Efficiency is Feeling the COVID-19 Heat

We are all aware that the year 2020 is bringing trying times accompanied by many uncertainties. Most of us are informed of the massive job losses in the clean energy industry due to this pandemic. As COVID-19 continues to hit the energy efficiency industry especially hard we are trying to understand and help address these challenges. SPEER asked members and associates for their input on how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting their businesses today and how they are viewing the future. Our goal: to better identify how the present time is influencing the broader energy efficiency industry. While some businesses are beginning to reopen partially, many within our industry are continuing to work from home. For those of you that are still making your living room your office we invite you to read our recent post, “Ways to save money on your energy bill while working from home”.

Below are several key takeaways:

• 3 out of 4 respondents have seen their business negatively affected
• 60% have seen budgetary impacts on both their current business operations and the communities in which they serve
• If there is a silver-lining,   more than 60% of those who responded anticipate efficiency workers being allowed into businesses and homes in the near future
• 1/3 of energy efficiency businesses/workers in this survey have had their job status impacted with most seeing a decline in business

What can we do? Recover smarter. Make investments in energy efficiency now. We need to build back correctly, and build in a way that enhances our health, our air quality, the environment, and aims to curb climate change. Building back with a message on affordable and reliable energy and efficiencies will help everyone, especially the most vulnerable as we push forward from the recent events. A nationwide study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health demonstrated that “people with COVID-19 who live in U.S. regions with high levels of air pollution are more likely to die from the disease than people who live in less polluted areas.” Efficiency has the potential to be a huge job creator, which is especially important in the current times. In addition to putting people back to work it can simultaneously build a cleaner energy future and ease energy burdens.