FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Energy efficiency, an unseen giant growing jobs in Colorado
July 18, 2012 - Denver, CO – Energy efficiency has been a quiet success for Colorado and there continues to be
massive opportunities for economic development for businesses and energy consumers.
Energy Efficiency Business Coalition’s “Colorado State of the State” Report estimates a local industry made up
of more than 14,000 managers, engineers, technicians, office staff and more. Meanwhile, energy efficiency
projects make up a small minority of building construction projects. These projects provide an excellent
opportunity to continue the creation of local jobs. However, there are some challenges to scaling the growth of the
industry. The report identifies these key challenges for the continued growth of the industry including an
uncertain future of programs, inconsistent standards across programs, and creating value for energy efficiency
improvements.
“For a number of good reasons, the industry has seen rapid growth over the past few years,” says EEBC
Executive Director, Eric Van Orden. “This report is important to spell out the lessons learned and provide a road
map to keep up the momentum.”
Investment in energy efficiency by utilities in Colorado have played an important role in creating jobs through
programs that encourage home and business owners to implement energy efficiency products and services. In
2007, House Bill 07-1037 set goals for investor owned utilities to help customers reduce electricity usage in 2020
to about 11.5% less than their energy use from 2009. Since then, Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy have
invested $167.7 million in energy efficiency, creating savings of 814 gigawatt-hours with a peak reduction of
209.9 gigawatts, yielding a net economic benefit of $646 million in Colorado. Yet, very few utilities outside of
these have strong energy efficiency programs, as identified by the Utility Energy Efficiency Scorecard in the
report.
Municipalities have also promoted the adoption of energy efficiency solutions through similar programs initiated
by the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Neighborhood program. This has lead to more than $10.7 million
in energy efficiency projects in Boulder, Denver, Eagle, Pitkin, and Gunnison counties. Recent innovations to
project financing options under these programs could provide sustainable solutions as the funding subsides in
2013. With the lessons learned from these programs, other cities are seeing the opportunity and developing
initiatives to create jobs and save energy in their communities.
While the report identifies the many cross-sector actors involved in this growing industry, EEBC’s Executive
Director points out, “The success really comes down to the interaction of these actors with the energy efficiency
businesses - the contractors, engineers, and others that are diligently working every day to implement energy
saving solutions.”
Visit: www.EnergyEfficiencyBusinesses.org/SOS to download the report for free
About the Energy Efficiency Business Coalition
EEBC is a nonprofit trade association formed in 2007 to provide organized representation for the numerous
businesses that are involved in the manufacturing, distribution, installation, sales and marketing of energy
efficiency technologies and services. The member-funded coalition works with utilities, municipalities, and
government organizations to promote energy efficiency policies and programs that support the business objectives
of member businesses.
Contact
Adam Knoff
Media Relations
Phone: (720) 445-3728
Email: [email protected]