United States. A study by researchers at the University of California examined three popular efficiency programs run by the federal government and found that it consistently reduces energy use in large Los Angeles buildings, although results on small and medium-sized structures were less successful.
Depending on the efficiency program, the researchers found energy savings between 18% and 30%, representing a reduction of 210 million kWh, or 145,000 tons of CO2.
The researchers examined monthly electricity consumption data from nearly 179,000 commercial buildings in Los Angeles.
President Trump has proposed reducing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's budget by more than 30%, and would cut the Department of Energy by 6%. Among the programs losing funding are energy efficiency programs that researchers say are successful in saving energy.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Better Buildings Challenge, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, and the U.S. Green Building Council's Energy and Environmental Design Leadership are very effective when deployed in large buildings.
However, the researchers said the conclusions were uneven. "We also found that these programs do not substantially reduce emissions in small and medium-sized buildings, which account for about two-thirds of emissions from commercial sector buildings," they wrote.
They concluded that, due to the long life of buildings and modernizations, savings are likely to persist, especially in larger, energy-intensive buildings. Eligibility rules and participant self-selection, however, prevent programs from drawing on smaller buildings, particularly in the 75th percentile and below consumption. Those buildings account for about 66% of emissions from commercial sector buildings, "and the long tail for greenhouse gas mitigation efforts of building efficiency improvements."
