In spite of the generally favorable support for this approach, the decision lies at the federal level, but there’s plenty of money available for buildings at the state level. California received an estimated $85 billion to create jobs and promote economic growth last year, with $3 billion allocated to the Energy Department and $2.5 billion for water and the environment, both considering a portion to provide funding for projects to reduce energy use by making buildings more energy efficient
Could the economic crisis be the end of green? Instead, “green” may be how we end this financial crisis, because with the economy hitting bottom, everyone is going to be looking to be more cost-efficient in the way we live and do business, and that will mean demand for the most cost-saving energy efficiencies,” as written by Thomas Friedman in his book “Hot, Flat & Crowded.”
There is little argument that energy efficiencies mean big savings; we just have to understand how to choose technologies and techniques that offer the greatest return on the investment. It makes sense to spend money today to save money later. Efficiency just makes economic sense.
