Clean Energy News

Annapolis - Maryland families could save $1,100 every year on their energy bills by 2030 if the government invests in the energy efficiency of our buildings today, according to a new report by Environment Maryland. Saving energy in our buildings would also help Maryland’s fight against global warming by reducing projected greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by 37 percent.

“Let’s not waste any more time, any more energy, or any more money on outdated buildings,” said Environment Maryland State Director Brad Heavner. “We need to invest in efficiency today so we can start building a better tomorrow.”

America’s buildings consume more than 40 percent of our total energy, which amounts to almost 10 percent of all the energy used in the world. Much of this energy is wasted due to inadequate insulation, inefficient heating and cooling systems, and poor construction techniques.

“High-performance green buildings reduce our energy use substantially, in addition to increasing student and worker productivity and decreasing absenteeism,” said Delegate Dan Morhaim of Baltimore County. “We have worked to make sure all new school and government buildings will meet green building standards, and we need to continue to expand that to all construction.”

“We need to move forward with green building construction to reduce the negative impact on our environment and reduce long-term operating costs.  Senate Bill 234 would continue this trend in Maryland by making sure that our community college system goes green with high performance buildings,” said Senator James Robey of Howard County.

“Good green building policy creates jobs, reduces energy consumption, and cleans our environment.  It’s a win, win, win for Marylanders,” said Delegate Sue Hecht of Frederick County.

The National Academy of Sciences estimates that widespread use of today’s technology would increase energy efficiency by up to 30 percent in existing buildings by 2030, and with the rapid march of technological innovation and increased investment in efficiency from governments and consumers, much bigger gains are possible.

The new report, Building Better: How High-Efficiency Buildings Will Save Money and Reduce Global Warming, analyzes the benefits Maryland would see if we committed to dramatically improving the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings. The report uses government data to estimate reduced energy consumption, decreased fossil fuel use, money saved on energy bills, and global warming pollution prevented in 2030 and 2050.

“We have barely scratched the surface of what’s possible with energy efficiency in buildings,” said Michael Hindle of Brennan + Company Architects. “For years builders have been benefiting from the build cheap/sell high development model, maximizing short-term profit at the expense of the long term interests of homeowners and the environment.”

Making our buildings more efficient would reduce the projected energy use of Maryland’s buildings 37 percent by 2030. That would conserve enough energy every year to power nearly four million homes.

These enormous energy savings translate directly into financial savings in the form of reduced energy bills. The average Maryland family of four can expect to save $1100 a year by 2030, which is 35 percent lower than what they would be paying without the improvements in building efficiency.

“That’s the best part about making energy efficiency improvements,” said Heavner. “They pay for themselves as consumers enjoy lower energy bills and a cleaner environment year after year.”

Reduced energy consumption in Maryland would also prevent the emission of 16 million tons of global warming pollution every year by 2030, which is equivalent to taking nearly 3 million cars off the road.

Programs to promote more efficient buildings are popping up all over the country. More than a dozen states, including Maryland, have updated their building codes since the start of 2009, and more than 20 others are currently in the process of doing so. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $16 billion for efficiency-boosting retrofit and weatherization programs, and Congress is now considering major initiatives like HOME STAR and Building STAR that would provide financial incentives for efficiency improvements in residential and commercial buildings.

Environment Maryland is calling for policies that would help us reach our efficiency goals, including:

• Steady improvements to building codes over time so that all new buildings are increasingly efficient, culminating in a zero net energy standard by 2030. This means that in 20 years, every new building that is constructed will be so efficient that it can produce all the power it needs right onsite from renewable sources like solar panels or wind turbines.
• Investing in energy retrofits and weatherization to improve the efficiency of existing buildings 30 percent by 2030.
• Supporting innovative financing mechanisms that will unleash public and private investment in building efficiency.