https://vimeo.com/206070348

Thursday, December 4th 2014

This week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved plans for the Constitution Pipeline, which will funnel Marcellus Shale gas from Northern Pennsylvania into the nearby major Northeast market, specifically of New York City and Boston.

The proposed, 124-mile, 30 inch underground pipeline is a joint venture between shale players Williams, Cabot Oil & Gas, Piedmont Natural Gas, and WGL  Holdings, and when constructed will be able to move 650,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day (enough natural gas to serve 3 million homes).

Why so important? Despite the proximity to the prolific gas production areas of northern Pennsylvania, major Northeast markets have not taken advantage of cheap natural gas. Compared to the Henry Hub, the price of gas is 2-3x more expensive in New York City and Boston– it’s as if the shale boom never happened in these vital economic areas. The Constitution Pipeline, slated to open in 2016, will likely deflate prices in the Northeast and lead to greater cost parity with Pennsylvania.

That being said, the project faces community opposition, and must obtain final permits from Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

Read more about the project on State Impact or ConsitutionPipeline.com.

Wednesday, August 15th 2014

SEI is pleased to post job openings from member companies and partners, as a means of effectively reaching qualified, local candidates in the smart energy industry. Additionally, SEI staff can review applications on you company’s behalf. If you’d liked to post a Job Alert, send descriptions and application instructions to Will Williams.

Title: Energy Lending Specialist

EnergyLoan® Consumer Lender – Download Job Description

AFC First Financial Corporation, a Lehigh Valley, PA based private financial institution which specializes in consumer lending and program management for residential energy efficiency projects nationwide is looking for a talented, detail-oriented and upbeat person for the position of Energy Lending Specialist (Consumer Lending).

The ideal candidate has solid experience in process, production and customer service and who has demonstrated success in working in a team environment processing and closing consumer loans and/or residential mortgage loans.

The primary goal is to deliver an exceptional service experience to contractors and consumers in a consistent and timely fashion.

AFC First, founded in 1947, is the administrator of state and utility energy efficiency programs nationwide, in partnership with over 6,000 contractors. Programs include Pennsylvania’s Keystone Home Energy Loan Program, Efficiency Maine, Illinois Energy Loan, Connecticut Solar Lease Program and the national EnergyLoan and HUD PowerSaver programs. It is a team-oriented, collaborative company environment with direct access to executive management.

Job Description:

This position is a key part of AFC First’s EnergyLoan operations team and reports to the Vice President of Production. The primary goal is to effectively process and underwrite unsecured consumer loans for energy efficiency home improvements, providing accurate decisions and an exceptional level of service to consumers and contractors.

Principal Duties Include:

• Responsible for origination, processing and closing of unsecured consumer loans in an automated environment. Works as part of a team handling contractor, sponsor and customer relationships.
• Ability to work as part of a team, to build and maintain a culture of exceptional customer service, handle production flow within established deadlines and work to error-free quality standards.
• Responsible for meeting established loan processing timelines and quality targets. Maintain high volume and quality in loan production. Review and analyze the effectiveness of the programs, recommend change as needed and works as part of the implementation team.
• Work with the Senior Credit Officer to ensure that loan decisions are within established credit matrices appropriate to the loan type.
• Effectively communicate lending status and decisions with consumers and contractors, providing friendly, knowledgeable and extraordinary service to all parties. Accurately maintain all records in loan processing database in a timely fashion, efficiently process applications and produce accurate and correct documents.
• Ensure compliance for all lending procedures including bank and/or regulatory procedures, policies, requirements, laws, rules, and/or regulations. Ensures compliance with company policies and procedures, and makes suggestions for improvements to procedures.
• Ensure that all interactions with customers, sponsors and contractors meet world class customer service standards.
• Other duties as assigned as part of a dynamic and growing company with a reputation for integrity and excellence since 1947.

This position is a key part of the AFC team. You will work closely with senior management and be involved in the product planning and implementation processes. The position is based at AFC First’s headquarters in the AFC First Energy Center on Brookside Road in West Allentown/Lower Macungie Township.

Technical Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent.
• Minimum three-five years experience in consumer lending, with knowledge of consumer lending laws and regulations
• Exceptional commitment to world-class customer service
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Exceptional interpersonal, organizational and teamwork skills
• Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines
• Ability to use standard Microsoft Office applications and an ability to quickly learn new IT platforms and technology
• Available to work regular hours Monday through Friday, plus additional hours as necessary

Full-time, salaried position. Compensation DOE.

Please forward resume to William Walsh, Vice President of Production at wwalsh@afcfirst.com.

Thursday, July 19th 2012

From the Reading Eagle

“an explosion Wednesday morning caused operators to cut power to one of two nuclear reactors at the Limerick Generating Station…One of two reactors was shut down at 8:39 after an electrical problem caused by an explosion in a transformer cut power to a turbine cooling system, officials said.”

Rest assured the malfunction occured on the non-nuclear side of the operation, and there was never any threat to public safety. Instead, the sudden shutdown of one of the area’s largest generation facility provided an opportunity to watch the smart grid respond.

“PJM [operators of the region’s distribution grid] has agreements with regional power suppliers to put their smaller, more expensive natural gas-fired turbine generators online to replace the lost power from Limerick. A second option is to ask the region’s largest power consumers to reduce their demand for electricity. 

When the Unit 1 reactor at Limerick was taken out of service, PJM chose the second option and asked Met-Ed, PPL Utilities Corp. and other utilities in the region to call on their biggest customers to cut back their consumption. 

Businesses are offered the opportunity to join the emergency power conservation program in advance and are paid monthly stipends to be on standby in the event of a potential power crisis like the loss of a nuclear plant, Dotter said.”

Read more about the incident and the grid’s response here.

Monday, March 19th 2012

Welcome to our new website! Over the past few months, SEI staff has worked closely with 20/10 Solutions to develop a site capable of serving as a source of public knowledge for those interested in learning more about smart energy, as well as a resource for the regions energy companies.

While many areas remain a work in progress, we are thrilled to launch our new efforts today.Take a look around, and be sure to check out each “solution” page, as well as the  resources pages for each solution.

This project could not have been completed without the support of several SEI member companies. As you see there logos on various pages, take a minute to check out their business and services by clicking on their logos at the bottom right of most pages. Interested in supporting SEI while gaining exposure to our audience? Space is still available on our Efficiency, Wind and Biofuels pages; contact Will Williams for more info.

We hope you’ll bookmark the site and check back often to stay on top of industry developments and SEI opportunities and events. If you’re not already, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates on SEI and the smart energy industry.

Lastly, we’d be thrilled to get some feedback from visitors to the site. Please drop us a line if you have any suggestions!.