Former president Bill Clinton has announced that his foundation will partner with 15 major cities around the world to create a global Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program. The foundation is focusing on large cities because it says buildings are the cause for "over 50% of greenhouse gases gas emissions in most cities and over 70 percent in mature cities, such as New York and London." The cities have all agreed to make their municipal buildings available for for the project, and many hope it will continue and lead to other private building-owners to sign on. The foundation says the "program will provide both cities and their private building owners with access to the necessary funds to make retrofits—energy saving impr
ovements and installation of energy-efficient products— to their buildings, typically leading to energy savings between 20 to 50 percent."
The concept is really very innovative because it "creates a financing and labor pool to replace energy-hogging light fixtures, as well as install better building insulation and more efficient HVAC systems." Many companies, such as ABN Amro, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and UBS will offer loans to participating building owners, which will be paid back with the savings gained from increased efficiency.
This concept has the potential to spread well beyond not only these 15 cities, but into suburbs of these cities as well as homes. A person working in the affected buildings might see how easy it is to make a few simple changes, and in turn might make some changes him or herself. The effect could be exponential.
ovements and installation of energy-efficient products— to their buildings, typically leading to energy savings between 20 to 50 percent." The concept is really very innovative because it "creates a financing and labor pool to replace energy-hogging light fixtures, as well as install better building insulation and more efficient HVAC systems." Many companies, such as ABN Amro, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and UBS will offer loans to participating building owners, which will be paid back with the savings gained from increased efficiency.
This concept has the potential to spread well beyond not only these 15 cities, but into suburbs of these cities as well as homes. A person working in the affected buildings might see how easy it is to make a few simple changes, and in turn might make some changes him or herself. The effect could be exponential.
