COVID-19 Response

The energy efficiency industry has been severely impacted by COVID-19. The Alliance’s proposals can help workers get back on the job quickly while addressing long-term recovery.

Responding To The COVID-19 Pandemic

The Alliance is working with our Associates to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that lawmakers understand the severe damage playing out in the energy efficiency sector and act accordingly to help rebuild it. A recent report from E2, E4TheFuture, and others found that almost 315,000 energy efficiency workers remain unemployed since the pandemic began in March. Most of these are construction jobs that have been lost as weatherization programs have shut down or demand has fallen for efficiency improvements in homes and buildings. The slowdown ultimately threatens the entire efficiency supply chain, including engineering, manufacturing of building components such as insulation, systems controls and windows, professional services, and other fields.

While we will support a number of policy solutions, including longtime priorities such as expanding weatherization programs and federal financing opportunities, we have developed four priorities focused on stimulating economic activity and creating jobs: modernizing energy efficiency tax incentives, creating a federal grant program for small business energy efficiency retrofits, launching a campaign to retrofit critical public buildings, and expanding investments in efficient transportation and infrastructure.

We will continue to update this page with the latest information and efforts, so please continue to check back.

Policy Priorities

Expansion of Energy Efficiency Tax Credits

As was done under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we are working to expand and extend energy efficiency tax incentives for homes and buildings. This would include, for example, increasing the incentive cap for the Sec. 25C tax incentive for homeowner efficiency improvements to stimulate homeowner investments in the future, and expanding the Sec. 179D buildings incentive to drive deeper retrofits.

Find out more in the Tax Priorities for Rebuilding the Energy Efficiency Economy and Workforce Proposal
Read our blog on how Smart Tax Incentives Can Kickstart the Efficiency Economy

Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program

We are working on a proposal to create a federal grant program that would support the small businesses being hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a quick injection of federal matching funding to kick-start energy efficiency retrofits through existing utility demand side management programs.

Find out more about the Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program and additional resources
Read Alliance Board Member and President of Lime Energy Adam Procell's blog: Driving Energy Efficiency through Small Business Investment

Mission Critical Facility Renewal Program

We are also developing a proposal for funding retrofits in public buildings that would allow the rapid transformation of unoccupied spaces to support public health and other emergencies while improving facility efficiency and resilience.

Find out more about the Mission Critical Facility Renewal Program and additional resources
Read former Alliance Interim President Clay Nesler's blog: Economic Stimulus – Let’s Do Building Retrofits RIGHT

Transportation and Infrastructure Investments

We are working with our 50x50 Transportation Action Network to identify opportunities for transportation infrastructure investments that will create jobs and deliver a more efficient and sustainable transportation sector. For this work, we are drawing on priorities developed by the 50x50 Commission on Transportation Sector Efficiency from 2017-2019, including investments in electrification infrastructure, port and airport modernization, public transit, and emerging technologies and trends.