December 2020 Newsletter
Hello Friends —
We hope you enjoyed a safe and restorative Thanksgiving break. I was pleased to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory a few weeks ago. His election offers the United States a historic opportunity to use energy efficiency to cut greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.
In a letter last week, ACEEE and partners urged the incoming administration to use existing law to reduce energy waste from homes and buildings. The agenda in the letter embraces and expands on proposals we recently published in three briefs and a report on appliance standards.
We look forward to sharing the 2020 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard with you this month, and we hope to see you at the Energy Efficiency and Climate Policy Forum this Thursday or at the Behavior, Energy & Climate Change Conference (BECC) next week.
Please keep us posted on your endeavors.
Best,
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Steven Nadel Executive Director |
| Highlights |
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Biden’s election offers opportunity to cut emissions and fight climate change
We congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory and welcome his commitment to scale up energy efficiency and confront the climate crisis. |
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Groups urge Biden to use existing authorities to cut energy waste, carbon from buildings
In the Biden administration, federal agencies should use their authority under existing laws to create jobs, reduce consumers’ utility bills, and mitigate climate change by reducing energy waste from homes and buildings, a coalition of groups urged the President-elect in a letter. |
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Biden could slash carbon pollution, energy costs with efficiency standards
The Biden administration could slash carbon emissions and save the average American household $230 annually on utility bills by 2035 through strengthening energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment, according to a new ACEEE and ASAP report. |
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COVID-safe and sustainable learning environments
Communities across the United States are trying to decide how and when kids can safely return to school. Schools and policymakers can take steps now to create safe, sustainable learning environments that could deliver long-term energy savings. Some efforts are already underway. |
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Canada and COVID: Great ambition, some progress on an energy-efficient recovery
Like most parts of the world, Canada continues to grapple with the twin health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is some momentum on building back better and greener. |
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DC joins leading states in setting strong appliance efficiency standards
Washington, DC is set to become the eighth U.S. jurisdiction to adopt energy-saving standards for common household and commercial products since the start of the Trump administration. |
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Reclaim the sharing economy for sustainability: Q&A with BECC keynoter Juliet Schor
Juliet Schor, author and sociologist, will discuss her decade of research on the “sharing economy” in a keynote address next week at the Behavior, Energy & Climate Change Conference. |
| ACEEE in the News
A few of our favorite media highlights from the past month: Marketplace quoted ACEEE’s Ariel Drehobl speaking about the threat of home utility service disconnections during the pandemic. E&E Energywire and Politico Morning Energy covered our issue briefs on executive actions the Biden administration could take to improve efficiency of buildings. The ACEEE/ASAP report on updating federal appliance standards was featured by E&E Energywire, Politico Morning Energy, Utility Dive, and Washington Examiner. Commercial Property Executive and Smart Energy wrote about our report on electrifying heating in existing commercial buildings. |