Oregon Continues to Lead the Way for an Energy Efficient Economy
From ACEEE’s progress report: states adding new efficiency standards and/or major clean energy legislation in 2021.
Each year, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy releases its State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which measures states based on utility programs and policies, transportation policies, building energy codes, state government-led initiatives, and appliance and equipment standards. Oregon has landed among the top ten most energy efficient states for 14 years running, most recently at No. 9 in 2020.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, ACEEE decided to forgo its usual ranking and scorecard for 2021, but it still released a progress report to outline the good work states have done over the past year to advance energy efficiency programs and policies.
Oregon was praised for making strides in efficiency standards and advancing clean energy policies. The report acknowledged Oregon’s legislative progress, including: HB 2021, which set a target to decarbonize the power sector by 2040; HB 3141, which increased Energy Trust of Oregon weatherization funding for low-income customers; HB 2165, which boosted the rebate amount of Oregonians purchasing or leasing electric vehicles; and HB 2180, which requires new apartment and commercial buildings to be built “EV-ready.” Oregon’s 2021 Residential and Commercial Specialty Codes also went into effect last year, with efficiency improvements to building envelope, mechanical requirements, and ventilation.
The report also discussed efficiency standards – in 2021, Oregon joined four other states and the District of Columbia in advancing standards for energy and water efficiency. The Appliance Standards Awareness Project estimates that the standards adopted by Oregon and other states will help people save $485 million on utility bills annually by 2035, and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 4.4 million metric tons. ACEEE’s report adds that it’s the equivalent of taking 957,000 cars off the road! Learn more about Oregon’s efficiency standards on ODOE’s website.
Dive in to read ACEEE’s full report to learn more about Oregon and nationwide energy efficiency actions.