Energy Efficiency Framework for CCE Educators
Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations are being called on to help address issues of energy affordability, energy independence and global climate disruption. Energy efficiency (EE) is a key strategy for addressing each of those issues and education has a prominent role to play. While Associations already offer education on saving energy, such as EmPower, many are looking to expand programming.
The Energy Framework explained on these webpages is intended to give Extension Educators access to resources information that will be helpful to their local situation and programming needs. The framework focuses on the heating and lighting of buildings - residential, business and institutional, especially at the scale of whole-buidling retrofits. This focus has a good fit with CCE program goals and the economic benefits can be huge. Nation-wide trillions of dollars can be saved, even after the costs of efficiency upgrades are factored in.
The framework is organized into three broad components of EE that all need to be in place to succeed with large-scale energy efficiency:
- generate demand for EE
- provide adequate financial resources
- have the capacity to do quality work
The framework, as it gets built out, will have resources and educational tool for each of those three components for two categories of audiences:
- those who will actually implement the EE, such as a homeowner or municipal board that upgrades the town hall
- those that may be influential or supportive of EE, such as when municipal governments set policy or youth go door-to-door with educational materials.
EE projects can keep money in the community, and can bring in outside dollars. Investment in a whole-building upgrade will be more than paid for, over time, by the reduced energy bills. Increased demand for EE upgrades creates skilled jobs. There is a multiplier effect as more money circulates locally rather than being spent for energy imported into the community. State and Federal incentives can bring in $1 or more for every dollar spent on energy upgrades. Unlocking energy efficiency by McKinsey and Group quantifies the magnitude of dollars saved and strategies to overcome barriers. Full reading list.
EE reduces greenhouse gases and helps NYS meet reduction goals. Also, reducing energy use is a necessary step to make small scale wind or solar photovoltaic power viable. Some resources are included to help communities assess renewable energy potential and some resources and approaches will include other energy issues such as transportation.
The term EE is used in these pages to include what is actually both energy conservation and energy efficiency. If I turn out lights when I am leaving the room, I am conserving energy. If I replace an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) I have improved energy efficiency. Large-scale EE goes beyond both of these and focuses on comprehensive full-building upgrades that include air sealing, insulating, and installing high-efficiency heating systems, lighting, and appliances.
