Energy Efficiency Report: 55,000 Potential Carolina Jobs

Based on research at Duke University and Georgia Tech, the investment of $2.46 billion in energy programs would net $6.3 billion in lower energy costs and the creation of 55,000 jobs in the Carolinas over the next 20 years.

Marilyn Brown of Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy and Etan Gumerman of Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions lead the report team. Brown is a former member of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change team who notably shared the 2007 Nobel Prize with Al Gore.

The plan would entail stronger building codes, new standards and incentives for high-efficiency appliances, new standards for retrofitting homes, and expanded weatherization programs for low-income housing.