Energy Efficiency: America’s Job-Creation Powerhouse
Channel: eesionline
Date: 26/10/2018

For more information: https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/102518efficiency

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and E4TheFuture held a briefing on the growing number of Americans employed in the energy efficiency sector. The latest report from the nonprofit groups E4TheFuture and Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) reveals a vibrant and growing part of the economy focused on helping homeowners and businesses make the most of their power supply. The briefing showcased the perspectives of industry analysts and insiders on why energy efficiency is one of the most dynamic parts of the U.S. economy today.

Philip Jordan
Vice-President, BW Research Partnership
Download Slides: https://www.eesi.org/files/Philip_Jordan_102518.pdf
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/B2HVnEhor9k?t=4m5s

Pat Stanton
Director of Policy, E4TheFuture
Download Slides: https://www.eesi.org/files/Pat_Stanton_102518.pdf
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/B2HVnEhor9k?t=18m2s

David Terry
Executive Director, National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/B2HVnEhor9k?t=28m55s

Ryan Weitzel
Regional Director, FLC Energy
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/B2HVnEhor9k?t=37m20s

Grant Carlisle
Director of Advocacy, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2)
Download Slides: https://www.eesi.org/files/Grant_Carlisle_102518.pdf
Skip to presentation: https://youtu.be/B2HVnEhor9k?t=46m43s

Q&A Session
https://youtu.be/B2HVnEhor9k?t=51m33s

Energy efficiency added more new jobs than any other industry in the entire U.S. energy sector in 2017, and now employs nearly 2.25 million Americans. As the fastest-growing part of the energy sector, efficiency now employs twice as many workers as all fossil fuel industries combined and accounts for 35 percent of all U.S. energy jobs overall. There are more energy efficiency workers than there are elementary and middle school teachers.

Efficiency jobs are distributed across the country (there are energy efficiency workers in 99.7 percent of all U.S. counties), with the top ten states in terms of total jobs including California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia. More than 315,500 of all energy efficiency jobs are based in manufacturing, and such jobs experienced a 10 percent increase in 2017 alone. Efficiency jobs encompass contractors, factory workers, and professionals and can be found in lighting, HVAC, renewable heating & cooling, building materials/insulation, and manufacturing Energy Star–labeled appliances. The E2 report also lays out recommendations for federal policymakers, including approaches to funding infrastructure investments, renewing the commercial and residential building tax credits, maintaining the federal State Energy Program and Weatherization Assistance Program, and continuing EPA's Energy Star program.

The National Association of State Energy Officials and the Energy Futures Initiative published their U.S. Energy and Employment Report in May 2018, providing additional insight into jobs in all energy supply and demand sectors including efficiency, as well as state-by-state snapshots. The report found that total U.S. energy employment increased in 2017 by two percent, representing seven percent of all the jobs added to America's workforce during that period.