Oct 20 2008

Energy Efficiency Pays Off

They say virtue is its own reward--but it's always nice when there's an extra prize thrown in for good behavior. In the case of energy efficiency, the extra bonus for doing right by the environment is more jobs, according to a new study by UC Berkeley economist David Roland-Holst.

Roland-Holst's paper, "Energy Efficiency, Innovation, and Job Creation in California," finds that savings from the state's pioneering efficiency measures have allowed California households to spend less on energy and correspondingly more on other goods and services, creating about 1.5 million jobs with a total payroll of $45 billion over the period 1972-2006.

The service sector saw an increase in compensation of nearly $18 billion; wholesale and retail trade enjoyed an increase of just over $11 billion in payrolls, and the financial sector saw an uptick in compensation of more than $7 billion.

At a time when many critics wonder whether the country can afford to fight climate change, the study reminds us to the contrary that "in addition to energy price vulnerability and climate damage, the risks of excessive energy dependence include lower long-term economic growth. A lower carbon future for California is a more prosperous and sustainable future."

Posted by: Jonathan Marshall | Comments (0) digg delicioussend to a friendprint entry

 

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Efficiency

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  • This is being rather generous to Lutz. 1. The "Volt", in no small part, will be targeted as a product to people who care about energy and environmental issues. These people don't embrace Lutz' antideluvian concepts of rejecting science. How responsible is it for a GM executive to be rejecting the science? 2. As well, Lutz didn't exactly sound too enthusiastic about the Volt itself. 3. And, GM public communications has 'defended' Lutz in rather absurd ways. -A Siegel
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  • This article is right on - small businesses have a huge role to play in sustainability. Not only do they add up in aggregate, but many small businesses operate in industries that can have a significant environmental impact depending on the exact practices, like dry cleaners, auto repair shops, etc. Green is also starting to affect the bottom line more and more, customers are increasingly voting with their feet for more sustainable businesses as can be seen from the growth of sites like http://www.ecovian.com. This is also a huge opportunity for small businesses to leapfrog their bigger brothers by being more agile in adopting these measures. -Emily
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  • Great entry, Katie. Love the level of detail you managed to get in there! Probably won't be able to compete with coal and oil any time the next decade, but definitely a great technology to look into! Keep it up :) -Rune (Norway)
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