A comprehensive plan to make our nation’s buildings more efficient by 2030 could save enough energy to power all of our nation’s cars, homes and businesses for a year and a half while saving Americans more than $500 billion, according to a new report by Environment Maryland. By renovating old buildings and ensuring that new ones use 50 percent less energy within ten years and generate as much energy as they use by 2030, we can cut U.S. global warming emissions by at least 34 percent by 2050.
“Bold action to improve the efficiency of our nation’s buildings would go a long way toward meeting America’s energy challenges and stopping global warming,” said Tommy Landers of Environment Maryland. “And we create local jobs and save Americans money by doing so. But, we must act now.”
Nearly half of America’s energy—and 10 percent of the energy used in the world—goes towards powering our buildings, and much of that energy is wasted. Buildings account for 40 percent of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, a major contributor to global warming. Building a Better Future: Moving Toward Zero Pollution With Highly Efficient Homes and Businesses outlines policy steps that local and state officials and the federal government can take to significantly cut energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Some innovative builders and contractors show again and again that energy efficient building can be done without significant added cost,” said Prescott Gaylord, President of Baltimore Green Construction. “We have building codes for a reason—to give us all safe and quality buildings. It is time to take high performance buildings out of the hands of innovators and into the hands of the mainstream builder.”
The report calls for a comprehensive plan to make our nation’s buildings more efficient including:
· Upgrading and enforcing building energy codes to require 30 percent more efficiency by 2012 and 50 percent more efficiency by 2018, and have all new buildings and substantial renovations meet these codes;
· Setting codes to have all new buildings be zero-net energy by 2030 through a combination of energy efficiency and onsite renewable energy;
· Stimulating investments in energy efficiency retrofits in all existing commercial and residential buildings before 2030.
The report illustrates the scale of reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions that can be achieved by adopting these measures, including:
· Saving 144 quadrillion BTU, or enough energy to power all of America’s homes, businesses, cars, and power plants for a year and a half;
· Avoiding a total 11.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050, nearly equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of the U.S. and China combined;
· Paying back up front costs and netting more than $542 billion in energy savings from renovating existing buildings.
The recently passed American Reinvestment and Recovery Act represented a first and important step towards increasing the energy efficiency of our buildings. This significant piece of legislation provided $25 billion for weatherization and energy efficient upgrades for commercial and government buildings. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development received over $60 million for weatherization.
“The energy wasted in existing buildings represents a huge untapped energy source and economic opportunity,” said Steve Lanning, Director of the Laborers’ Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition. “Weatherizing and renovating homes and businesses for energy efficiency will save consumers and businesses money and create good jobs in our communities that cannot be outsourced overseas.”
In the state legislative session this year, Maryland passed a bill requiring counties to adhere to the latest energy efficiency building codes. Majority Leader Del. Kumar Barve was the lead sponsor in the House of Delegates. "I look forward to the federal government following the lead of Maryland and other states that have enacted laws to build greenhouse gas reductions into building codes,” Barve said. “Climate change has occurred one brick at a time, and that's the best way to get rid of it."
In Washington DC the House Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Representative John Sarbanes is a member, is currently debating the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The committee will consider amendments to the bill next week. The goal is to pass the bill out of committee before Congress recesses next Friday for the Memorial Day break, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that the full House will consider the bill this summer. The bill sets a framework for moving to a clean energy economy and stopping global warming and includes strong requirements to promote efficiency in new and existing buildings.
“Our environmental and economic future depends on taking bold action to promote high performance, energy efficient buildings today. We’re calling on Representative Sarbanes to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act,” concluded Landers.
The report is available online:
http://www.environmentmaryland.org/reports/clean-energy/clean-energy-program-reports/building-a-better-future-moving-toward-zero-pollution-with-highly-efficiency-homes-and-businesses
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