Reconstruction & Renovation

Energy efficiency retrofits could produce $1 trillion in savings for the US

Investments in energy efficiency retrofits for buildings could yield more than three times their value—or about $1 trillion in energy savings in a decade, according to new research from Deutsche Bank and The Rockefeller Foundation.
March 7, 2012

Investments in energy efficiency retrofits for buildings could yield more than three times their value—or about $1 trillion in energy savings in a decade, according to new research from Deutsche Bank and The Rockefeller Foundation. The new report, "United States Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits: Market Sizing and Financing Models," says that $1 trillion of savings would result from $279 billion of spending on retrofits of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings in the United States.

Obtaining financing for retrofits has proven to be the biggest barrier to broader market adoption. The new report, called the "United States Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits: Market Sizing and Financing Models," seeks to address that issue by outlining four emerging mechanisms—energy service agreements, PACE financing, on-bill energy efficiency tariffs, and on-bill energy efficiency loans—as well as other more established financing methods.
(http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/publications/united-states-building-energy-efficiency)

About the Author

Drew Ballensky

Drew Ballensky is general manager of Duro-Last Roofing, Inc.’s central U.S. facility in Iowa and company spokesman for Duro-Last’s cool roofing, sustainability and architectural education programs. He is past-president of the Chemical Fabrics and Film Association and chairman of CFFA’s Vinyl Roofing Division. Drew earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from the University of Northern Iowa and master’s degree in business administration from Florida State University. Drew has over 29 years experience in business and industry in various engineering and managerial capacities. He has worked in the U.S. and Canadian operations for a major international manufacturer of pre-engineered steel buildings, was a financial analyst with a major athletic apparel manufacturer and was an owner of a general contracting company.
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