Energy Efficiency in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of
2009
2009-09-09
Download the full report.
In June 2009, the House of Representatives passed the American Clean
Energy and Security Act of 2009
(ACES). This climate and energy legislation included a number of
provisions intended to help the U.S. reduce energy use through various
energy efficiency measures. Foremost, the bill requires utilities to
obtain 20 percent of their energy through a combination of renewable
energy and energy efficiency by 2020, with energy efficiency allowed to
meet up to 8 percent of the 20 percent goal. Other energy efficiency
provisions are designed to improve energy savings associated with
improved building codes and retrofits, and appliance standards. The bill
also facilitates energy savings within the transportation and industrial
sectors. Additionally, the cap and trade provisions of the bill dictate
how carbon allowances will be apportioned.
These energy efficiency provisions have largely been overlooked in
recent discussions and analyses of ACES. When analyses ignore the
readily available benefits from energy efficiency they distort how
energy and climate legislation, such as ACES, could affect American
consumers and the U.S. economy. Experience in the states that have
energy efficiency programs demonstrates that efficiency is the quickest
and most effective way to reduce energy usage and address climate
change. This analysis evaluates the energy efficiency provisions in
ACES and finds that, in 2030, such provisions can:
- save American consumers an average of $486 per household;
- create over 600,000 jobs;
- reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 500 million metric tons
(MMT); and
- avoid the need for 419 medium-sized coal-fired power plants.
This analysis also demonstrates that improving the energy efficiency
provisions in ACES by including a stand- alone energy efficiency
resource standard (EERS) requiring 10 percent cumulative savings by 2020
(instead of the ACES Combined Efficiency and Renewable Electricity
Standard, or CERES), directing one-third of electric local distribution
company allowances to energy efficiency, and sustaining State Energy and
Environmental Development funding at 9.5 percent of allowance revenue
through 2030 provides significant additional consumer savings and carbon
reductions and creates more jobs than the original bill. As the Senate
begins to consider climate and energy legislation, it has the
opportunity to incorporate these suggested improvements. This analysis
estimates that, by 2030, including these improvements can:
- save American consumers an average of $832 per household;
- create over 1 million jobs;
- reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 900 MMT; and
- avoid the need for 512 medium-sized coal-fired power plants.
This report discusses these national-level impacts, breaks them down on
a state-by-state basis, and describes the methodology for how these
values were determined.
Environment America
44 Winter Street, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
Federal Advocacy Office: 218 D Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
E-mail:
info@EnvironmentAmerica.org |