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.
