Energy Efficiency is Good for Jobs
Posted November 6th, 2013
Global competition is pushing the American manufacturing sector to become more energy efficient. The recent recession took a significant toll on American manufacturers. To successfully rebuild requires the efficient use of energy resources in American manufacturing.
Efficiency and pollution regulations are not the bane of U.S. businesses; they can be the salvation.
A McKinsey & Company report noted that “primary industrial energy consumption” can be reduced 21% by 2020 just by unlocking the potential for energy efficiency in the industrial sector.
This could save U.S. industry over $47 billion a year by freeing up capital that would otherwise be spent on – well – energy. In addition, revenue streams will stabilize as a company’s exposure to energy price fluctuations is reduced. As the company’s bottom line improves, it experiences increased competitiveness, which is a contributing factor is saving and creating jobs. This helps preserve existing jobs and creates new jobs.
These new jobs – which mainly focus on the construction and retrofitting of facilities as well as managing compliance – draw upon a wide range of workers’ skills and impact many different areas.
For example:
- In 2006, Nissan North America decided to prioritize investments in energy efficiency. They established a thorough energy-management program to improve the cost-effectiveness of their production process. Today, Nissan is more competitive, which allows the company to create and retain jobs on U.S. soil.
- Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky is the headquarters for General Electric Appliances. GE manufactures over 750 ENERGY STAR-qualified lighting and appliance products. For every job at Appliance Park, which employs more than 5,000 full-time employees, an additional 1.5 jobs are indirectly supported through vendor purchases or are induced through the re-spending of a GE employee’s wages.
- In 2009, the New York City Greener, Greater Buildings Plan was enacted. It required (among other things) annual benchmarking of building energy performance and retro-commissioning. The city estimates that the laws will save $700 million and create roughly 17,800 construction jobs by 2019.
These profiles highlight that energy efficiency is good for jobs. The jobs created at these three companies range from a direct result of implementing efficiency measures to the impact on the local broader economy from wages spent by employees in these industries.
Bayside Solutions is an expert in both green technology and the manufacturing sector. When you need to tap into an experienced pool of skilled manufacturing professionals to fill a position in the Bay Area, you can count on us to help you. If you are looking for green technology jobs in the Bay Area, contact us today.
