December, 2019 — E4TheFuture supported the Energy Efficiency Impact Report, released by American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Alliance to Save Energy, and Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). This first-of-its-kind report evidences the vast impact of energy efficiency on our society, and calls for renewed momentum.
For a quick recap of the report, see Preventing Carbon Emissions, Saving Billions of Dollars: Energy Efficiency’s Big Impacts, by our policy director Pat Stanton.
“Despite undeniably major success,” says Stanton, “the biggest opportunities are ahead.”
Per Utility Dive’s Robert Walton: US investment in energy efficiency dropped estimated 18% in two years: Report. As Walton says, “the report’s authors point to a ‘mixed bag’ of findings that show progress is not moving fast enough.”
From the report:
Energy efficiency has transformed the way we use energy and has helped build a cleaner economy that is more secure, more affordable, and more productive. But at a time when we should be expanding policies and investments in energy efficiency, there are concerning signs these initiatives are being weakened. Regaining momentum is critical for U.S. economic and environmental leadership.
- Thanks to energy efficiency, energy consumption has remained largely flat in spite of a growing population and increasing use of appliances, devices, and travel.
- Six key policies and programs saved approximately 25 quads of energy in 2017 alone – 20% of would-be consumption.
- In 2017, avoided air pollution thanks to efficiency was responsible for $540 million in public health benefits
- Without efficiency investments made since 1980, energy consumption and carbon emissions would have been 60% higher, costing consumers nearly $800 billion more per year.