HERSHEY, PA., July 11, 2023 — Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF) honored Peter Krajsa, Co-Chair and Founder of the National Energy Improvement Fund (NEIF), with the Epstein Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, July 11, at the Hotel Hershey. The Epstein Award is presented to a deserving individual each year for a lifetime of work moving society towards a sustainable energy future.

“We are thrilled to award Peter Krajsa with the Epstein Award,” said John Costlow, president and CEO of Sustainable Energy Fund. “He has greatly impacted the sustainable energy community throughout his career and directly influenced the future of sustainable energy.”

Mr. Krajsa has been recognized as an innovator in energy efficiency finance for over two decades.  He co-founded NEIF, the nation’s only Certified B-Corp energy efficiency lender, which provides affordable financing for essential energy improvements nationally. Working with contractors, manufacturers, green banks, governments, and utilities, the NEIF team has been responsible for close to $1 billion in home and commercial energy improvements.  Previously he spearheaded the creation of a number of national energy finance programs as CEO of his family’s business, AFC First Financial Corporation. These included the development of the company’s national EnergyLoan program as one of Fannie Mae’s first approved lenders, creation of Pennsylvania’s Keystone Home Energy Loan Program which laid the foundation for WHEEL, (Warehouse for Energy Efficiency Loans), the world’s first investment grade rated securitization of a portfolio of unsecured energy loans as well as several utility and state financing programs.  Under his leadership, AFC First was named by the U.S. DOE as the nation’s first private Home Performance with ENERGY STAR sponsor, selected as one of five national pilot lenders for the HUD Power Saver program, received the Alliance to Save Energy Andromeda Award and established the Green Energy Training Academy supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.

About the National Energy Improvement Fund (NEIF) neifund.org

With a lending heritage dating to 1947, NEIF, founded as a benefit corporation in 2018, provides fair and transparent point-of purchase financing for essential energy and resilience improvements like heating, cooling, roofing, insulation, lighting & battery storage. Founded by energy financing pioneers Peter Krajsa, Matthew Brown and Laura Nelson, NEIF has completed over 12,000 energy upgrades to date. NEIF is supervised and regulated as a consumer lender and servicer in 26 states and operates a commercial financing platform nationally in partnership with 12 utilities. NEIF was named a Home Improvement Expert Partner by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2019.  NEIF is headquartered in Allentown, PA and Denver, CO.

About Sustainable Energy Fund thesef.org

Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF), a nonprofit organization, assists energy users in overcoming financial, educational and regulatory barriers to a sustainable energy future. SEF provides a variety of services including financing energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects; educating the leaders of today and tomorrow to create a passion for sustainable energy; and representing the interests of energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy in proceedings before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.