Mass. loses #1 ranking for energy efficiency

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Ben Hellerstein

Former State Director, Environment Massachusetts

Updated appliance standards would help reclaim the top spot

BOSTON — Massachusetts is no longer the most energy-efficient state in the country, according to a leading annual environmental scorecard. The State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, the nationally recognized benchmark from the non-profit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), dropped the Bay State to #2 for 2020.

In response, a coalition including Environment Massachusetts, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, the National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), and Green Energy Consumers Alliance released the following statement:

“We are disappointed to see Massachusetts lose its #1 ranking. While the state continues to lead in a number of energy efficiency areas, including utility savings and electric vehicle incentives, the failure to update our state appliance standards is a glaring omission. The state received zero points in this category and ceded overall the top spot to California as a result.

The good news is that the state House and Senate have both passed versions of the Energy SAVE Act (H. 2832), which would update our efficiency standards for common appliances. Appliance efficiency standards ensure that the products we purchase use less energy and water while preserving quality and affordability. These standards would help bring more energy-efficient products on the market, reduce energy costs for consumers and businesses and reduce carbon emissions.

We urge the members of the state conference committee for climate legislation — Rep. Tom Golden, Rep. Patricia Haddad, Rep. Bradley Jones, Sen. Mike Barrett, Sen. Cynthia Creem, and Sen. Patrick O’Connor — to ensure that the current Energy SAVE language remains in the final version of any climate bill passed this year.”