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The United States of America uses approximately 20
percent of all energy generated worldwide. Per unit of economic output, our
economy is twice as energy intensive as Germany’s and nearly three
times as energy intensive as Japan’s. Our buildings alone are
responsible for nearly half our energy use — that’s almost 10
percent of all energy used across the planet. Staggering numbers? Definitely, and the associated
consequences are immense. Such massive energy production increases
global-warming pollution and fills our skies with toxic chemicals that
endanger our health. Energy consumption is an enormous expense, suffocating
economic growth through skyrocketing monthly utility bills for businesses
and families. We cannot continue down this path — and the
good news is that we have the tools to get more efficient immediately. A new paper released by Environment America details
how we can reduce energy use through vastly increased efficiency in our
buildings. The paper, “Building an Energy Efficient America: Zero
Energy and High Efficiency Buildings,” outlines the remarkable gains
available through improved building design, more efficient lighting
systems, and new technologies for space conditioning.
With 75 percent of our buildings targeted for
construction or renovation by 2035, there’s a tremendous window for
change. Aggressive weatherization of homes, combined with installation of
high-efficiency furnaces and air conditioners, reduces energy consumption
for space heating and cooling by 20 to 40 percent or more. Similar savings
are available for energy used in water heating (through the use of tankless
and solar water heaters), lighting (through the use of energy-efficient
compact fluorescent lamps and light-emitting diodes, or LEDs), and many
appliances. Becoming more energy efficient makes economic sense,
too. Every $1 spent on energy efficiency saves, on average, $3 on customer
energy bills. One quad of energy (a quadrillion BTUs, approximately 1
percent of total U.S. energy production) gained through investment in
building efficiency would cost $42.1 billion — a significant amount,
but not in comparison to the $122 billion to deliver this much energy by
building new coal plants. U.S. Sen. John McCain talks about building 35 new
nuclear plants, but delivering a quad of energy through new nuclear power
would cost an astounding $222 billion.
That great untapped clean energy resource? It’s
getting more out of the energy we already create.
But we can’t get there without if our
politicians don’t step up to the plate. They must tackle this problem
by taking the following steps: First, the national model building energy code must
be strengthened. Every three years, code officials meet to develop new
guidelines for the latest code. The latest meeting is scheduled for
September. A coalition of groups — from the U.S. Department of Energy
to the Consumer Federation of America — has endorsed the “30
Percent Solution,” a 30 percent strengthening of our model code. If
mayors are serious about reducing needless energy consumption, they will
tell their code officials that the 30 Percent Solution must become part of
the model code, and they will work diligently to enforce the code once
it’s approved. Second, strong energy codes must be adopted
nationwide. Although 18 states have adopted the latest model code for new
residential construction, states such as Illinois have no statewide
standard. Legislation to create efficiency standards for new residential
construction passed the Illinois House by a 109-5 margin and Senate by a
55-0 margin, but, as a result of squabbling between House and Senate
leadership, never became law. If our state government’s leaders are
serious about energy efficiency, they’ll put petty differences aside
and turn this bill into law.
Third, national tax incentives for clean and
renewable energy must be extended and enhanced. Many of these technologies,
such as solar photovoltaic panels, are used by buildings on-site to produce
energy and offset consumption. Stunting the growth of promising
technologies by removing incentives for their development, adoption, and
use would mark a giant step backward when we must move full speed ahead.
Cutting energy consumption doesn’t have to be
painful, and increased efficiency in our buildings is a great start. The
solutions are there. It’s time for our leaders to carry them forward.
Brian Granahan is a staff attorney with Environment
Illinois. He and state Sen. Mattie Hunter were co-authors of “We must
do better,” published in the May 1 edition of Illinois Times.
This article appears in Jul 10-16, 2008.
