Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, have introduced the broadest measure, including a variety of energy conservation and alternative energy proposals as well as a patchwork system for limiting carbon dioxide emissions. That does not yet command majority support, so Democratic leaders are looking to fashion an amalgam that combines some elements of the Kerry-Lieberman bill with more popular measures to address the gulf coast disaster, reduce oil imports and promote renewable fuels.
John Kerry Mentioned "In January, the E.P.A. has said it will move to regulate those sources of pollution in our country. Many companies have come to the table, many industries have come to the table. We have gas and coal and nuclear and renewable and alternative and energy efficiency and many others, all of whom believe this is the moment to create these jobs in our country and secure our energy future. We’re convinced that we can do it."
As several policy makers and government agencies are looking at investments in renewable energy to ensure US stays ahead of the curve, there is also renewed interest in the Energy Efficiency side.
A survey conducted by Johnson Controls in the earlier part of the year among more than 1,400 North American executives and managers responsible for making investments and managing energy in commercial buildings found that planned investment in energy efficiency is expected to rebound in 2010. As US gross domestic product slipped to under 1% in 2008, the $4.1 billion energy service industry grew 7%. That was nothing compared to the expansion predicted over the next couple of years, according to a new report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report also predicts that Energy service companies, or ESCOs, will see 26% annual growth from 2009-2011 with revenue reaching $7.1 to $7.3 billion, the report estimates. But interest in energy efficiency ebbed among big businesses, not surprising given the economy. They accounted for 15% of market share in 2006, but only 7% in 2008. Uncertainty about the future makes them hesitant to commit to long-term performance contracts, according to the report. Private companies that typically offer energy savings improvements under long-term performance contracts are called ESCOs. The report finds that the traditional ESCO business model based on long-term performance contracts has always been a tough sell to private sector customers and the economic turns further impact its attractiveness. The US Department of Energy invested $440 million in federal efficiency projects in 2009 and $498 million in 2010. As the greenshoots start to emerge, the outlook for next year looks much brighter.
Kye findings from the survey conducted by Johnson Controls are as below:
- 52 percent (up from 46 percent) are planning to make capital investments in energy efficiency
- 60 percent are planning (up from 55 percent) to make operating budget expenditures in efficiency programs over the next twelve months.
- 38 percent of business leaders said that the largest barrier to making energy efficiency investments is limited capital availability.
- 65 percent of business leaders say they are paying more attention to energy efficiency than they were one year ago
- 84 percent of respondents say that energy efficiency is a priority for new construction and retrofit projects planned for this year.
The most important factor influencing energy efficiency decisions is energy cost savings, with 97 % of respondents identifying it as significant. 64% expect energy prices to rise in 2010. Overall the average expectation of respondents is a seven percent increase in the combined price of energy over the next 12 months.
The next most important factors influencing energy efficiency decisions are enhanced public image (63 %), government and utility incentives (62 %), and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (62 %). This climate concern is growing in importance, up from 57 % that considered greenhouse gas reduction a significant factor in 2009.
Seventy-five percent of decision makers believe significant legislation mandating energy efficiency and/or carbon reduction is likely within the next two years, compared to 85 % in 2009 and 76 % in 2008. The lack of direction in the Copenhagen summit was palpable from thsi reponse. But still the number of respondents being expectant of legislations is significant.
When asked what specific energy efficiency improvements have been implemented over the past 12 months, the most popular are those with low capital cost and/or a rapid return on investment.
- 72 percent switched to energy efficient lighting
- 63 percent trained facilities staff
- 61 percent educated building occupants to save energy
- 56 percent made set point adjustments
- 40 percent installed occupancy or daylight sensors
- 33 percent upgraded building controls.
Executives were also asked this year to predict what would see the greatest improvement in performance-to-price ratio over the next 10 years. The key energy-related technologies predicted to impact greates improvement in performance to price ration were:
- lighting (51 percent)
- smart building technology (44 percent)
- solar PV (38 percent)
- electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (28 percent)
- Nuclear power (22%)
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Saturday, 07 August 2010
