Breaking Down the Energy Efficiency Impact Report

As 2019 wrapped just a handful of weeks ago, ACEEE along with Alliance Energy and The Business Council for Sustainable Energy put out their Energy Efficiency Impact Report. It used over 50 indicators to explore a variety of sectors (utilities, buildings, industry, and transportation), exploring how policy and other tools have been used to incentivize energy efficiency.

The report includes deep dives into each of the sectors above with interactive data and visuals but the biggest highlights they summarize upfront include:

• Energy efficiency fuels the economy – let’s face it, efficiency drives US economic competitiveness and, currently, we need less energy to drive a higher quality of life. Especially when you consider where we were just a few decades ago.
• Energy efficiency improves lives and the planet – while our world is vulnerable now more than ever, without investments in EE made in 1980, emissions would be 60% higher today with consumers paying nearly $800 billion more per year in energy-related costs.

• Energy efficiency policies work – programs and policies that support and promote energy efficiency by getting cleaner running products into consumers’ homes (such as updated appliance and equipment EE standards, utility sector efficiency programs, and more) have an impact. They saved an estimated 25 quadrillion British thermal units of energy in 2017 and that’s no small feat!

• Energy efficiency is a high-priority resource – energy efficiency is responsible for half the carbon dioxide emissions reductions in the power sector relative to 2005. You might say EE is kind of a big deal. Not only is it the foundation of deep decarbonization, but it is also one of the best-established and most implemented examples of a zero-carbon resource.
• There is untapped potential – the EE realm is constantly evolving and growing so there is still so much untapped potential for energy efficiency, existing technologies as well as new technologies yet to take off.
• Investment in energy efficiency is critical – the EE world may be surging with potential, but investment has shifted and isn’t keeping up. The more we invest, the more we can ensure that energy efficiency is accessible for all while preparing for a sustainable future.

It is impossible to capture every detail, graph, and chart in just this summary since the report, which has been years in the making, is very interactive and fun to read through, but the bottom line is this: energy efficiency is a fast-moving space, one that isn’t slowing anytime soon. In fact, it will only pick up more speed as more industries explore new technologies that help cut emissions and further advance our efficiency in life.

There is no denying that the decisions and actions made in the last 30-40 years have positively impacted our lives today (though many don’t even realize this), making it hard to imagine new ideas not getting a chance to make it off the cutting room floor to help us improve even more in the next 30-40 years. Think of EE as a fast-moving train – you have to make the leap to get on board or you may just miss out entirely.

To explore the Energy Efficiency Impact Report, visit: https://energyefficiencyimpact.org/