Bipartisan Energy-Efficiency Bill Would Move U.S. Toward More Energy-Secure Future, Says Alliance to Save Energy

Washington, D.C., April 17, 2007 – Enactment of a new bipartisan bill devoted to making the nation more energy-efficient would greatly contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable, more energy-secure future, the Alliance to Save Energy said today.

S.1115, the Energy Efficiency Promotion Act of 2007, was introduced today by Energy and Natural Resources Chair Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), an Alliance vice-chair, and Ranking Member Pete Domenici (R-N.M.). The bill supports advanced lighting technologies; expedites establishment of important new appliance and equipment energy-efficiency standards; promotes high-efficiency vehicles, batteries, and energy storage; sets national energy-efficiency goals; directs federal leadership in energy efficiency; creates a nationwide consumer education and awareness campaign; and authorizes federal funding assistance to help state and local governments achieve greater energy efficiency.

In the transportation area, for example, the bill sets a goal of reducing gasoline use, compared with currently projected levels, by 20 percent by 2017, 35 percent by 2025, and 45 percent by 2030. The bill also sets a goal of improving the nation’s overall energy productivity, measured in gross domestic product per unit of energy output, by 2.5 percent a year by 2012.

In the lighting area, the bill states that “national policy can support a rapid substitution of new, energy-efficient light bulbs for the less-efficient products in widespread use” to achieve annual savings of $18 billion, 158 million tons of emissions, and the amount of electricity produced by 80 base load coal-fired power plants.

On the appliance standards alone, the bill would provide the following savings:

• Electricity: At least 50 billion kilowatt hours per year, or enough to power roughly 4.8 million typical U.S. households;
• Natural gas: 170 million therms per year, or enough to heat about a quarter million typical U.S. homes;
• Water: At east 560 million gallons per day, or about 1.3 percent of total daily potable water usage; and
• Dollars: More than $12 billion in net present benefits for consumers.

“This bill comes at a critical time in our nation’s energy history, with gasoline prices again topping $3 a gallon across the country, increasing public concern about the contribution of our energy use to climate change, and a growing awareness of national security issues caused by our wasteful use of energy,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “We must employ energy efficiency as our greatest national resource if we are to ensure a sustainable energy future for our country, and S.1115 is a good start toward reaching this goal.”

“The Bingaman-Domenici bill builds on the foundation created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005,” Callahan continued. “In combination with an expected energy tax package from the Senate Finance Committee, S.1115 would make significant progress toward extending the nation’s energy supplies and making the nation more energy-secure.

“Advancing energy efficiency through federal policy is a ‘win-win’ for Americans, in that such measures can deliver substantial monetary savings to consumers and businesses – both directly and by lowering taxpayer-supported federal and state energy costs – and can substantially reduce global-warming emissions,” Callahan said.