ENERGY CONSUMPTION
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Why is this important?
Data from the US Energy Information Administration shows that buildings, commercial and residential, are responsible for almost half (48%) of all energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. Greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), are widely accepted as the main contributing factors in global climate change. With 1,180 miles of shoreline, Long Island is uniquely disposed to sea level rise and other impacts of climate change. Recent modeling released by Architecture 2030, a leading organization studying the potential impacts of climate change, shows that a sea level rise of even one meter would have serious consequences for the US, leaving it vulnerable to catastrophic property and infrastructure loss with large population disruptions and economic hardships.
To help mitigate the potential impacts of climate change, Governor Spitzer has set New York State mandates to:
- Reduce energy consumption 15% by 2015
- Reduce CO2 emissions 25% by 2025
- Generate 25% of the State’s energy from renewable sources by 2013
How are we doing?
Long Island has a long way to go if it is to do its part in meeting the Governor’s mandates. Despite a slight downturn in energy consumption in 2006, Long Island’s overall residential and commercial electricity consumption for the preceding ten-year period increased by 24%, significantly outpacing the national consumption rate which increased 16% over the same period of time. With regard to CO2 emissions, Long Island released an average of 1,412 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere with every megawatt hour (MWh) of usage in 2004. That same year, New York State averaged 907 pounds of CO2 emissions per MWh while the country averaged 1,363 pounds per MWh. As of 2004, less than 1% of Long Island’s on-Island energy generation came from renewable sources.
In an attempt to reverse these trends, the Long Island Power Authority recently announced its Efficiency Long Island program, a ten-year $924 million program aimed at reducing the Island’s energy consumption through increased efficiencies.