies might not be able to find on their own.”

CB Richard Ellis

CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) notified its building managers of the program for no-cost or low-cost LEDs. The results were described in a BOMA newsletter, which stated: “You not only produced rebates, but led to many projects, which otherwise would not happen. You guided us to their completion.”

City of Redondo Beach, CA

Contrary to the city’s standard approach of individual energy projects over an extended period, EIG proposed a Big Picture strategy to reduce energy use by 20% for all city buildings. The city authorized the development and implementation of the energy project. Two years after the project commenced, the California Energy Commission issued a Flex Your Power award to the city for having reduced its energy demand 21%.

City of Beverly Hills, CA

For the 7-year period 2009-2016, studies were completed, strategies developed and projects implemented that reduced energy costs in all city buildings. Grants and rebates were secured, and arrangements made for 0% interest financing to cover the cost of the projects, which enabled the City to significantly reduce energy use with no cash outlay.

New Energy Ventures

When electricity markets were deregulated in the 1990s, Mr. Pelston was retained as Senior Vice President of New Energy Ventures (NEV) to contract with companies to provide electricity from lower-cost power producers. Mr. Pelston directed the effort to form partnerships with over 50 trade associations and property management companies to introduce the NEV program to the marketplace. This led to a massive number of companies contracting with NEV. That program was so successful that NEV became the nation’s #1 non-utility supplier of electricity by its third year of operation.