When it comes to energy efficiency, Texas means business.
That’s according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) Ninth State Energy Efficiency Scorecard.
The newly released study saw the Lone Star State jump eight positions to 26th and reverse a downward trend, with the state having been ranked 11th in 2007’s initial assessment before steadily falling to 34th last year.
“Strong codes reduce energy waste and cost over the lifetime of a home or building, make them more durable, and improve the comfort and health of the people who live and work in them,” said Doug Lewin, SPEER’s executive director, commenting in a news release.
“Texas’ leadership in this area is exciting and will continue following the enactment of legislation last session which adopted the newest energy code (the 2015 IECC) effective Sept. 1, 2016 statewide,” Lewin said.
ACEEE’s evaluation, which ranks states’ energy efficiency policy and program efforts while recommending strategies for states to advance, recognized Texas’ improving building energy codes. Texas ranks seventh nationally in codes, scoring six of seven possible points. The report specifically cited the work of the South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER) as a catalyst for the improvement.
SPEER is a non-profit regional energy efficiency organization
The efforts of Texas’ state and local governments to implement energy efficient measures in public buildings, which save taxpayer dollars by reducing energy waste, also scored highly in the report.
Meanwhile, ACEEE commended Texas for making energy data widely available to customers. While not a part of this year’s scorecard evaluation, the state’s leadership in this area is expected to make a strong showing next year as state policymakers continue to empower customers to make data driven choices to be more efficient.
More information is available at www.eepartnership.org.