June 11, 2009
Energy Efficiency in a Down Economy
An article in this week’s Boston Business Journal entitled “Energy-efficiency programs dimmed by down economy” discusses the recent decrease in energy-efficient projects as a result of the economic downturn. Fewer businesses and commercial building owners are willing to invest in energy efficiency in these hard economic times without a proven return on investment and short payback. I have observed this decrease, but expect that the downturn will actually improve energy efficiency programs in buildings rather than eliminate them. Businesses and building owners will find best practices that have the required, proven ROIs and the short payback periods they want. Moreover, energy efficiency projects are getting a boost from various rebates and incentives.
The Boston Business Journal article discusses the prevalence of rebate programs now available a result of the Recovery Act and other regional initiatives. This comes just weeks after US Energy Secretary Steve Chu discussed climate change reduction and energy efficiency strategies, sighting buildings as a main focus for the Obama administration. In a BBC article on May 21st, Professor Chu stated that the first step for the United States should be a massive program of efficiency for commercial buildings, which could save 80% of the country’s energy demand. He went on to say that the government plans to help provide the research for such programs and encourage states to adopt tougher standards.
Even without official government mandates, utilities are taking initiative. A number of utilities now offer rebates of over 35% on certain projects, making energy efficiency both environmentally and budget friendly. However, as the Boston Business Journal states, the myriad options are also daunting for businesses that must try to figure out which programs apply to them and how to achieve them. Sustainability Roundtable, Inc is working with experts, such as RealWinWin, to help solve this problem and provide an overview of utility rebates. We hope that by supplying this information to our Members we can make the process of sifting through rebate options easier, faster and a bit more straightforward.