FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1,
2008
CONTACT: Matt Elliott, Environment New Jersey: 609-392-5151
New White Paper: Stronger Building
Energy Codes and Incentives Could Lead to Dramatic Energy Savings in
Buildings
According to a new white paper released
today by Environment New Jersey, the country's energy consumption could be cut
by 11 percent through simple building efficiency measures. “Building an
Energy-Efficient America: Zero Energy and High Efficiency Buildings” describes
the many opportunities for increasing energy efficiency in buildings and makes
recommendations for what local, state and federal officials can do to secure
huge energy savings in new and existing buildings.
“With global warming looming and energy prices soaring,
we need to be doing all we can to save energy,” said Environment New Jersey’s
Global Warming and Clean Energy Advocate Matt Elliott. “We already have the
technology to slash our energy use in buildings, or even eliminate fossil fuel
use altogether. We need to take advantage of these innovations and bring our
homes and businesses into the 21st century.”
Nearly half of the energy we use in the
United
States—10 percent of the energy in the world—is
consumed powering the buildings in which we live and work and much, if not most
of that energy is wasted. “Building an Energy-Efficient America” describes
policy steps that states and the federal government can take to significantly
cut that waste and realize our technological potential for energy
efficiency:
- Building energy codes should be improved and
enforced. National model codes should be 30 percent more efficient by 2010 and
state codes should match or exceed the model codes.
- Federal, state, and local governments should
adopt policies that encourage building far beyond code and retrofitting existing
buildings for increased efficiency.
- Policies should be designed to encourage
on-site renewable power.
- Political leaders should set the goal for all
new buildings to be zero net energy by 2030.
The energy savings that can be achieved through these
cost-effective policies cannot be understated.
- By 2020 we could reduce annual
United
States energy consumption by 11 percent through
simple building efficiency measures such as more efficient lighting, water
heating, and appliances, and by designing new buildings to be more energy
efficient.
- Strong energy codes alone, adopted nationally
and adequately enforced, would reduce national energy consumption by 2 percent
by 2030.
- One quad of energy gained through building
efficiency would cost $42.1 billion. This much energy would cost three times as
much gained through new coal plants, and five times as much through new nuclear
plants.
The first step hinges on an upcoming vote in September,
when officials from towns and cities across the country will be coming together
to create the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) – the national
model code most states use to shape how new homes are constructed. They’ll be
voting on whether to include the 30% Solution, which would require new houses to
be 30 percent more efficient.
“An enormous amount of energy is wasted in buildings,
and capturing this energy is vital in order to set America on a new
path to a cleaner, smarter energy future” said Elliott. “This is one of the
most important energy votes of the year.” “Mayors who send their officials to
vote for the 30% Solution won’t just be saving their citizens money, they’ll be
helping the entire country reduce our energy waste and global warming
emissions,” he added.
Another key step towards modernizing our buildings is
renewing the national energy tax credits. This package includes tax deductions
and bonds to help homeowners, builders and business owners construct buildings
that waste less energy and take advantage of solar power. The tax credits are
set to expire at the end of this year and have passed the U.S. House numerous
times but have been continually blocked by Senate Republicans. Passing these
tax credits would not only preserve support for clean energy investment, one of
the fastest-growing areas of our economy; the tax credits would also help
consumers save money by encouraging energy efficient building.
New
Jersey could be one of many states already
leading the way with building codes, incentives, and rules that set strong
minimum standards for efficient building and encourage efficiency far beyond the
minimum and renewable energy.
- Maine recently passed its first statewide
residential building energy code, which requires that the state continually
incorporate each update to the model code as its energy efficiency
increases.
- Oregon enacted tax credits for
energy-efficient building practices in 2007, which can amount to thousands of
dollars and large percentages of the incremental costs.
- California, as part of its ground-breaking
Million Solar Roofs legislation, mandates that solar panels become a standard
option for all new houses by 2011.
When Gov. Corzine released his draft Energy Master Plan
in April, he made energy efficiency a key priority for the state, and called
upon the New
Jersey legislature to enhance the state’s existing
building codes. That legislation has faced political gridlock and has thus far
failed to receive full legislative support.
Environment New Jersey
called upon the legislature and the governor to prioritize energy efficiency in
New Jersey and
to set a national precedent by moving the state past the old, inefficient
and wasteful policies of the past.
Environment New Jersey called upon the legislature and the
governor to put the state on track to make all new buildings zero-energy by 2030
by supporting the energy efficiency bill, and by revising the state’s Energy
Master Plan to include plans for zero-energy
buildings.
“Gas and electricity bills could be obsolete by the
middle of this century, and we can start by taking advantage of the large
savings that are already at our fingertips,” said Elliott. “We need to make a
commitment and work towards that vision of clean, efficient, homegrown energy by
making the most of the opportunities in front of us right
now.”
