WHEREAS, reliable and affordable energy is vital to North Carolina’s economic prosperity and energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way to meet our energy needs while reducing pollution; and
WHEREAS, Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order No. 80, North Carolina’s Commitment to Address Climate Change and Transition to a Clean Energy Economy, calls for a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption in state-owned buildings by 2025; and
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Clean Energy Plan developed under Executive Order 80 established a goal of 70 percent reduction in power sector carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon-neutrality by 2050; and
WHEREAS, Governor Cooper signed into law the 2021 bipartisan energy legislation, Energy Solutions for North Carolina, which requires regulated electric utilities to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 70 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina has more clean energy jobs in rural areas than any other state in America and energy efficiency continues to be the largest sector of clean energy employment in the Tar Heel state, responsible for more than 78,000 jobs at the end of 2021; and
WHEREAS, updated and improved energy codes for homes and commercial buildings can also significantly reduce utility costs and create new jobs; and
WHEREAS, energy efficiency provides critical support for traditionally underserved communities including those living in rural areas, low-income individuals and families, renters, agricultural communities, and small businesses; the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality implements a number of energy efficiency and weatherization programs and has used federal CARES Act funding for various energy efficiency projects in low- to moderate-income areas; and
WHEREAS, the work of the Utility Savings Initiative within the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is a lead-by-example program supporting energy efficiency in all state-owned buildings, and since 2002, has avoided more than $1.6 billion in utility costs by implementing energy efficiency measures in public buildings, including approximately $161 million in avoided utility costs in FY2020-21; and
WHEREAS, according to American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy, North Carolina’s existing energy efficiency programs could reduce the state’s growing electricity needs by nearly one-fifth by 2040, and further the emission reduction goals of EO 80, the Clean Energy Plan, and House Bill 951, Energy Solutions for North Carolina;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 5, 2022, as “NORTH CAROLINA ENERGY EFFICIENCY DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.