The Economics Of Going Green

THE ECONOMICS OF GOING GREEN How a pragmatic approach to climate change can benefit your bottom line INVEST IN GREEN ENERGY Many consumers make investment choices based on the environmental choices a company makes: Developing renewable energy could: Stimulate more than $137,000,000,000 in renewable energy investments Global investment in renewable power and Create over 200,000 direct jobs fuels totaled $214,000,000,000 in 2013, excluding| dro-electric projects Provide electricity for 7,000,000 homes 2$ 22% |28% SRI (social responsible investments) Alternative energy mutual funds investing grew more than 22% from 2010-2012 gained an average of 28% year-over-year through June 2014 STEER AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE Drivers are increasingly getting a charge out of electric automobiles: The cost of fueling an electric car is roughly the cost of driving a gas-powered vehicle Most all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid 100 miles vehicles can top 100 miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent, based on EPA auto industry mileage standards $1,000 Owning a Nissan Leaf, one of the top-selling electric vehicles, can save you at least $1,000 in the first year alone, compared to one of the top-selling conventional sedans, like a Honda Accord 15 8. Advanced batteries can Some manufacturers offer up to 15 years 8-year/100,000-mile warranties last ASSESS SUSTAINABLE HOME SOLUTIONS A variety of money-saving upgrades are available: Nearly $200 can be cut from annual heating and cooling bills by upgrading to Energy Star-qualified HVAC equipment Additionally, about 20% of heating and cooling costs can be shaved in the home using insulation SOLAR IS INCREASINGLY AFFORDABLE Payoff in savings over a 20-year period averages $20,000 per homeowner nationwide, though in several states savings surpass $30,000 YOUR SAVINGS Government incentives and smart financing plans are helping people get into solar for little-to-no money down. The average price of a solar panel declined 64% in the past 4 years YOU SAVE] 1,500,000 average American households could be powered with new solar electric capacity set to come online in 2014 Residential homeowners leasing solar systems report saving between $70 and $110 monthly on their electrical bill with solar Sources: "Causes of Climate Change." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/causes.html "How can I reduce my impact?" U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/reduce.html "SRI Basics." The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. http://www.ussif.org/sribasics "The Bull Market For Alternative Energy Funds Continues." Roen, Harris. AltEnergyStocks.com. http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/mutual_fund_etf/ "Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2014," page 6. Frankfurt School of Finance & Management gGmbH and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. http://www.unep.org/pdf/Green_energy_2013-Key_findings.pdf Center for American Progress "The Vast Potential for Renewable Energy In the American West" http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/report/2012/08/06/12002/the-vast-potential-for-renewable-energy-in-the- american-west/ "Model Year 2014: Fuel Economy Guide." U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.fueleconomy.go /feg/pdfs/guides/FEG2014.pdf "The eGallon: How Much Cheaper Is It to Drive on Electricity?" U.S. Department of Energy. http://energy.gov/articles/egallon-how-much-cheaper-it-drive-electricity "Alternative Fuels Data Center: Vehicle Cost Calculator." U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.afdc.energy-gov/calc/ "Benefits and Considerations of Electricity as a Vehicle Fuel." U.S. Department of Energy. 2012. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_benefits. html "Heat & Cool Efficiently." Energy Star. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac "Facts About Insulation and Energy Efficiency." North American Insulation Manufacturers Association. http://www.naima.org/insulation-knowledge-base/facts-about-insulation-and-energy-efficiency.html Energy Facts: Q2 2014." Solar Energy Industries Association. http://www.seia.org/sites/default/files/Q2%202014%2OSMI%20Fact%20Sheet 0.pdf "Residential solar: Savings through the roof." The Daily Courier. Oct. 8, 2014. http://dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionlD=1&SubSectionlD=1&ArticlelD=136980 "Solar Power In The U.S. Becoming A More Popular, Cost-Saving Option For Homeowners." The Associated Press via The Huffington Post. Aug. 7, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/08/solar-power-us_n_3722600.html "How Much Does Solar Cost?" PURE Energies. Feb. 15, 2012. http://pureenergies.com/us/blog/infographic-how-much-does-solar-cost/ visual.ly THE HUFFINGTON POST