Clean Energy EXPO 2023: Energy Efficiency Essentials

The 26th Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum was held on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. The event was hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), with the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (REEE) Caucus serving as honorary co-host. It featured six panels, including Where It All Begins: Energy Efficiency Essentials.

Curt Rich, President and CEO, North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA)

Justin Koscher, President and CEO, Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA)

Bryon Krug, Treasurer, National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO); President, CEG Solutions LLC

Highlights

2023 Clean Energy EXPO Policy Forum
Panel 1	Where It All Begins: Energy Efficiency Essentials
Panel 2	Clean Energy Opportunities in Rural Communities
Panel 3	Training the Workforce for the 21st Century Clean Energy Economy
Panel 4	Toward the Energy System of the Future
Panel 5	Clean Energy and National Security
Panel 6	Accelerating Sustainable Transportation

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Energy efficiency begins in the built environment. 40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are associated with buildings, from the building materials themselves to the power needed to operate the buildings.
As climate change continues to instigate more frequent extreme weather events, homes must be built to be more climate-resilient, including through electrification.
Performance contracts can leverage and stretch the energy investments from federal appropriations and private capital.
Many contractors have not been trained on how to install or maintain energy efficiency technologies, and homeowners are unaware of how they can benefit from these technologies. Substantial investment in market education is needed.

Paula Glover, President, Alliance to Save Energy

New programs, such as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that was created under the Inflation Reduction Act, offer opportunities to more broadly apply energy efficiency measures, including through tax credits.
Energy efficiency measures need to target buildings, particularly old buildings that do not have the structural or financial capacity to incorporate energy efficiency and resiliency upgrades on their own.
New construction should leverage all available tools and pathways for energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency begins in the built environment. 40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are associated with buildings, from the building materials themselves to the power needed to operate the buildings.
About 1.5 million new homes are built each year. Challenges persist in driving down carbon emissions from these homes and making them as energy efficient as possible.
As climate change continues to instigate more frequent extreme weather events, homes must be built to be more climate-resilient, including through electrification.
In a study completed last month, the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories found that in a power outage, a well-insul