Two new reports detail the billions of dollars that American consumers and businesses could save throgh energy efficiency.
Initiatives for reducing electricity and gas usage could result in utility bill savings of $168.6 billion, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
That number is 16% higher than ACEEE’s previous savings estimate of $144 billion and is based on updated data. The organization released its new economic analysis as business leaders, industry groups, and environmental advocates launched the Campaign for an Energy-Efficient America, a coalition calling on Congress to enact a federal energy efficiency target.
ACEEE’s report, Laying the Foundation for Implementing a Federal Energy Efficiency Resource Standard, analyzes 2008 economic and energy data and estimates benefits of a federal energy efficiency resource standard (EERS) requiring utilities to reduce electricity demand by 15% and natural gas demand by 10% by 2020.
The report noted the significant benefits of energy savings achieved by the proposed federal EERS, including:
- 222,000 net permanent, high quality green jobs in construction, manufacturing, and other fields
- 262 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions prevented
- 390 power plants that won’t need to be built.
19 states have adopted individual EERS programs, but Americans cannot realize the full potential for energy efficiency without a federal program to enhance states’ efforts, the ACEEE said.
The report analyzes the benefits of a federal EERS for each state by 2020. For example:
- Florida will create more than 19,500 new jobs and save $14 billion in energy costs.
- Illinois will create more than 6,500 new jobs and save $3.6 billion in energy costs.
- Indiana will create more than 5,000 new jobs and save $3.6 billion in energy costs.
- North Carolina will create nearly 6,500 new jobs and save $3 billion in energy costs.
- Tennessee will create more than 5,000 new jobs and save $3.5 billion on energy costs.
The report is available at the link below.
Energy Efficiency in Appalachia
A separate study commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) concludes that implementing energy-efficiency measures in Appalachia has the potential to help create tens of thousands of jobs and save billions in energy costs to Appalachian consumers over the next 20 years.
Conducted for ARC by the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA), Energy Efficiency in Appalachia also finds that a bold energy efficiency initiative could cut projected energy use in the Region by up to 24% by the year 2030.
The Appalachian Region’s energy consumption is expected to increase 28% between 2006 and 2030, compared with a 19% increase forecast for the United States as a whole. Without significant investment in energy efficiency, by 2030 Appalachia is expected to need the electricity generated by 40 additional coal power plants and enough oil to fuel an additional 5.2 million cars. The ARC study models policy actions that could reduce this need across industrial, commercial, residential, and transportation sectors.
The policies modeled in the study include incentives for commercial heating, ventilation, and air-condition (HVAC) and lighting retrofits; expansion of industrial assessment centers to help industries identify energy efficiency opportunities; support for commissioning of existing commercial buildings to ensure energy efficiency standards; clean car standards; and residential retrofit with resale energy labeling.
The study is available for download at www.arc.gov/energy and at www.seealliance.org.
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There could be no better investment in America than to invest in America becoming energy independent! We need to utilize everything in out power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil including using our own natural resources. Create cheap clean energy, new badly needed green jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.The high cost of fuel this past year seriously damaged our economy and society. The cost of fuel effects every facet of consumer goods from production to shipping costs. It costs the equivalent of 60 cents per gallon to charge and drive an electric car. If all gasoline cars, trucks, and SUV’s instead had plug-in electric drive trains the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota.We have so much available to us such as wind and solar. Let’s spend some of those bail out billions and get busy harnessing this energy. Create cheap clean energy, badly needed new jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. What a win-win situation that would be for our nation at large! There is a really good new book out by Jeff Wilson called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now. http://www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com
through was spelled incorrectly at the top of this article as ‘throgh’.
As a link to this posted on dozens of sites throughout the web you may want to update it.
Amazing what texting has done to us 😉
Otherwise a somewhat alarming that we PLAN to invest ‘trillions’ into fossil fuel development this decade building not future… while ignoring an obtainable and prosperous future.
We can not ‘hope for change’.
American entrepreneurs made this great nation now they need to invest back into it.
Wow re-reading all the grammatical errors in my last comment I should hardly judge anyone else’s spelling.