Energy efficiency investments reap three times the economic rewards
According to findings made by the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) and released in its second Energy Pro3 Report, energy efficiency investments deliver more than threefold in economic output. The report studied the fiscal performance from 2010 through 2013 of 16 cities participating in SEEA’s energy efficiency retrofit consortium. The research, which was conducted by the Cadmus Group, shows that every $1 million invested in energy efficiency programs in the region generated $3.87 million and created an average of 17 new jobs.
These economic gains were realized through 10,000-plus building energy audits and 6,000 retrofit installations in home and commercial buildings. The SEEA program consortium received $20.2 million in U.S. DOE funding through the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program (BBNP), ranking sixth out of 41 BBNP programs countrywide in the number of completed retrofits.