S&C Named Founding Sponsor of Energy Innovation for USGBC’s PEER Program

PEER aims to transform the way power systems are designed and evaluated

CHICAGO, November 17, 2015 – S&C Electric Company, a smart grid leader shaping the future of power delivery, announced it is being recognized as the Founding Sponsor of Energy Innovation for Green Business Certification Inc.’s (GBCI) new Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal™ (PEER) program. Modeled after LEED, PEER is the driving force behind the U.S. Green Building Council’s vision to transform the way power systems are designed, operated and evaluated.

Administered by GBCI, PEER enables stakeholders to dramatically improve power system performance. PEER is a comprehensive framework for defining, assessing and verifying the overall sustainable performance of electricity delivery system design and operations. The standards enable project teams to assess their current state, develop strategies for improvement, improve the business case and verify the value of system changes.

“As our energy landscape continues to evolve and change, and cities continue to embrace new technologies like solar, energy storage and microgrids, it is crucial to create tools to benchmark the performance of these power systems,” said David Chiesa, senior director, Business Development at S&C Electric Company. “We are proud to have had a part in the creation of PEER and will continue to work alongside USGBC and GBCI to have utilities, cities, and other power customers achieve PEER certification.”

The PEER program takes a comprehensive look at power system performance by setting standards and evaluating performance across four outcome categories:

• Reliability and resiliency – Ensures the reliable delivery of electricity and reduces injuries, interruptions and power quality issues.
• Energy efficiency and environment – Assesses the environmental impact of electricity generation and transmission and encourages the adoption of clean and efficient energy.
• Operational effectiveness – Leverages value gap analysis to identify and eliminate waste.
• Consumer contribution – Assesses customer contribution to grid service, investment and innovation.

“Buildings and the power systems they rely on are undeniably interconnected,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, chief operating officer, USGBC and president of GBCI. “Working alongside dedicated power companies and partners, like S&C, will enable us to create a certification program that we believe will transform the efficiency and effectiveness of our electricity systems.”

S&C has a long history of believing in the USGBC. The company has constructed two buildings that are LEED-certified, one of which was the first new construction office building to achieve LEED Silver certification under the newest version of the rating system, LEED v4.