SANTA FE, NM – The Energy Conservation and Management Division (ECMD), a division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD), recently received the “Race to the Top” award from the Energy Services Coalition. The award recognizes ECMD for its outstanding commitment to energy efficiency, environmental stewardship, economic development and having the most guaranteed energy savings performance contract investment per capita in 2019. The Energy Services Coalition Board of Directors presented the award to ECMD staff at the board’s annual conference in Denver, Colorado.

The award is great recognition for the ECMD team who doubled their contract output in 2019. Energy performance contracts allow a third-party energy service company to implement infrastructure upgrades that save energy and operating costs in a building or facility. The contracts create a long-term public-private partnership for improving the energy efficiency and infrastructure of facilities or for implementing renewable energy projects.

“Our staff works hard to expand energy efficiency and renewable energy in government facilities, including state, local, and university buildings to bring down the costs of government in New Mexico and this award is a great testament to that work,” said Energy Conservation and Management Division Director Louise Martinez. “ECMD is honored to be recognized by the Energy Services Coalition with the ‘Race to the Top’ award.”

In 2019 ECMD performed the review and certification of projects totaling $111,300,000, bringing the lifetime total to $199,310,093.14. Providing resources to expand energy efficiency and renewable energy in New Mexico will go a long way to meet the state’s goals related to climate change and energy waste prevention while serving as an example for others to follow.