he Home Ventilating Institute has become a founding member of Efficiency First, a nonprofit organization devoted to retrofitting America’s homes to make them more energy efficient.

The Home Ventilating Institute has become a founding member of Efficiency First, a nonprofit organization devoted to retrofitting America’s homes to make them more energy efficient.

The organization also aims to expand the green building industry to fuel job creation, minimize energy consumption and carbon emissions, and alleviate U.S. foreign oil dependence.

Efficiency First provides the home performance work force, which includes HVAC contractors, with a voice at state and national level policy negotiations, officials say.

“We are excited to be a part of Efficiency First’s efforts to bring together all sectors of the residential construction industry. We believe HVI will benefit from Efficiency First’s lobbying efforts, as that is an area of focus we’ve not had in the past,” said HVI Executive Director Jacki Golike. “We are hopeful that HVI, through this partnership with Efficiency First, will be better positioned to keep our finger on the pulse of the home-performance industry, particularly during these challenging economic times, guaranteeing our members have the information necessary to keep them a step ahead of their competitors.”

For more information on Efficiency First visitwww.efficiencyfirst.org.