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Energy Efficiency: A U. S. National Academies Report Summary .   The U. S. National Academies issued a report, “Real Prospects for energy Efficiency in the United States ”, in 2010.   The report examines ways in which energy efficiency programs and policies can make significant contributions to reducing new emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030.   Reduced emissions can be achieved in residential and commercial buildings, in the transportation sector, and in industrial processes.   For this reason, energy efficiency should form a major component of efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions and minimize global warming. Introduction .    Global warming is currently occurring, due to the release of ever-increasing amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.   This conclusion is broadly accepted among the scientific community, and understood by much of the American public at large.   Most greenhouse gases arise from mankind’s burning of fossil...

Summary .   A conference on energy efficiency in public buildings was held recently in Connecticut .   Energy efficiency retrofitting projects represent an accessible and achievable contribution to reducing the demand for energy used in heating, cooling and air conditioning.   Contrary to other public capital projects or infrastructure development, energy efficiency retrofits avoid the need for bond funding, since the savings from the energy not used provide a short payback period as well as a mechanism for alternative financing.   The savings can be as high as 25-30% per year, once a project is completed. Introduction .   A conference entitled “Leading by Example: Creating Jobs & Reducing Costs through Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings Across Connecticut” was convened on May 26, 2011 , sponsored by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation of Meriden , Connecticut . The rationales for holding the conference included ·        ...