The District Rises to #6 in the Country for Advancing Energy Efficiency Initiatives

Washington, DC Today, the Bowser Administration announces that the District is now ranked sixth among states on the 2022 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard from the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The scorecard ranks how far states have advanced their energy efficiency policies and programs. In ACEEE’s last report, the District was in eighth place and has moved up 24 places in the rankings since 2013.

The state scorecard helps encourage states to continue strengthening their

commitments toward energy efficiency to promote economic growth, environmental benefits and help residents save on energy.

“The Bowser Administration is incredibly proud of what we have achieved in support of efforts to make DC the most sustainable city in the country,” said Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) Director Tommy Wells. “Through innovative regulatory policies, renewable energy programs, and incentives, we will continue to push the envelope on energy efficiency and green building.”

The District is heavily invested in energy efficiency and clean energy. Over the past decade, the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) has helped create more than $1.4 billion in lifetime cost savings for residents and businesses and prevented more than 7 million metric tons of lifetime carbon emissions through its energy efficiency and clean energy programs. Since its launch in 2018, the DC Green Bank has invested $30 million in financing, unlocking an additional $150 million toward energy efficiency improvements, clean energy installations, green buildings, and green infrastructure construction projects. Through DOEE’s Solar for All program, more than 7,000 income-qualified District families have been able to cut their electricity bills in half with average cost savings of $500, an overall total annual savings of $3.5 million for those households.

ACEEE’s report highlights numerous policies and programs by the District over the last year designed to move the city toward its green house gas (GHG) reduction goals, including:

• The Clean Energy D.C. Building Code Amendment Act of 2021 requires a net zero energy building code for all new commercial buildings. The law also bans most fossil fuel use for heating in new buildings.
• The Climate Commitment Act codified the District’s GHG reduction goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. The District also incentivizes healthy, affordable, and efficient buildings by requiring minimum energy performance standards for state housing agency-funded projects.
• The Affordable Housing Retrofit Accelerator initiative was launched in December 2021 by DOEE, the DCSEU, and the DC Green Bank. It provides technical and financial assistance to help multi-family affordable building owners comply with the Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) enacted in 2018 and preserve and improve affordable housing for residents in the District for years to come.

“We are dedicated to driving Mayor Bowser’s clean energy and climate goals forward for the District of Columbia,” said DCSEU Interim Managing Director Brandon Bowles. “Our mission is to make clean energy more affordable and accessible and create lasting benefits for DC residents and businesses. The District’s advancement in the ACEEE rankings over the last nine years shows that we are moving forward successfully.”

In April 2022, ACEEE also ranked the efforts of 100 major U.S. cities to make buildings and transportation more energy efficient and equitably scale up the use of renewable energy in its 2021 City Clean Energy Scorecard analysis, where the District was ranked number 3.