Home Energy Retrofit

So Why Are We Here This Morning?

Sadly, I think we’re all painfully aware of the devastating effects of the current economy on the housing industry. Recent events in the coal mines of West Virginia, and the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico have reminded us of the social and environmental costs of our reliance on fossil fuels. I’d like to review a few facts with you.

• Construction once contributed $27 billion to Nevada’s annual coffers, making up 21 percent of its gross domestic product
• Construction unemployment currently hovers around 30 percent statewide;
• the industry has lost 81,900 jobs, or
• 55 percent of its work force during the last four years
• 26,000 of these jobs were lost since March 2009
• Washoe County lost another 300 construction jobs in March (Nevada’s Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation).
• More builders are quitting the business or filing for bankruptcy.
• New license applications decreased 22 percent last year (Nevada Contractors Board).

• In 2007 Nevada spent over $10.5 billion dollars on energy (EIA SEDS). Since most of that energy is generated from fossil fuels this means a large sum of money flows out of state annually to pay for this energy.
• Approximately $9 billion /yr is exported out of Nevada to pay for fossil fuels and purchased electricity.

• Buildings consume about 40% of total energy consumption in the U.S.
• Residential buildings account for over half of that.

Development of a functioning and vibrant home energy retrofit market can provide multiple benefits to Washoe County and to Nevada.

• It can create green construction industry jobs
• It can stimulate our local economy though money invested in materials, equipment and retrofit jobs.
• It can further stimulate our economy through energy cost savings, money that households will be able to spend in the community, rather than shipping out of state for our energy supplies.
• It can provide opportunities for building a distributed renewable energy generation system through rooftop solar installations.
• It can improve health and occupant comfort of residents,
• And it can contribute to reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

In our Forum this morning we will explore what is happening with the home energy retrofit market. Beginning with

• what home energy retrofits entail, and programs to provide quality controls
• financial incentives that exist or may be developed to stimulate this market,
• financing opportunities that exist or could be developed to support this market, as well as education and training that will be needed to grow it.

Christopher J. Lynch

Director, Business Environmental Program

University of Nevada, Reno

(775) 834-3687

clynch@unr.edu

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