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ACEEE: MASSACHUSETTS
OVERTAKES CALIFORNIA AS #1 ENERGY EFFICIENCY STATE, MICHIGAN AND ILLINOIS
AMONG THE MOST IMPROVED
2011
Energy Scorecard Top 10 Also Includes NY, OR, VT, WA, RI, MN, CT, MD;
States Most in Need of Improvement Are: ND, WY, MS, KS, OK, SC, WV, MO, AL,
and SD ... While MI, IL, NE, TN, AL and MD Are Six Most Improved States.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 20,
2011): A sour U.S. economy, tight state budgets, and a failure by Congress
to adopt a comprehensive energy strategy have not slowed the growing
momentum among U.S. states toward increased energy efficiency, according to
the fifth edition of the annual ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard
released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
(ACEEE) during a National Press Club news conference.
Available online at http://aceee.org/research-report/e115, the
ACEEE Scorecard shows that the top 10 states are: Massachusetts
(taking the #1 position for the first time); California (slipping from the
top spot it held for the first four editions of the ACEEE Scorecard); New
York State; Oregon; Vermont; Washington State; Rhode Island; Minnesota,
Connecticut; and Maryland (making its first appearance in the top 10 and
also one of the six most improved states in the 2011 ACEEE Scorecard).
The 10 states most in need of
improvement (from dead last to #42) are: North Dakota; Wyoming;
Mississippi; Kansas; Oklahoma; South Carolina; West Virginia; Missouri;
Alabama (also one of the top six most improved states); and South Dakota.
The six most improved states
include Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Alabama, Maryland, and Tennessee.
"Energy efficiency is
America's abundant, untapped energy resource and the states continue to
press forward to reap its economic and environmental benefits," said
ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. "The message here is that
energy efficiency is a pragmatic, bipartisan solution that political
leaders from both sides of the aisle can support. As they have over the
past decades, states continue to provide the leadership needed to forge an
energy-efficient economy, which reduces energy costs, spurs job growth, and
benefits the environment."
"Thanks to our
investments in innovation and infrastructure, Massachusetts is now leading
the nation in energy efficiency," said Massachusetts Governor Deval
Patrick. "Through our Green Communities Act, we set aggressive goals
and laid the foundation for greater investment in energy efficiency -- and
now we are proud to be a model for the nation and world."
"I am thrilled that
Maryland is being recognized as one of the top ten states and one of the
most improved states for energy efficiency," said Malcolm Woolf,
director of the Maryland Energy Administration. "As a result of
Governor O'Malley's vision in establishing one of the nation's most
aggressive energy efficiency goals, Marylanders have already saved over
700,000 MWh of electricity and over $91 million dollars since 2009, and our
peak demand program has helped us avoid major blackouts during our
record-setting summer heat wave."
"Illinois is a
purposeful leader in the area of sustainability, investing more than $600
million in energy efficiency projects over the last four years alone,"
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Warren
Ribley said. "By supporting aggressive policies including the state's
energy efficiency portfolio standard and advanced building industry
training and education, we are creating jobs, building more sustainable
communities and securing our place in the new energy economy."
"We are excited that
Michigan's positive action on energy efficiency is being recognized
nationally," said Valerie Brader, the chief energy policy officer for
the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The ACEEE report observed
that Michigan's improvement is particularly due to the implementation of
energy efficiency programs advanced in state legislation P.A. 295.
The fifth edition of the ACEEE
State Energy Efficiency Scorecard presents a comprehensive ranking of
the states based on an array of metrics that capture best practices and
recognize leadership in energy efficiency policy and program
implementation. The Scorecard benchmarks progress and provides a
roadmap for states to advance energy efficiency in the residential,
commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors. A new, diverse set of
states has followed a group of leading states by adopting significant
energy efficiency policies, which will lead to innovative and effective
programs. Tremendous potential remains for energy efficiency savings in all
of the states should motivate decision-makers to advance energy efficiency.
"Clearly, 2011 has not
been kind to our economy, but energy efficiency remains a growth sector
that attracts investment and creates jobs," said Michael Sciortino,
ACEEE senior policy analyst and the report's lead author. "With even
higher energy savings possible, we expect leading states to continue
pushing the envelope next year and inspire those at the bottom of the
rankings to embrace energy efficiency as a core strategy to gain a
competitive advantage by generating cost-savings, promoting technological
innovation, and stimulating growth."
OTHER KEY FINDINGS
Facing uncertain economic
times, states are continuing to use energy efficiency as a key strategy to
generate cost-savings, promote technological innovation, and stimulate
growth. The ACEEE Scorecard documents the following trends:
- Total
budgets for electricity efficiency programs increased to $4.5 billion
in 2010, up from $3.4 billion in 2009. Combined with natural gas
program budgets of about $1 billion, total energy efficiency budgets
in 2010 equal about $5.5 billion. Given the increasing regulatory
commitments to energy efficiency, this growth will likely continue
over the next decade.
- Twenty-nine
(29) states have either adopted or have made significant progress
toward the adoption of the latest energy-saving building codes for homes
and commercial properties - up from twenty in 2010 and ten in 2009.
- Twenty-four
(24) states have adopted an Energy Efficiency Resource Standard
(EERS), which sets long-term energy savings targets and drives
utility-sector investments in energy efficiency programs. States that
adopted EERS policies in 2007 and 2008 are now realizing significant
energy savings and moving ahead in the Scorecard rankings.
- States
continue to improve policies to reduce financial, technical, and
regulatory barriers to adoption and deployment of combined heat
and power (CHP) systems, which generate electricity and thermal energy
in an integrated system. Tremendous potential remains for CHP,
particularly in states with heavy industrial and manufacturing bases.
- A group of
leading states remains ahead of the curve in adopting policies
to reduce vehicle miles traveled and promote the purchase
and manufacture of efficient vehicles. A major gap exists,
however, as over half the states have minimal or no policies to encourage
efficiency in the transportation sector.
Methodology
This
ACEEE Scorecard provides a comprehensive assessment of policy and
programs that improve energy efficiency in our homes, businesses, industry,
and transportation sectors. The Scorecard examines six state energy
efficiency policy areas and presents these results in six chapters: (1)
utility and public benefits programs and policies; (2) transportation
policies; (3) building energy codes; (4) combined heat and power; (5) state
government initiatives; and (6) appliance efficiency standards. States can
earn up to 50 possible points in these six policy areas combined, with the
maximum possible points in each area weighted by the magnitude of its
potential energy savings impact.
ABOUT ACEEE
The American Council for an
Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency
policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. For
information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences,
visit www.aceee.org.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A
streaming audio replay of the news event will be available at http://www.hastingsgroupmedia.com/aceee/102011ScorecardReport.mp3, an
electronic copy of the ACEEE 2011 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard
report and a high-resolution image of the ACEEE "logo" will be
made available upon request on October 20, 2011.
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