BPA Supports Energy Efficiency Today and Every Day
Late last month, artists Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd unveiled a digital clock in Manhattan during New York City’s Climate Week that told the world how long we’ve got left to act before burn through Earth’s carbon budget. As I write this, the number on that Climate Clock is roughly 7 years and 87 days.
This is the time we’ve got left to take action to keep global warming under the 1.5°C threshold. If Earth’s temperatures increase by 1.5°C, the planet will fall victim to even more extreme heat waves, fires, droughts, and limited water availability.
But Golan and Boyd’s clock also shows another number that tracks the growing percentage of the world’s energy currently supplied from renewable sources. This is our lifeline. “Simply put, we need to get our lifeline to 100% before our deadline reaches 0,” the creators say on their website. Right now, that lifeline is at approximately 27%. This is where we come in.
While renewable energy is ideal, smarter energy use means we don’t have to generate as much power to meet our needs. Residential energy use accounts for roughly 20% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. But, did you know that energy efficiency could meet one-third of our expected electricity generation needs by 2030?
Today is the fifth annual Energy Efficiency Day, and in recognition, the Building Performance Association (BPA) is joining regional and national organizations, businesses, utilities, universities, and individuals in promoting energy efficiency—the cheapest, quickest way to meet our energy needs, cut utility bills, and reduce pollution.
Energy efficiency is also an economic engine, amassing a U.S. workforce of nearly 2.4 million. This is where BPA members come in. These jobs range from professional weatherization services to manufacturing, installation, construction, program administration, building science, and nonprofits.
As an association committed to improving and expanding home and building performance and energy efficiency, we know that reducing the energy used by manufacturers, homes, and businesses benefits everyone.
So, we want to thank every one of our members and partners for the hard work they do to make homes more energy efficient—you’re truly making a difference in a world that needs it, and we’re happy to support you and Energy Efficiency Day.