According to a new report by the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE), many states are finding creative ways to improve their nationwide energy efficiency ranking.
The report, entitled, “Opportunity Knocks: Examining Low-Ranking States in the State Energy Efficiency Scorecard," says the following states have faced numerous obstacles but have overcome them to improve energy efficiency at least in some way:
The report, entitled, “Opportunity Knocks: Examining Low-Ranking States in the State Energy Efficiency Scorecard," says the following states have faced numerous obstacles but have overcome them to improve energy efficiency at least in some way:
- Alabama
- Kansas
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Last week, for example, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed into law energy efficiency legislation directing all state agencies and higher education institutions to achieve at least 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency by 2020.
Additionally, Alabama and South Carolina recently passed statewide building energy codes to ensure new homes and buildings are constructed to save energy from the start. Other states have programs in place to plan and finance energy efficiency improvements in state government facilities.
The report also says states can improve energy efficiency without major government spending or regulatory action. Like Oklahoma, they can lead by example by advancing energy efficiency projects in government facilities and at universities and schools through innovative financing methods such as allowing projects to pay for themselves by using the savings generated by reduces energy costs.
States can also adopt and enforce building energy codes.
Details
The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) offers a wide range of educational and training programs designed to help consumers and industry professionals better understand the role fenestration products play in contributing to improved energy efficiency.
Consumers can rely on NFRC's Certified Products Directory (CPD) to compare the energy efficiency of various products prior to making a purchase.
