South Carolina: Most Improved Efficiency in the SE
October 3, 2012 – The Carolinas got a well-deserved bump up in national recognition on energy efficiency — but the Southeast remains well behind other regions of the country. Today’s release of the 2012 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE), available here , provides a broad assessment of policy and programs that “improve the energy efficiency of our homes, businesses, industry and transportation.” “It is great to see the Carolinas moving up in the national rankings on energy efficiency,” said Natalie Mims, Energy Policy Manager at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “We hope that our efforts and the efforts of our partners in the Carolinas continue to push the states forward in energy efficiency implementation.” Mims singled out South Carolina utility regulators for special recognition: “We are glad that our work with the South Carolina Commission and the Office of Regulatory Staff has led to strong efficiency savings, even without a statutory mandate.” ACEEE found South Carolina to be one of the three most improved states in the country. North Carolina also moved up in the annual rankings and is the highest ranked state in the Southeast: 22nd in the country in terms of energy efficiency policy. “Energy efficiency is a no-brainer—it’s clean, it’s cheap, it saves customers money, and it creates jobs. We are encouraged that South Carolina’s energy efficiency efforts earned a ‘most improved’ ranking from ACEEE, and hope that our electric utilities will continue to ramp up their efforts to deliver the benefits of energy efficiency to their customers and to our state’s economy,” said Blan Holman, a senior attorney in Southern Environmental Law Center’s Charleston office. Unfortunately, several Southeastern state rankings fell this year. Longtime regional efficiency leader Florida slipped to 29th – only a few years ago, Florida was ranked 19th in the country. Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana all remain in the bottom 12 states in the US. However, the progress in Carolinas further demonstrates that energy efficiency has a place in the Southeast. SACE and its allies will continue to find new ways to help Southeastern electric customers benefit from energy efficiency. # # # # About Southern Alliance for Clean Energy: Founded in 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that create global warming solutions and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org About Southern Environmental Law Center: The Southern Environmental Law Center is a regional nonprofit using the power of the law to protect the health and environment of the Southeast (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama). Founded in 1986, SELC’s team of more than 50 legal and policy experts represent more than 100 partner groups on issues of climate change and energy, air and water quality, forests, the coast and wetlands, transportation, and land use. www.SouthernEnvironment.org