As we enter the holiday season, there is some very good news to share: greenhouse gas emissions are predicted to decline by 3% globally, and by 9% in the United States, heading toward 12% by the end of the year!  While it’s true that much of this is a result of economic slowdown, it is also true that in the U.S., clean energy policies which are being implemented in many states, including Pennsylvania, are beginning to work.  Please go here for a brief summary of some of the tax credits, rebates and other incentives now available to help you save money and energy in your own home on the back of this letter.

My wish for the New Year is that a clean energy economy emerges from this recession, and that carbon emissions continue to decline at a very steady rate in 2010 and beyond.

Last year ECA commissioned the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) to assess the energy efficiency and solar energy resources in Pennsylvania. The full report is available here.  ACEEE found that fully 30% of all of Pennsylvania’s energy needs can be cost effectively met through energy efficiency and conservation.  Implementing higher energy efficiency codes, policies and programs will create 27,000 new full time jobs, and save Pennsylvanians $5 billion dollars a year, every year.  Energy conservation is not only the cleanest and cheapest form of energy, it is also the most labor intensive, and creates the green collar jobs we keep hearing so much about.