A CIEE success story, the BECC conference is a model of the institute’s agility in seizing opportunities to innovate. CIEE founded the popular conference, the first of its kind anywhere. A rich sampler of work in the field, the now-annual gathering attracts more than 250 presenters and 700 attendees from around the world.
With interest in the potential of behavioral research on the rise, CIEE convened a national summit of energy policy makers, social-science researchers, and communicators in early 2007. Compelled by their enthusiasm and abundant possibilities for collaboration, CIEE initiated and chaired the first BECC Conference later that year, drawing in Stanford University’s Precourt Energy Efficiency Center and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy as partners in the effort.