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LEDs Magazine posted a guest blog article that makes a mathematical case for the government to lead by example with a War on Energy Waste. Energy-efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology could help cost-effectively cut government operating expenses. According to the article, the federal government could save over a billion dollars every year just by changing the lights and save more than 10 billion over the decade long life of the LED technology.
The billions in energy savings can serve many much needed purposes:
#1: Staffing nurses and support at the Veterans Medical Centers and Clinics
#2: Job training for Veterans in need of employment
#3: Fighting ISIS and other terror organizations
See the full article here: http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2016/02/presidential-candidates-should-look-up-at-the-lights-and-launch-a-war-on-energy-waste.html
Here are some of the article highlights:
A War on Energy Waste is a war that we can win. America has fatigue from the extraordinary costs of the War on Terrorism, War on Poverty, and War on Drugs. In each case, the high cost of time, treasure, and human life has delivered results that are far lower than expectations. A War on Energy Waste is winnable given the high Return on Investment (ROI) from technology such as LED lighting that is available today.
When the presidential candidates visit any of the military bases or veteran facilities in South Carolina (as well as the other states) they should look up at the ceiling for a simple reason. Military and civilian government facilities are wasting tax payer dollars at an extraordinary level with outdated lighting. LED technology can cut the electricity consumption in half, and the private sector is embracing the high Return on Investment.
The order of magnitude is tremendous based on data from the General Services Administration (GSA) and LED performance metrics. The military and VA occupy more than 2.2 billion sq. ft. of buildings which is two thirds of the total 3.4 billion sq. ft. of federal government property.
By launching a War on Energy Waste, the government can go beyond job training to also create opportunities for Veterans to work on many aspects of lighting retrofits. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) there are over 87 billion sq. ft. of commercial real estate in the U.S. With $1 per sq. ft. to retrofit and one new job created for every $150,000 in lighting retrofits, the employment ripple effect is over 580,000 new jobs. The employment includes counting lights to prepare savings analysis, utility rebate administration, installation, project management, engineering, and product production. Many of the jobs involve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S.T.E.M.) so the clean-tech work is foundational for 21st century careers. The national energy savings will exceed $287 billion over the next decade and yield over 3.4 trillion lbs of CO2 emissions reduction, the equivalent of taking about 30 million cars off the road.
For more information on the article Data Sources see: http://independenceled.com/war-on-energy-waste/
