Boston, MA - Α new national report finds that Massachusetts’ households would save an average of $274 per year and 15,200 sustainable, jobs would be created in the state over the next ten years if Congress acts now to include strong energy efficiency improvements in energy and climate legislation. The report, entitled Energy Efficiency in the American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009: Impacts of Current Provisions and Opportunities to Enhance the Legislation, was released by Environment Massachusetts and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The efficiency provisions would prevent 8 million metric tons of global warming emissions, this is the equivalent of removing the pollution from 1.454 million cars from the road for a year.
“It’s time to harness the power of American ingenuity to put thousands of people back to work and save businesses and consumers money on their energy bills every year in Massachusetts” said Ben Wright “By supporting stronger energy efficiency components as part of energy and climate legislation, our senators can bring big economic results when their constituents need them most.”
“Americans know that energy efficiency is the cleanest, quickest, cheapest way of reducing our energy use and pollution,” concluded Ben Wright. “These common sense solutions will put cash back in our pockets and help protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the future of the planet.”
The report also found that energy efficiency policies from the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), which passed the House of Representatives in June, would create 15,200 new jobs, save the average household $274 a year, and reduce annual carbon emissions by 8 million tons in Massachusetts by 2020.
“While the House bill is a critical first step in harnessing the power of energy efficiency, this report shows we can save even more money, create more jobs and reduce more pollution,” Said Ben Wright “We applaud Senator Kerry’s leadership on the issue so far and urge him to increase incentives for efficiency in the Senate energy and climate bill.”
The group called for policy improvements which would generate more than 569,000 clean energy jobs and save the average household $283 per year nationwide by 2020. These policy improvements would result in 48 percent more jobs and 32 percent more consumer savings than the efficiency measures in the House passed bill. In addition these improvements would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 480 million metric tons in 2020, equivalent to taking over 87 million cars off the road for a year.
“Massachusetts is extremely fortunate to have leadership at every level who understand the value of efficiency and seek to maximize its potential as a resource,” said Natalie Hildt, Public Policy Outreach Manager for Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP). “Our state currently benefits from some of the most progressive energy policies and some of the highest per capita levels of efficiency spending in the nation. With the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 passed in the U.S. House and a companion bill under development in the Senate, Massachusetts stands to benefit greatly through energy savings of hundreds of dollars a year for consumers, major reductions in CO2 emissions and energy generation demands, and thousands of new jobs created annually over the next twenty years and beyond.
“NEEP is grateful to Senator Kerry for his leadership, and we hope he will push to make the Senate energy and climate bill even more impactful by implementing the changes recommended by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy. By creating a stand-alone energy efficiency resource standard requiring 10% cumulative savings through efficiency by 2020, requiring that one third of electric utility allowances be directed to efficiency and continuing the State Energy and Environmental Development funding at 2012 levels, this legislation could vastly improve the benefits to households, businesses and communities across Massachusetts and the nation.”
Senators can maximize economic benefits to consumers by:
- Supporting a strengthened Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) requiring utility companies to reduce their energy usage by at least 10 percent by providing incentives and assistance to help customers make their homes and businesses more energy-efficient (ACESA included a 5% EERS with an optional 3% increase).
- Modeling electric utility allocation on that of the natural gas utility allocation in ACES, by requiring that one-third be used for energy efficiency improvements.
Extending the allocation of carbon allowance revenue to the State Energy and Environmental Development (SEED) provision.
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Environment Massachusetts is a state-based, citizen-funded environmental organization working for clean air, clean water, and open space.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient America (ACEEE) is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection. For more information, see http://www.aceee.org.
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