The invisible energy efficiency boom

Dumas, author of “Seeds of Opportunity: Climate Change Challenges and Solutions,” noted that study sponsor Civil Society Institute is a co-convener of the Citizens Lead for Energy Action Now CLEAN) Call to Action (http://www.cleanenergyaction.net) that urges, among other things, a significantly stepped-up focus on more energy efficiency.

OTHER KEY REPORT FINDINGS

• Energy savings. The report notes: “Investments in energy-efficient technologies are estimated to have generated approximately 1.7 quads of energy savings in 2004 alone. In other words, had the nation maintained the same level of energy productivity as it had achieved in the year 2003, total primary energy use in 2004 would have reached 101.8 to 102.0 quads compared to the actual level of 100.3 quads documented in the databases maintained by the Energy Information Administration.…By the end of 2008, these investments will have saved roughly 6.6 quads of energy on a cumulative basis or the equivalent of at least $77.4 billion (in 2004 dollars).”
• Energy efficiency by industry. The size of energy efficiency investments varies considerably across U.S. sectors. In the buildings sector, investments in energy efficiency totaled about $178 billion or nearly 60 percent of total energy-efficiency investments in 2004. Of these investments, nearly half (49%) were made in energy-efficient appliances and electronics, while 29 percent were made in energy-efficient commercial building structures and 22 percent were made in energy-efficient residential building structures. In the industrial sector, investments reached roughly $75 billion in 2004, representing one quarter of total efficiency investments for the year. In the transportation sector, investments represented approximately 11 percent of total efficiency investments or $33 billion in 2004. Interestingly, this pattern of investments does not mirror the patterns of energy use across sectors. While the buildings sector accounts for 39 percent of total U.S. energy consumption, it received 62 percent of total efficiency investments. Within the buildings sector, investments in appliances and electronics (48%) far exceeded the proportion of energy consumed by these devices (8%). In the industrial sector, the proportion of investments was lower than the proportion of energy use (25% and 34%, respectively). Notably, the transportation sector also proved to be significantly unbalanced, representing only 11 percent of efficiency investments but 28 percent of overall energy use.
• Jobs by industry. The largest share of related jobs is found in the buildings sector, which generated approximately two-thirds of all efficiency-related jobs (more than one million). Within the buildings category, investments in the appliance and electronics sector generated the most jobs (more than 380,000), followed by efficiency-related jobs in residential construction and renovation (348,000) and commercial construction and renovation (332,000). Other significant levels of employment are associated with investments in the industrial sector which generated an estimated 416,000 jobs. Investments in energy efficiency in transport were lower, generating an estimated 151,000 jobs in 2004.