by Brianna Crandall — April 1, 2011—Energy efficiency provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 were largely successful in expanding markets for money-saving energy-efficient products, and in creating opportunities for continued bipartisan political action on energy efficiency in later legislation.
These are the results of a new report, Assessing the Harvest: Implementation of the Energy Efficiency Provisions in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The report documents current knowledge about the implementation of the energy efficiency provisions in this legislation.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed by President George W. Bush in August of that year, included manufacturer and consumer tax incentives for energy-saving technologies, minimum efficiency standards for appliances and equipment, and a variety of other provisions to encourage energy savings. It was the first major energy legislation since 1992, and began a period of bold energy efficiency legislation from 2005 to 2010, explains ACEEE.
The report also looks at lessons learned from implementation of the 2005 bill. The most successful energy efficiency provisions reportedly had good timing, stakeholder engagement and education, and appropriate levels of funding. Other provisions, especially those with limited or nonexistent funding or where a loophole was built into the law, did not fare as well.
According to ACEEE, most of the provisions have proved successful in helping save consumers and businesses energy, but the new homes and appliance manufacturer tax incentives and the appliance and equipment standards have succeeded the best at transforming markets. ACEEE says successes in recent years show a clear precedent for bipartisan action on energy efficiency, since it results in win-win policies.
Overall, ACEEE estimates that in 2020, the bill will still be saving enough energy to power the state of Tennessee for a year at current energy use levels. These findings are reportedly close to ACEEE’s original estimate in 2005, indicating generally successful implementation of the provisions over the past five years.
