February 18, 2009—The Alliance to Save Energy hailed new Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) legislation, introduced recently by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), as effective federal policy that would reduce consumers’ energy use and therefore costs; cut global warming pollution; and supplant the need for new power plants to meet rising energy demand.
The Save American Energy Act would cut electricity and natural gas demand and, in combination with another newly introduced Markey bill, creating a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), create more than a half million jobs and save US consumers more than $180 billion, according to Markey’s office.
The Markey bill would require electric and gas utilities to reduce demand by 15 and 10 percent, respectively, by 2020. Utilities could count savings from helping their customers to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient, as well as from appliance standards, building codes, and other government programs. And while utilities would be responsible for meeting the energy efficiency requirements, they would be allowed to buy savings from states and other third parties that could be used to demonstrate compliance.
For more information, see the Association to Save Energy Web site.
