Environmental Career Center – Helping people work for a better environment since 1980

The Center for American Progress and Energy RM  jointly released a ground-breaking report this month advocating a conprehensive, sustainable energy efficiency initiative to help get America back to work.  The initiative has the potential of creating 625,000 jobs over the next decade with $500 billion in new investments to improve home/office building energy efficiency resulting in $64 billion in energy savings. 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 59% of residential buildings and 54% of commercial buildings in the USA were built before 1980.  Buildings consume more energy than any other segment of the economy.  That’s more than either transportation or industry.  The potential market for energy efficiency is opportune to retrofit and improve existing buildings to save valuable resources and support programs for sustainable development, energy independence, and environmental protection. 

However, the energy efficiency initiative will not happen on its own. States need to make the first move.  They need to implement energy policies to initiate, encourge, develop and sustain energy efficency programs.  The 50 page report highlights ten key energy efficiency policies that “are already providing numerous real-world examples of how policy-driven energy efficiency markets can create a new industry to power job creation in the construction sector profitabily and sustainably”.   However, “no state has fully developed the potential of their energy efficiency market to create clean energy jobs, let alone the federal government”.   The report recommends that the states lead the way. 

The construction industry has been especially impacted by the recession with unemployment around 25%.  Residential construction unemployment  hovers around 38%.  Additionally, construction related businesses in retail and manufacturing are significantly impacted as well.  The report,  “Efficiency Works – Creating Good Jobs and New Markets Through Energy Efficiency”, addresses a core problem with the economy today.  Housing burst the economic bubble.  Housing and commercial energy efficiency programs can help get us back on track.