Furthering the effort to reignite the shaky economy, President Obama called the country to action regarding the next enterprise on his agenda. In his June 29 speech, Obama laid the groundwork for the country’s new energy initiative, stressing the scope of its impact.
“This is a moment where we have been called upon to cast off the old ways of doing business and act boldly to reclaim America’s future,” Obama began. “Nowhere is this more important than in building a new, clean energy economy.”
He added that at the forefront of this new economy is making communities and businesses energy efficient; a campaign that California has benefitted from for decades.
“One of fastest, easiest and cheapest ways to make our economy stronger and cleaner is to make our economy more energy efficient,” Obama added. “…In the late 1970s, the state of California enacted tougher energy efficiency policies. Over the next three decades, those policies helped create almost 1.5 million jobs, and today, Californians consume 40% less energy per person than the national average, which over time has prevented the need to build over 24 new power plants.”
Since 1991, EnerPath has been an expanding influence to California’s successful drive toward energy efficiency. MainStreet Efficiency, a partner of EnerPath and Energy Controls & Concepts, grew from energy auditing to encompass a series of mobile, web-based tools, allowing for real-time auditing, processing and project turnaround that caters to individual client needs. Together they have also made thousands of homes and small businesses across the country more energy efficient. Their software performs nearly 250,000 energy efficiency transactions annually. Although MainStreet Efficiency’s work is extensive, further impact is necessary to improve the U.S.’s energy economic state as a whole; a mission MainStreet is eager to take part of.
Not only is the energy efficiency initiative beneficial to the environment, but it will also save Americans billions of dollars annually as well as create countless green jobs. Obama appointed Energy Secretary Steven Chu to head a series of “innovative actions”, which will begin with “new efficiency standards on fluorescent and incandescent lighting”; one of MainStreet’s fundamental turn-key initiatives.
“Between 2012 and 2042, these new standards will save consumers up to $4 billion a year, conserve enough electricity to power every home in America for 10 months, reduce emissions equal to the amount produced by 166 million cars each year and eliminate the need for as many as 14 coal-fired power plants,” Obama said.
Obama added that the predominant focus of implementing energy efficiency strategies is geared toward homes and businesses, which consume 40% of energy used. Since its start, MainStreet has been and continues to devote itself to serving the mass market including homes and small businesses.
Obama stressed the significance of energy efficiency, linking it to the global stature of America.
“We can seed the race for the 21st century or we can embrace the reality that our competitors already have,” Obama said. “The nation that leads the world in creating a new clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy. That’s our choice: Between a slow decline and a renewed prosperity, between the past and the future.”
With MainStreet’s ability to carry out effective energy efficiency programs to homes and small businesses nationwide, Obama’s plan for a better tomorrow is not so out of reach.
