Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism
CT VIEWPOINTS -- opinions from around Connecticut

State leadership on clean energy/energy efficiency will create jobs

  • CT Viewpoints
  • by Kerry O'Neill
  • April 5, 2011
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Job creation is one of Connecticut’s top priorities, and the creation of new jobs through energy efficiency and clean energy projects in schools, homes and public buildings should be a high profile initiative led by Gov. Malloy and supported by the Connecticut legislature.

Jobs that provide an energy or environmental benefit, also known as “green jobs,” are a key opportunity for the state. Over the last several years, a consensus has emerged among business, environmental groups, government and other stakeholders that economic growth, clean energy, and environmental protection must go hand-in-hand. Energy efficiency projects (such as energy-saving upgrades to lighting, insulation, heating, and cooling) clearly showcase this economy-energy-environment link. According to a recent economic study published by Environment Northeast, every $1 dollar that is invested in energy efficiency cycles through the local economy and ultimately generates $5 to $6 of gross state product.

Energy efficiency projects also create jobs directly. According to a 2009 report prepared for the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, for every $1 million invested in energy efficiency in homes and office buildings, 7 local jobs are created. When you bring private sector investment into the equation, the benefits of energy efficiency get a lot bigger: experience has shown that $1 of public sector energy efficiency funding can leverage $5 of private sector investment. So for every $1 million of public funding for energy efficiency, the state can potentially create 35 jobs. The Clean Energy Finance Center has estimated that the state can create 20,000 jobs over the next ten years if adequate investment is made in residential, commercial, and public building energy efficiency.

Although our state has made notable progress on energy efficiency through its Energy Efficiency Fund and other public funding sources, we need to do a lot more. Current efforts are not well-coordinated and not at the scale that will drive major job development and energy savings. The reality is that the vast majority of businesses, school districts, and state and local government still do not have access to economically viable sources of clean energy financing.

Here are two important ways to jumpstart this critical initiative.

First, we need a high profile campaign led by the governor that brings to scale energy upgrades in state and municipal buildings and K-12 schools. Our public buildings, in particular our state buildings and schools, are highly energy inefficient, but have had limited options to finance improvements. We have estimated that through a proven financing tool called energy performance contracting, the state can create over 3,000 jobs over the next ten years while reducing energy use in Connecticut’s public buildings by 20%. Energy performance contracting uses mostly private sector investments to fund energy retrofits; the resulting monetary savings are guaranteed to cover the cost of loan repayments. The legislature must first pass legislation enabling the use of energy performance contracting in public buildings so we can get started.

Second, to realize the full potential of energy efficiency, we need to create a Connecticut Energy Investment Fund. The CEIF, which would be a non-profit or quasi-governmental agency, would bring together public and private sector sources of capital and be a “one-stop shop” for energy efficiency financing that would integrate current funding sources. Ideally, it would address financing needs for all sectors-business and residential, as well as state and local government. By increasing economies of scale and leveraging public sector dollars with private sector investment, the CEIF would lower the cost of financing for energy efficiency and other clean energy projects. One critical note–the Fund would use existing sources of public funds (including funding from the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, and Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auction revenues, among others), and therefore would not require any new allocation of public dollars. The same is true for the public building initiative described above.

If green jobs are as important as lowering the cost of energy in Connecticut, and if we seek a cleaner environment in the state, then a state-wide, high-profile initiative to promote energy efficiency should begin now.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
College students in Connecticut should be vaccinated now
by Dayna Vadala

If the state of Connecticut wants its institutions of higher learning to return to normal in the fall, it’s going to have to get shots into the arms of the students.

Connecticut, be a International leader against hair discrimination among children
by Faith D. Crittenden, Jade A. Anderson, MD, and Whitney L. Stuard

On March 1, 2020, Connecticut became the eighth state to pass the Crown Act, a national legislative movement that recognizes natural hair and cultural headwear discrimination as a form of racial discrimination in the workplace. While we are  in strong support and advocate for this law, it is important to recognize the limitations of the Crown Act and how it can be improved upon in future policy.

Three lessons for schools across America from Secretary Cardona’s hometown
by Mark Benigni

Over the past decade, Meriden Public Schools -- where U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona served as assistant superintendent -- has become a unique laboratory for new ideas that push the boundaries of what is possible in public education. And many of those ideas have paid off.

A healthcare system too broken to fix
by Sosena Kedebe MD

On March 25, the White house announced that it was going to invest over $6 billion in health centers that are funded through the Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in order to expand COVID-19 vaccinations and other health services provided to vulnerable populations. As a chief medical officer for a health center that is strained to reach some of the most disenfranchised patient population in Hartford, this was great news. Yet there was a part of me that took the news with a deep concern. Why you might ask?

The Connecticut Juvenile Training School and the lie that built it
by Colleen Shaddox 

Sitting in the paddy wagon, I was afraid – maybe apprehensive was a better word, since I rightly suspected that white privilege would guarantee me good treatment.  Still, I said a prayer of thanksgiving. After years of advocating for people in our carceral system, I was given a chance to develop more empathy.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion College students in Connecticut should be vaccinated now
by Dayna Vadala

If the state of Connecticut wants its institutions of higher learning to return to normal in the fall, it’s going to have to get shots into the arms of the students.

Opinion Connecticut, be a International leader against hair discrimination among children
by Faith D. Crittenden, Jade A. Anderson, MD, and Whitney L. Stuard

On March 1, 2020, Connecticut became the eighth state to pass the Crown Act, a national legislative movement that recognizes natural hair and cultural headwear discrimination as a form of racial discrimination in the workplace. While we are  in strong support and advocate for this law, it is important to recognize the limitations of the Crown Act and how it can be improved upon in future policy.

Opinion Three lessons for schools across America from Secretary Cardona’s hometown
by Mark Benigni

Over the past decade, Meriden Public Schools -- where U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona served as assistant superintendent -- has become a unique laboratory for new ideas that push the boundaries of what is possible in public education. And many of those ideas have paid off.

Opinion A healthcare system too broken to fix
by Sosena Kedebe MD

On March 25, the White house announced that it was going to invest over $6 billion in health centers that are funded through the Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in order to expand COVID-19 vaccinations and other health services provided to vulnerable populations. As a chief medical officer for a health center that is strained to reach some of the most disenfranchised patient population in Hartford, this was great news. Yet there was a part of me that took the news with a deep concern. Why you might ask?

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO