After record 2012 temperatures, another sweltering summer looms in the southeastern United States. And the region lags behind other parts of the United States in efficiency policies and gains. Two recent reports that focus on energy efficiency efforts across the country offer different opinions as to why this is, but the causes may be more related than they first seem.
The first is an American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) study, Trusted Partners: Everyday Energy Efficiency Across the South, that focuses on four southern states: Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Researchers found that while consumers are interested in efficiency, they don’t necessarily want government-backed mandates pushing for efficiency. The combination of strong resistance to government intervention and slow regional economic growth has led to a dearth of effective energy policies in these states. While the researchers offer a number of recommendations, ultimately it’s about understanding the population and using trusted institutions to drive behavior change. There are many hurdles to increasing energy efficiency in the South, but changing behaviors and attitudes is the first step toward reducing consumption.
The second study, by CO2 Scorecard, comes with slightly more divisive results. The most eye-popping statistic from their research was that traditional Republican – or ”red” – states use 55% more energy per capita than “blue” (or Democratic) states. Researchers for this study claim they examined all possible variables, and the results consistently showed a strong correlation between voting habits and energy use.
We All Benefit
Given the weight of each report’s results, it’s worth examining them further. The four states in the ACEEE study are traditional red states; according to ACEEE’s 2012 State Energy Policy Scorecard, all scored poorly (Georgia was highest at 33rd and Mississippi came in dead last). ACEEE’s study also found that Southerners are interested in efficiency. But since energy prices are lower in the South than in other parts of the United States, incentives to use less are weaker. Southern states also lack capital to pay for energy efficiency measures – at both the state and consumer level.
So how do you convince money-strapped consumers, utilities, and governments – in states that traditionally view government activism with suspicion – to spend time and money building up efficiency infrastructure? I tend to agree with ACEEE’s findings that public education is the key to reaching these states. Rather than a dirty, government-mandated word, efficiency can be presented as a commonsense approach that benefits everyone in the community and leads to cost savings – which can compound into more savings when scaled up. Starting slow and gaining the trust of the people will open doors in the energy-hungry Sunbelt.