Report Offers Framework for Energy Efficiency Policies
More
than 60 energy, environmental and other organizations have collaborated
on a new report that could save Americans more than $500 billion in
energy costs over 25 years and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions
equivalent to those from 90 million vehicles, EPA announced on Nov. 13.
The "National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency Vision for 2025"
provides a framework for states, utilities and other stakeholders to
consider when seeking policies and programs to achieve all cost
effective energy efficiency measures.
"Environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility -- and
I'm pleased to see states, utilities and energy customers are taking
this motto to heart," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By
committing to conservation, Americans are making the vision for an
energy efficient future a reality today."
Kevin Kolevar, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) assistant secretary
for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, stated: "Opportunities
to increase and maximize energy efficiency in our homes, commercial
buildings, and industrial facilities are both enormous and quantifiable
and are a key component of the president's robust energy initiatives.
The national action plan recognizes the role of prioritizing energy
efficiency through incentive based programs and policies, which can
reduce energy use, benefit our environment and add to a company's
bottom line."
The action plan, launched in 2006, is facilitated by EPA and DOE.
The plan provides five recommendations for helping states and utilities
overcome policy, regulatory and other barriers that limit investment in
energy efficiency even when investment in more efficient homes,
buildings and industries would cost less than new supply and would lead
to overall lower energy bills. Along with the vision for 2025, the
Action Plan Leadership Group released a number of "how-to" resources to
help parties meet energy efficiency commitments and announced new
commitments under the action plan from more than 30 organizations. The
list of organizations and their new commitments can be found at http://www.epa.gov/eeactionplan under Leadership Commitments.
Nearly 120 organizations have already taken action over the past
year to make the action plan a reality, according to EPA. These
commitments to energy efficiency from 42 utility commissions and state
and local agencies, 34 utilities, nine large-end-users and nearly 40
other organizations have helped remove barriers to energy efficiency by
establishing and supporting new energy efficiency programs,
collaborating and the state and local levels, exploring policies to
align utility incentives with cost-effective energy efficiency,
educating stakeholders and meeting aggressive energy savings goals.
The document can be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/actionplan/resources.htm.