Whether it be about tackling climate change or energy crisis, the simplest and most obvious solution has simply not been pursued as earnestly as desired. And that is energy efficiency.
"Efficiency Works" a new report by Bracken Hendricks, Bill Campbell, and Pen Goodale, finds that a straightforward set of policies aimed at upgrading just 40 percent of the residential and commercial building stock in the United States would create 625,000 sustainable jobs, save 64 billion dollars and bring in large investments.
Some 10 key energy efficiency policies that states in the US are adopting or experimenting with to varying degrees are already providing examples of how policy-driven energy efficiency markets can create a new industry to power job creation, combat global warming and lower a nation's reliance on foreign fossil fuels.
Some of these are worth being considered by any country. For instance, policies that not only require utility companies to meet a set portion of demand from renewable energy but also include energy efficiency as a qualifying form of clean energy. And policies that establish markets for tradable clean energy credits and include energy efficiency as a qualifying clean energy resource.
Having specific standards that require utilities to plan for meeting a percentage of future growth in demand through energy efficiency instead of increasing supply; decouplingd utility rate structures, where utilities' rates are adjusted to compensate for changes in the volume of energy sold, removing the structural disincentive to conserve energy; penalties for noncompliance with energy efficiency standards, etc are some policies worth pursuing.
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