Energy Secretary Steven Chu: Achieve the potential energy efficiency
Likewise, the National Academies found in 2009 that accelerated deployment of cost-effective technologies in buildings could reduce energy use by 25-30% in 2030. The report stated: "Many building efficiency technologies represent attractive investment opportunities with a payback period of two to three years."
Some economists, however, don't believe these analyses; they say there aren't 20-dollar bills lying around waiting to be picked up. If the savings were real, they argue, why didn't the free market vacuum them up? The skeptics are asking a fair question: why do potential energy efficiency savings often go unrealized?
I asked our team at the Department of Energy to review the literature on savings from home energy retrofits. We are pursuing energy efficiency in many areas -- from toughening and expanding appliance standards to investing in smart grid -- but improving the efficiency of buildings, which account for 40% of US energy use, is truly low hanging fruit.
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written by CoxMarla, April 10, 2010
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