The Economics of 'Going Green'

THE ECONOMICS OF GOING GREEN И‑ pragmatic approach to climate change can benefit your bottom line How 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 large hydro-electric projects Provide electricity for 7,000,000 homes | 28% 22% 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 last up to 15 years 8-year/100,000-mile warranties 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 O- Energy Star-qualified HVAC equipment Additionally, about 20% of heating P 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 SAVEI 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. Erwironmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.govlclimatechange/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 eGallan: How Much Cheaper Is It to Drive an Electricity?" U.S. Department of Energy. http://energy-govlarticles/egallan-how-much-cheaper-it-drive-electricity "Alternative Fuels Data Center: Vehicle Cost Calculator." U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.afde.energy.gov/cale/ "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 "Solar Energy Facts: Q2 2014." Solar Energy Industries Association. http://www.seia.org/sites/defeult/files/Q2%202014%20SMI%20Fect%20Sheet O.pdf "Residential solar: Savings through the roof." The Daily Courier, Oct. 8, 2014. http://dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=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 Salar Cost?" PURE Energies. Feb. 15, 2012. http://pureenergies.com/us/blag/infagraphic-how-much-does-solar-cost/ visual.ly THE HUFFINGTON POST