Report: Tens of Millions in Savings for MA Businesses Under Clean Power Plan
Mike Clifford – Commonwealth News
BOSTON – A new report shows retail and office buildings could save big bucks by implementing efficiency measures to help the Bay State comply with the Clean Power Plan.
The report from the Georgia Institute of Technology finds retail buildings could save $44 million by the year 2030 and office buildings as much as $30 million.
“The Clean Power Plan will definitely drive more innovation and more of a market for clean tech,” says Adam Jacobs, energy manager in the Mayor’s Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space. “The long and short of it is that this is kind of the path we’ve been on already, and I think this is just going to help us build on it.”
The study also finds that commercial owners and occupants would reduce their natural gas bills by an average of $65 million in 2030 by fully implementing the Clean Power Plan. Study author Marilyn Brown says if you zoom out to a nationwide perspective, commercial buildings could save $11.3 billion.
“By the year 2030, we estimate that bills for electricity could be reduced by 6.7 percent if states were to include energy efficiency as a strong component of their compliance approach,” she points out.
Jacobs says the city is looking to implement a greater number of energy-efficiency projects with its self-funding Renew Boston Trust program. It’s a model where savings achieved through energy efficiency projects are used to cover the debt service on the bonds issued to pay for the improvements.