PECI lands $749,000 in stimulus funding for energy auditor education

Energy efficiency group PECI landed a $749,153 sliver of the $76 million in stimulus funding announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Energy for more energy efficient buildings.

Portland-based PECI's award was one of 13 educational grants under the program and will pay for a PECI team to revise and develop curriculum to train commercial building auditors and operators, who in turn will make sure that buildings are as energy efficient as possible.

The total cost of the PECI curriculum project is $1.5 million, according to the project outline released by the U.S. Department of Energy.

In all 58 projects received funding in the Friday announcement, all of the money going toward improved efficiency — from the development of better insulation to the testing of advanced building controls.

"Energy-efficient commercial buildings will help our country cut its carbon emissions and energy costs while the training programs will upgrade the skills of the current workforce and attract the next generation to careers in the emerging clean-energy economy," said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu in a news release.

PECI, originally Portland Energy Conservation Inc., is a nonprofit that helps businesses with energy efficiency.