October 2 Is Energy Efficiency Day 2019!

On October 2^nd, 2019, people, organizations, and companies around the United States will celebrate Energy Efficiency Day. The annual event began in 2016 when energy efficiency advocacy groups, including the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Alliance to Save Energy, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), sought to raise awareness and promote the benefits of energy efficiency. Energy efficiency—using less energy to achieve a given task—is an excellent way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money.

To learn more about ways to increase energy efficiency, check out EESI’s recent work on the topic:

• EESI provided assistance to Hawaii’s Green Energy Money $aver (GEM$) on-bill financing program through our Access Clean Energy Savings program. GEM$ is an initiative to make clean energy more affordable for homes and small businesses in Hawaii by supporting projects that reduce energy bills by at least 10 percent.
• EESI published a fact sheet, Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience, detailing energy efficiency and renewable energy jobs in the United States. More than 3 million people in the United States work in energy efficiency jobs, and it is a rapidly growing sector of the U.S. economy.
• EESI and Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) held a briefing about an EEFA report, Job Potential in Retrofitting Affordable Multifamily Housing. The report shows a large untapped potential for job creation in the residential retrofit market. Retrofit projects create energy efficiency jobs and reduce emissions by remodeling older, less energy-efficient buildings.
• EESI published an article, How the 116^th Congress is Addressing Climate Change, detailing bills and resolutions being considered by Congress to address climate change. Three of those bills, H.R 762, H.R. 1420, and H.R. 1315, aim to advance energy efficiency through the creation of jobs and projects. The Community Energy Savings Program Act (S.2382), sponsored by Sen. Merkley, would "provide low-interest financing to consumers who want to make energy efficiency, renewable energy or energy storage upgrades to their homes."
• EESI published a report, Equitable Beneficial Electrification for Rural Electric Cooperatives, which showcases beneficial electrification as a pathway for rural electric cooperatives to decarbonize their power grids equitably. Beneficial electrification refers to the replacement of fossil-fuel powered systems with electrical ones, which ultimately reduces carbon emissions and lowers electricity bills.

The main message of Energy Efficiency Day, “Save Money. Cut Carbon. Breathe Easier,” encapsulates the bountiful benefits of energy efficiency for people and the environment. Energy efficiency can be optimized in buildings, community design, vehicles, freight, and human behavior through large or small actions, such as retrofitting buildings or switching to energy-efficient appliances. To get you through your workday and celebrate Energy Efficiency Day, listen to the 2019 Energy Efficiency Day playlist curated by our friends at BlueGreen Alliance’s Building Clean.

 

By Savannah Bertrand