Multifamily Energy Efficiency Opportunities in the States

More than 20 million American households live in multifamily buildings that are, on average, less energy efficient than other types of housing or commercial buildings. Making energy efficiency improvements to multifamily housing has the potential to create jobs, lower operating costs for the multifamily housing industry, and save families hundreds of millions of dollars per year on energy bills. Realizing energy efficiency’s potential in the multifamily housing sector calls for taking action on surmountable market and regulatory barriers and adjusting a history of underinvestment by utility-funded efficiency incentive programs.

Comprehensive energy efficiency upgrades provide jobs for energy assessors, engineering firms, HVAC contractors, insulation and ductwork contractors, electricians, appliance installers, and administrative and marketing staff. The most rigorous available studies indicate that investing in comprehensive energy efficiency programs can result in nine to 11.6 jobs per $1 million invested, which is more than the number of jobs created by investing in energy generation and distribution, or in the general economy. Additional state-level studies have found that energy efficiency investments lead to strong increases in employment in the clean energy sector, resulting in thousands of additional jobs.