National Association of Electrical Distributors sponsors new research that highlights promising trends in the expanding market for energy efficiency.

The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) has released an informative new study written by Jerry Yudelson of Yudelson Associates, the leading green building consulting firm. The study, entitled “Green Goes Mainstream: How to Profit from Green Market Opportunities,” details promising trends in the energy efficiency market and the closely related green building and renewable energy markets.

Jerry Yudelson, president of Yudelson Associates

Energy is an issue of increasing importance and will dictate significant changes in market behavior, which is why NAED is committed to helping its members understand the nature and scale of the changes in the energy market place.

“The emerging ‘green’ market offers electrical distributors unprecedented opportunities for profit and growth,” said Tom Naber, president and CEO of NAED. “Energy is an issue of increasing importance and will dictate significant changes in market behavior, which is why NAED is committed to helping its members understand the nature and scale of the changes in the energy market place.”

The Yudelson Associates study emphasizes that electrical distributors must figure out how to become “order makers” instead of “order takers,” to seize emerging green building market opportunities. According to Yudelson Associates’ report, customers want solutions delivered by technical experts. As political, financial, and economic forces line up to rapidly grow the green building market, the report contends that the electrical distribution industry as a whole must position itself to fill this role.

According to Yudelson, the green building expert, speaker and author who led the research for the study, “From the NAED membership, we surveyed 165 distributors and 63 manufacturers, we scoped out the current market literature and we personally interviewed more than 30 leaders throughout key market sectors,” Based on this database, “Our research shows that energy efficiency, green building and renewable energy will provide a major growth market for sales of electrical products and systems over the next half-decade, as the energy issue comes front and center in the consciousness of building owners and managers.” Yudelson concluded, “We feel that distributors who make the effort to learn about this emerging market are likely to see growth in sales and profits as a result.”

The study’s recommendations are presented in a convenient A, B, C outline representing the various levels of commitment distributors have to pursuing green markets:

• Feet Wet: Distributors who want to understand the market but who are not yet ready to fully commit to it should become more knowledgeable about local utility and state incentive programs and focus on lighting upgrades and motor efficiency upgrades with variable-speed drives.

• Waist Deep: These distributors can begin training their existing sales force about green markets and technologies, and can seek to either develop or hire qualified sales staff dedicated to the lighting retrofit market.

• Fully Immersed: Distributors with the resources and desire to fully commit to serving these markets can hire specialized sales staff and provide financing (directly or indirectly via a partnership) to “lock in” sales with key corporate and institutional customers.

For distributors who want to become more knowledgeable about energy markets, the appendix of the study offers a list of extensive resources and a glossary of some common terms used in the energy efficiency, green building and renewable energy markets.

A free executive summary of the study is available from Yudelson Associates and can be downloaded at http://www.greenbuildconsult.com/books/#naed.

Additional information about the NAED’s sponsorship and more details of the study can be found on the NAED website: http://naed.org/common/ArticleSearchDetail.asp?CurrentPage=7198

NAED member companies can access an electronic version of the study for free from the NAED Learning Center. Printed versions of the study are also available for purchase by NAED members ($20) or non-members ($999). Contact NAED Customer Service at 888-791-2512 or customerservice at naed dot org for more information.

About Yudelson Associates
Yudelson Associates is a leading international firm in sustainability planning and green building consulting. The founder, Jerry Yudelson, is widely acknowledged as one of the nation’s leading experts on green building and green development. He is the author of eight green building books and serves as Research Scholar for Real Estate Sustainability for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a 70,000-member international trade organization. He is a frequent green building speaker at industry and professional conferences and chairs the industry’s largest annual show, Greenbuild.

For more information on Yudelson Associates please visit http://www.greenbuildconsult.com.

About NAED

NAED (The National Association of Electrical Distributors) is the trade association for the $70+ billion electrical distribution industry. Through networking, education, research, and benchmarking, NAED helps electrical distributors increase profitability and improve the channel. NAED’s membership operates in approximately 4,400 locations internationally.

For more information on NAED, please visit http://www.naed.org.

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“This accomplishment is not just a culmination of the efforts of everyone on our team and our valued FBI and GSA partners, but it is a measure of our efforts to drive the business case for efficiency and sustainability,” says Pat Duncan, Chairman and CEO of USAA Real Estate Company. “We continually strive to improve the financial and environmental performance of our real estate portfolio and in so doing, drive improved comfort, lower operating costs and provide a healthier environment and community for our tenants.”

Property Management utilized USAA Real Estate Company’s sustainability platform that allowed them to achieve the goals of reducing carbon emissions, promoting tenant satisfaction and awareness, thus lowering operating costs while still enhancing property value.

USAA Real Estate Company also acknowledges the FBI and the GSA for their assistance and support during their process to improve the building’s environmental performance using the LEED rating system. USAA Real Estate Company’s commitment to improving the efficiency and comfort of the portfolio is confirmed with the achievement of LEED EBOM Platinum, with RealCo’s continued leadership with Energy Star (six time Energy Star Partner of the Year) and partnership with USGBC in the development of the LEED Portfolio Program.

“It’s exciting for us to be part of such a significant achievement,” said Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in Charge of the FBI’s Chicago office. “The quality of service that USAA has provided since we occupied our new home over two years ago has been unparalleled, showing that it’s possible to be environmentally friendly without sacrificing on service.” Mr. Grant offered his congratulations to USAA Realty Management on receiving this recognition.

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