Cost Effectiveness Testing Reforms and Energy Efficiency Funding Bills Approved By Maryland House and Senate Authorizing Committees
Building Performance Association’s work with energy efficiency business groups and home performance contractors to educate Maryland lawmakers in Annapolis is already paying big dividends. On February 17, 2017, the MD House Economic Matters Committee and on February 22, 2017 the MD Senate Finance Committee approved model legislation on “Calculation of Program Savings and Consideration of Cost–Effectiveness.” With strong majority House Committee and Senate Committee recommendations, energy efficiency legislation supporting the MD EmPOWER program and reforming cost effectiveness testing (SB 184/HB 514) is now poised for a full MD Assembly vote.
HPC has been working closely with Efficiency First Maryland’s (EF-MD) network of contractors, business groups and environmental organizations to keep up the momentum behind energy efficiency programs that help support over 67,000 energy efficiency jobs in Maryland. HPC and EF-MD have submitted testimony, appeared before House and Senate Committees and participated in a legislative briefing sponsored by the Maryland Clean Energy Center on February 23, 2017 to support SB 184/HB 514. HPC and EF-MD has also joined a business alliance organized by Advanced Energy Economy to support energy efficiency and cost effectiveness testing reforms.
HPC and EF-MD are gearing up for a final blitz in Annapolis on March 29, 2017 to educate Hogan administration officials, agency officials and legislators on the benefits already provided by MD EmPOWER and the need to calculate the non-energy benefits provided by home performance contractors when designing new energy efficiency programs. HPC is also currently working with a broad coalition, the National Efficiency Screening Project to reform cost effectiveness testing nationwide.
The Association’s testimony focused on two recent Jobs Reports by E4TheFuture and the U.S. Department of Energy which found that energy efficiency is a massive employer with 1.9 to 2.2 million jobs nationwide and that energy efficiency accounts for about three out of every four American clean energy jobs.the Association’s testimony stated that energy efficiency dominates the Maryland energy sector with more than 67,061 energy related jobs in energy efficiency businesses and industries.