The Alliance Commission, chaired by Senator Mark Warner and National Grid President Tom King, is a blue-ribbon group of two dozen private sector executives, including finance, utility and technology firms. It includes Dan Arvizu, director or NREL; Mike Eckhart, mangaging director and global head of environmental finance at Citigroup; retired General Wesley Clark; former New York Governor George Pataki; and Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund.

The report, among other steps, advocates enabling institutional investors to buy energy efficiency financial obligations on a large scale, using securities based on uniform contract structures (in place, for instance, of investing in fossil-fuel limited partnerships and investment trusts). And it suggests that mortgage lenders should consider household energy and transportation cost savings, which reduce the cost of owning a home, when underwriting. The fact that a homeowner can afford a larger monthly mortgage payment may make for reduced risk and a more attractive loan.

Here’s the report’s own outline of steps to be taken to double America’s energy efficiency:

Make financing more easilyavailable for energy efficiency projects:

• Make more capital available by enabling institutional investors to buy energy efficiency financial obligations on a large scale using securities based on uniform contract structures and better performance data.

• Establish state and local programs for financing of efficiency measures, which may use repayment on utility bills or on property tax bills (the capital could be provided by institutional investors).

• Consider household energy and transportation costs when underwriting mortgages to allow for larger or more attractive loans for homes with lower monthly costs.

» Advance energy productivity through federal tax reform:

• reform federal energy efficiency tax incentives so that they focus on high efficiency technologies and measures and on promoting innovation and market transformation.

• Adjust commercial and industrial depreciation schedules to encourage investments that can boost energy productivity.

Support energy productivity innovation and market adoption:

• Increase federal investment in basic and applied research, development, demonstration, deployment, and technical assistance.

Governments lead by example:

• Apply innovative best practices to government buildings and vehicle fleets.

• Make all cost-effective efficiency improvements to federal buildings using private financing and public funds.

To download the full report, go to:

http://ase.org/sites/default/files/full_commission_report.pdf