Energy In the News

Energy efficiency business leaders joined Environment Ohio at a home in German Village on Thursday to release a new national report that says Ohio households could save money and energy through efficiency programs supported in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), soon to be voted on in the U.S. Senate. An energy audit was also performed to demonstrate the need for energy policy that empowers Americans, according to the environmental advocates.

 

“It’s time to harness the power of American ingenuity to put thousands of Ohioans back to work and save businesses and consumers money on their energy bills every year,” said Barry Daroe, president of Green-4-Ever Inc. “By supporting stronger energy efficiency components as part of energy and climate legislation, our senators can bring big economic results when their constituents need them most.”

 

Environment Ohio’s report “Energy Efficiency in the American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009: Impacts of Current Provisions and Opportunities to Enhance the Legislation”, written by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, asserts that the efficiency provisions would prevent 14 tons of global warming emissions, or the equivalent of removing the pollution from 2.5 million cars from the road for a year. 

 

Further the report says Ohio households could save an average of $244 per year and 24,900 Ohioans could be put back to work over the next ten years if Congress acts to include strong energy efficiency improvements in the federal energy and climate legislation.

 

“Americans know that energy efficiency is the cleanest, quickest, cheapest way of reducing our energy use and pollution,” said Amanda Moore of Environment Ohio. “These common sense solutions will put cash back in our pockets and help protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the future of the planet.”

 

The report also found that the current energy efficiency policies in ACES, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June, would create 16,400 new Ohio jobs, save the average household $183 a year, and reduce annual carbon emissions by 9 tons in Ohio by 2020.

 

“While the House bill is a critical first step in harnessing the power of energy efficiency, this report shows we can save even more money, create more jobs and reduce more pollution,” said Moore. “Senators Brown and Voinovich should lead the fight for common sense energy efficiency policies and jumpstart the transition to a clean energy economy.”

 

Environment Ohio stated that senators can bring economic benefits to consumers by approving the following: 

 

-          Supporting a strengthened Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) requiring utility companies to reduce energy usage at least 10 percent by providing incentives and assistance to help customers make homes and businesses more energy efficient (ACES included a 5 percent EERS with an optional 3 percent increase).

-          Modeling electric utility allocation on that of the natural gas utility allocation in ACES, by requiring that one third be used for energy efficiency improvements.

-          Extending the allocation of carbon allowance revenue to the State Energy and Environmental Development (SEED) provision.

 

The German Village homeowner, Maria Duque, requested a home energy audit. Hall and Daroe, performed the audit and found opportunities for Duque to save money, reduce her energy use and reduce pollution.

 

“I knew that there were a few places where my home could be more energy efficient, but some of their discoveries surprised me,” said Duque. “We need Congress to pass better energy policies so that more people can get home energy audits. That way they’ll know where they’re losing money, where their homes are least efficient, and they’ll be able to take the first steps to save money.”

Story originally published in The Hannah Report on September 10, 2009.  Copyright 2009 Hannah News Service, Inc.