Steven Nadel: Actually, some home-efficiency upgrades do pay off
Re “Home efficiency upgrades fall short, don’t pay: Study” (modbee.com, June 23): A University of Chicago report you covered may have left some readers with the mistaken impression that all residential energy efficiency programs cost more than they save.
In reality, the report in question covered only one program in one state. Wider research by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) shows that these programs cost two to three times less than generating power from traditional sources.
Residential energy efficiency is a huge success story for our nation. Since 1970, energy consumption of new clothes washers, refrigerators, central air conditioners, and furnaces have declined by 70 percent, 65 percent, 48 percent, and 18 percent respectively. As a result, American consumers are saving real money on their energy bills.
Steven Nadel, Executive Director, ACEEE, Washington, D.C.
This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Steven Nadel: Actually, some home-efficiency upgrades do pay off."