Study shows going green could mean an economic windfall for the South
An April 2010 study by Duke University and the Georgia Institute of Technology shows that the South has the greatest potential to make energy-efficient measures pay off for all Americans in the end. Researchers estimated that new appliance standards, incentives for retrofitting and weatherization, upgrades to utility plants and process improvements could earn $2.25 for every dollar spent going green.
The study showed that while 36% of Americans lived in the 16 Southern states, Southerners consumed 44% and supplied 48% of the nation’s energy. The study’s recommended green actions would produce a national savings of $41 billion on energy bills, open 380,000 new jobs, and save 8.6 billion gallons of water over the next decade. The study also concludes that investing $200 billion in energy efficiency programs in the South over the next 20 years could return $448 billion in savings for the region.
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