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Energy-efficient buildings, whether new or existing, lessen our nation's energy use.

Essential to Efficiency

Buildings consume 40 percent of all energy used in the United States and are responsible for nearly 40 percent of domestic carbon dioxide emissions. Efficient buildings reduce the speed and severity of global warming, lessen demand on the power grid, decrease stress on natural gas supplies, improve local air quality and save consumers money. Efficient features may be either embedded in new buildings or added to existing buildings through energy retrofits.

New Buildings

The design phase of a new building is the best opportunity to embed long-term energy savings into the building. Major improvements in building efficiency are often accomplished through stronger efficiency requirements in building codes. More on building codes.

Existing Buildings

With less than 1.5 percent of the U.S. building stock built new each year, improving existing buildings is critical to improving building efficiency overall. Energy retrofits, which upgrade equipment and seal the envelope of existing buildings, can save building inhabitants up to 20 percent on their utility bills. Still, participation in retrofit programs remains low. Financial support and technical assistance from all levels of government can help drive energy efficiency retrofits.

Alliance to Save Energy Applauds House Passage of Overdue Extension of Energy Tax Incentives

Date: 
May 22, 2008

The Alliance to Save Energy today applauded the House of Representatives for passing, on a bipartisan basis, long-stalled extensions for energy-efficiency and renewable tax incentives.

Washington, D.C., May 21, 2008 – The Alliance to Save Energy today applauded the House of Representatives for passing, on a bipartisan basis, long-stalled extensions for energy-efficiency and renewable tax incentives. The House passed H.R. 6049, the Energy and Tax Extenders Act of 2008, by a 263-160 vote.

Alliance to Save Energy Urges Congress to End Energy Tax Incentive Stalemate

Date: 
May 16, 2008

The Alliance to Save Energy today commended the House Ways and Means Committee for reporting a package of extensions for renewable and energy efficiency tax incentives, and urged the House leadership to follow through on its commitment, voiced last week by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, that the House will vote on expired renewable-energy and energy efficiency tax incentives before Memorial Day.

Washington, D.C., May 7, 2008 – The Alliance to Save Energy today commended the House Ways and Means Committee for reporting a package of extensions for renewable and energy efficiency tax incentives, and urged the House leadership to follow through on its commitment, voiced last week by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, that the House will vote on expired renewable-energy and energy efficiency tax incentives before Memorial Day.

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Model Homes in Montgomery County, MD

Date: May 09, 2008

On April 22nd, Earth Day, the Montgomery Country Council in Maryland passed one of the most ambitiously efficient pieces of legislation in the nation: a requirement that all new single-family homes and townhouses satisfy the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR standards, which encourage the use of energy-efficient windows, effective insulation, and tightly-sealed structures.

On April 22nd, Earth Day, the Montgomery Country Council in Maryland passed one of the most ambitiously efficient pieces of legislation in the nation: a requirement that all new single-family homes and townhouses satisfy the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR standards, which encourage the use of energy-efficient windows, effective insulation, and tightly-sealed structures.

2008 Great Energy Efficiency Day

2008 Great Energy Efficiency Day

April 16, 2008 - 8:00am - 3:30pm
Washington, District Of Columbia

Energy Efficiency in Climate Legislation

April 16, 2008
Lowell Ungar

Energy efficiency is the most readily available and least-cost solution to global warming in the near-term. A recent study by McKinsey & Company found that increased efficiency in buildings, industry, transportation, and energy production could meet almost all increased demand for energy services in the United States while preventing more than 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year by 2030—with an annual net savings of over $50 billion. Importantly, McKinsey states that achieving these carbon savings will require “a portfolio of strong, coordinated policies.”
Climate cap-and-trade or carbon tax legislation can spur unprecedented levels of energy efficiency, especially in hard-to-reach sectors of the economy. But market barriers that prevent cost-effective efficiency measures today will make it hard to achieve the needed energy savings solely through carbon prices. In addition, a poorly designed cap-and-trade system may provide little price signal to energy users. Tapping the vast available reserves of cost-effective energy efficiency will require careful design of the cap-and-trade or tax system, enactment of complementary efficiency policies, and use of some of the revenues for energy-efficiency programs.

Pricing Carbon Will Spur Energy Efficiency

International Code Council Committee Sets Stage for Boost in Energy Efficiency of NEW U.S. Homes

Contact Email: 
rkweller@ase.org
Date: 
March 3, 2008

Model energy building efficiency codes under the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) could be strengthened substantially if action taken at the just-completed 2008 Codes Forum of the International Code Council (ICC) is upheld at the ICC annual meeting in September. The IECC, which is amended every three years, is the model energy efficient building code recognized by federal law.

Three-Day Hearing Could Result in More Energy Efficiency Improvements than Any Previous Set of Model Code Amendments

WASHINGTON, DC, March 2, 2008 – Model energy building efficiency codes under the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) could be strengthened substantially if action taken at the just-completed 2008 Codes Forum of the International Code Council (ICC) is upheld at the ICC annual meeting in September. The IECC, which is amended every three years, is the model energy efficient building code recognized by federal law.

FY ’09 Budget Request a Disappointing ‘Second Act’ to President’s Lofty State of the Union Goals

Date: 
February 4, 2008

The Alliance to Save Energy expressed sharp disappointment with President Bush’s FY 2009 budget request, which eliminates most recent funding increases for energy-efficiency programs and flies in the face of the lofty clean energy and efficiency goals set forth in the State of the Union.

Washington, D.C., February 4, 2008 – The Alliance to Save Energy today expressed sharp disappointment with President Bush’s FY 2009 budget request, which eliminates most recent funding increases for energy-efficiency programs and flies in the face of the lofty clean energy and efficiency goals set forth in the State of the Union.

Alliance Applauds Senate Finance Committee for Including Energy-Efficiency Tax Incentives in Stimulus Package

Author: 
Ronnie Kweller
Contact Email: 
rkweller@ase.org
Date: 
January 31, 2008

The Alliance to Save Energy praised the Senate Finance Committee today for including four major energy-efficiency tax incentives as part of the economic stimulus package it approved for full Senate consideration.

Washington, D.C., January 30, 2008 – The Alliance to Save Energy praised the Senate Finance Committee today for including four major energy-efficiency tax incentives as part of the economic stimulus package it approved for full Senate consideration.

Alliance Calls on Congress to Wrap Up ‘Unfinished Business’ By Passing Energy-Efficiency Tax Credits in Stimulus Package

Author: 
Ronnie Kweller
Contact Email: 
rkweller@ase.org
Date: 
January 30, 2008

The Alliance to Save Energy strongly urged Congress to act today to extend tax credits for consumers who make energy-efficiency home improvements, noting that these tax incentives are major incentives for moving new efficient technologies into the commercial mainstream.

Washington, D.C., January 30, 2008 – The Alliance to Save Energy strongly urged Congress to act today to extend tax credits for consumers who make energy-efficiency home improvements, noting that these tax incentives are major incentives for moving new efficient technologies into the commercial mainstream.

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European Parliament Backs Energy Efficiency as the Cornerstone for Climate Change Policy

Date: Jan 29, 2008

Drastic cuts in carbon emissions are necessary to prevent damaging climate change in Europe, and a key committee of the European Parliament recently concluded that the most immediate and cost-effective means of achieving carbon constraints is to use energy more efficiently.

Drastic cuts in carbon emissions are necessary to prevent damaging climate change in Europe, and a key committee of the European Parliament recently concluded that the most immediate and cost-effective means of achieving carbon constraints is to use energy more efficiently.

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