In June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released it's much anticipated plans to regulate carbon emissions. The Clean Power Plan would  significantly cut carbon pollution from the single largest source of carbon pollution in the United States--existing power plants. There is a lot to unpack in this sweeping plan, but it suffices to say, energy efficiency was nominated to play a leading role. Even on a small scale, ecobeco sees the role efficiency can play in tackling big challenges. Here's a short video below describing the Clean Power Plan. 

Clean Power Plan Explained

The Department of Energy's Better Buildings Residential Network says that, "[t]he EPA proposal provides guidelines for states to develop flexible plans to meet state-specific goals to reduce carbon pollution. Significantly, states can choose energy efficiency-along with a mix of approaches-to meet the goals and their own needs."

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's (ACEEE's) Executive Director Steven Nadel released the following in a statement in response to EPA's proposal:

"Energy efficiency is the cheapest, cleanest, and most readily available energy resource to help states cut carbon pollution. Over the last several decades, energy efficiency measures, such as home energy [upgrades] and rebates for high-efficiency appliances have helped Americans save billions of dollars by slashing energy waste. By including energy efficiency in its proposal, [EPA] has created a path for states to lower consumer energy bills through modest investments. States that take advantage of this flexibility will benefit both the economy and the environment. The real story here is about economic opportunity. Based on our recent study, we project that if states choose the efficiency path in the proposal, they would create hundreds of thousands of jobs and lower energy bills across the country by tens of billions of dollars a year."

In April, an ACEEE analysis shows that energy efficiency could help states offset the need for nearly 500 power plants, reducing carbon pollution by 26%.

A healthier environment, a bump to innovation, and stronger economy? Count us in!