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<p>Two and a quarter million Americans work in energy efficiency, an industry that added more new jobs in 2017 than any other in the entire U.S. energy sector. And California is the state with the most energy efficiency jobs according to a new report.</p>
<p>The Energy Efficiency Jobs in America report from E4TheFuture and the nonpartisan business group Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) charts energy efficiency employment numbers nationwide, ranking all 50 states and Washington, D.C., strictly on the number of full time energy efficiency jobs.</p>
<p>This new report includes maps and charts showing both geographical and by-industry distribution of efficiency jobs, FAQs, and factsheets for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.</p>
<p>California is the number one state employing 310,433 workers in energy efficiency jobs including 69,011 in Energy Star and efficient lighting, 183,278 in HVAC, renewable heating and cooling, 18,677 in advanced building materials/insulation, and 39,468 in other types of energy efficiency jobs.</p>
<p>According to the report, the top 10 states for energy efficiency jobs (by rank) include California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia.<br>
This report focuses solely on the energy sector of the economy. Jobs in retail trade, vehicle efficiency-related work, and the 4.2 million jobs related to efficient manufacturing processes are excluded from these numbers.</p>
<p>Across every time zone, state, county, and even zip code, energy efficiency solutions are creating new economic opportunities. </p>
<p>Whether it’s new efficient technologies spurring brand new companies or established businesses expanding, America’s job growth is being powered by energy efficiency. Energy efficiency added the most new jobs in 2017 of the entire energy sector. Its workers now outnumber elementary and middle school teachers and are nearly double those in U.S. law enforcement. In fact, there are now as many energy efficiency workers as there are wait staff in U.S. bars and restaurants.</p>
<p>According to the report, to continue creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans across all states and counties, Congress must properly fund smart efficiency policies (which historically enjoy robust bipartisan support), invest in infrastructure, renew the Commercial and Residential building tax credits, fund strong State Energy Program and Weatherization Assistance Programs, and maintain and protect high quality Energy Star brand.</p>
<p>Also, state leadership on energy efficiency plays a vital role in driving America’s energy economy. And the report indicates that state policymakers must support strong energy efficiency standards with consistent funding, broader use of performance contracting in public buildings, innovative commercial and residential PACE programs, modernization of utility regulation with revenue protection, decoupling, performance rates and ability to earn a profit on procurement of energy efficiency as a service.</p>
<p>The report says that energy efficiency workers do much more than reduce energy use. They improve operations of existing buildings, and they design and build a better future. Consumers, municipalities, and business owners incorporate lower energy consumption options into everyday procurement decisions in homes, offices, schools, and municipal infrastructure.</p>