The Alliance Commission, chaired by Senator Mark Warner and National Grid President Tom King, is a blue-ribbon group of two dozen private sector executives, including finance, utility and technology firms. It includes Dan Arvizu, director or NREL; Mike Eckhart, mangaging director and global head of environmental finance at Citigroup; retired General Wesley Clark; former New York Governor George Pataki; and Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund.

The report, among other steps, advocates enabling institutional investors to buy energy efficiency financial obligations on a large scale, using securities based on uniform contract structures (in place, for instance, of investing in fossil-fuel limited partnerships and investment trusts). And it suggests that mortgage lenders should consider household energy and transportation cost savings, which reduce the cost of owning a home, when underwriting. The fact that a homeowner can afford a larger monthly mortgage payment may make for reduced risk and a more attractive loan.

Here’s the report’s own outline of steps to be taken to double America’s energy efficiency:

Make financing more easilyavailable for energy efficiency projects:

• Make more capital available by enabling institutional investors to buy energy efficiency financial obligations on a large scale using securities based on uniform contract structures and better performance data.

• Establish state and local programs for financing of efficiency measures, which may use repayment on utility bills or on property tax bills (the capital could be provided by institutional investors).

• Consider household energy and transportation costs when underwriting mortgages to allow for larger or more attractive loans for homes with lower monthly costs.

» Advance energy productivity through federal tax reform:

• reform federal energy efficiency tax incentives so that they focus on high efficiency technologies and measures and on promoting innovation and market transformation.

• Adjust commercial and industrial depreciation schedules to encourage investments that can boost energy productivity.

Support energy productivity innovation and market adoption:

• Increase federal investment in basic and applied research, development, demonstration, deployment, and technical assistance.

Governments lead by example:

• Apply innovative best practices to government buildings and vehicle fleets.

• Make all cost-effective efficiency improvements to federal buildings using private financing and public funds.

To download the full report, go to:

http://ase.org/sites/default/files/full_commission_report.pdf

Source: sustainableconstructionblog.com

According to a new report issued by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a tax reform will provide Congress with opportunities to promote energy efficiency and remove barriers through the tax code. ACEEE’s executive director, Steven Nadel, notes that Congress should seriously consider energy efficiency and a cleaner environment when rewriting the tax code in the upcoming months. The authors of ACEEE’s report, Tax Reforms to Advance Energy Efficiency, find that changes in the tax code such as promoting capital investment in manufacturing and encouraging advanced energy saving technologies would pay for themselves as the increased energy savings increase profits and tax receipts. There is also a strong possibility for an increase in employment by an average of 164,000 jobs over the 2014-2030 period. This recent report goes into additional details concerning the reduction of subsidies for fossil fuels, emissions fees, and radical change to the business tax code to reduce marginal tax rates. As the tax code is rewritten, Congress can greatly affect the lives of Americans by modernizing the manufacturing sector and promoting advanced energy-saving technologies.

Source: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy – News Release