Save Energy, Save Lives Study

March 2, 2018

State Representative Jonathan Steinberg and Mary Mushinsky joined Connecticut families and stakeholders for a press conference on the health impacts of carbon emissions and to highlight a new study by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy, Save Energy, Save Lives, that directly links the reduction in energy consumption with positive improvements on public health. They talked about the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund that supports programs that help households reduce energy usage and the need to restore funding to the program that was diverted in the biennial state budget passed in October.

  • Carbon emissions lead to pollution and pollution leads to negative impacts on public health
  • A new study highlights the direct and significant benefits to the public health by saving energy
  • CT has a lot of older homes that need energy efficiency services
  • Raiding the funds has put the important job of addressing energy efficiency in jeopardy
  • Efficiency for All, an advocacy group created by energy efficiency contractors, estimates as many as 6,800 industry jobs could be lost and has already started laying off workers
  • A 15% reduction in energy use could reduce health impacts by $73 per capita annually, 30,000 fewer asthma attacks, $20 billion in avoided health harms and 6 lives saved every day

Study link: http://efficiencyforall.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/h1801.pdf