Energy Efficiency Jobs in America: 2019

Date: September 16, 2019

Leading America’s Energy Workforce

For the second year in a row, energy efficiency is America’s fastest-growing energy industry — accounting for about half (76,000) of the sector’s entire job growth in 2018 (151,700) — now eclipsing 2.3 million American workers.

Led by a growth rate double the nationwide average, energy efficiency is currently responsible for one out of every four jobs in the energy sector while employing more Americans than the entire fossil fuel industry in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, energy efficiency businesses employs twice the number of workers as fossil fuels.

This sector’s consistently strong year-over-year job growth—and growing integration in the economic value chain and built environment—is turning the industry into the energy sector’s most viable (and efficient) job creator. Across every time zone, state, county line, and even zip code, energy efficiency solutions are advancing economic opportunities for American workers and their families. Jobs that will grow locally, jobs that cannot be outsourced.

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The 2019 Energy Efficiency Jobs in America report includes an 7-page national summary and individual factsheets for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia that include more detailed findings including job totals for every congressional and legislative district, industry and technology breakdowns, and maps of every state’s top counties.

Alabama | Alaska  | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware |District of Columbia| Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa| Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland |Massachusetts | Michigan| Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire |  New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon| Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming |

A Bigger Picture

This annual report focuses solely on the energy sector of the economy. Jobs in retail trade, vehicle efficiency-related work, and the 4.2 million jobs related to efficient manufacturing processes are excluded from these numbers.

Previous Reports

2019 SECTOR TOPLINES

  • ENERGY STAR® Appliances & Efficient Lighting – 538,390 jobs
  • Building Materials & Insulation – 357,765 jobs
  • Vital Energy Efficiency Services – 290,203 jobs
  • HVAC (Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning) – 1,138,507 jobs
  • ALL Energy Efficiency Industries – 2,324,865 jobs

OTHER 2019 HIGHLIGHTS

According to the 2019 Energy Efficiency Jobs in America, America’s energy efficiency sector:

  • increased employment 3.4% in 2018, adding 76,000 new jobs to the economy
  • is America’s fastest growing and largest energy jobs sector
  • accounts for 28% of U.S. energy workers are involved in energy efficiency
  • supports 321,000 manufacturing workers
  • supports over 50,000 workers in 17 states and at least 11,000 in 40 states
  • employs workers in 99.7% of U.S. counties
  • employs 370,000 workers efficient lighting technologies
  • employs 167,000 workers in ENERGY STAR® appliances
  • employs 1.1 million in heating, ventilation, and cooling technologies
  • has twice as many workers as all fossil fuel sectors combined
  • is made up of 360,000 businesses, dominated by small businesses employing fewer than 20 employees (79%)
  • employs more than 317,000 rural Americans, and 928,000 in America’s top 25 metro areas
  • accounts for more than 1 out of every 6 U.S. construction workers

AMERICA’S TOP 10 STATES | 2019 Energy Efficiency Jobs

QUESTIONS & FAQ

For questions on this report, methodology, reported job numbers, or requests for specific additional data, email E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]). An FAQ for the report, including answers to questions on methodology, is available here.

LOOKING FOR MORE?

If you are looking for additional insight into E4The Future and E2’s other research and publications on the energy economy, visit E4TheFuture’s Publications homepage or E2’s Reports homepage.

This report follows E2’s Clean Jobs America analysis which found the clean energy jobs account for nearly 3.3 million jobs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Both reports expand on data from the U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership. E2 is a partner on the USEER, the fourth installment of the energy survey first released by the Department of Energy in 2016. Clean energy jobs have grown every year since the first report was released in 2016.

OTHER E2 JOBS REPORTS

Energy Efficiency Jobs in America is only one in a series of state and industry reports produced by E2 and our partners.

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Here are the winners and losers on climate policy in 2019

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Clean Jobs Colorado 2019

Date: September 12, 2019

Colorado’s Clean Energy Potential Reaches New Heights

Colorado is leading the Mountain West’s clean energy economy.

With nearly 60,000 clean energy workers now, the state’s potential reached new heights in 2018 with strong employment growth across cleantech sectors (4.8%)—far outpacing overall national (1.5%) and statewide (2.4%) job growth.

According to Clean Jobs Colorado 2019 (downloadable PDF) report, Colorado’s is now among the top 10 states for jobs in three sectors: wind energy (3rd), bioenergy (9th), and overall renewable energy (6th). The state fell just outside the Top 10 in solar energy (11th). However, the majority of Colorado’s clean energy job growth came from energy efficiency and clean vehicles, which grew 7.2% and 22.5%respectively.

Analyzing the state geographically,the employment analysis found that while Denver and Boulder accounted for nearly one out of every three clean jobs in the state, about 20 percent (29,000) are in areas outside the Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins metro areas. Additionally, all 64 counties in the state are home to clean energy workers, with 11 counties supporting at least 1,100. Denver led all counties with more than 13,200 jobs, followed by Arapahoe (7,600) and Jefferson (5,800) counties. By density, Jackson, Denver, and Boulder counties led the state in clean jobs per 1,000 employable residents. All 64 counties in Colorado are home to clean energy workers, with 11 counties supporting over 1,000 jobs.

Smart policies such as the Zero-Emission Vehicle standards adopted by Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission in August and Gov. Polis’ roadmap to 100% renewable energy will help ensure that Colorado’s clean energy economy keeps growing. And businesses have noticed, with Colorado clean energy employers predicting they’ll add jobs more than twice as fast in 2019 (10.3%) as 2018.

Colorado Job Sector Toplines

  • Energy Efficiency – 34,342 jobs
  • Renewable Energy – 17,073 jobs
  • Solar Energy – 7,775 jobs
  • Wind Energy – 7,318 jobs
  • Clean Vehicles – 3,323 jobs
  • Biofuels – 2,045 jobs
  • Energy Storage – 1,692 jobs
  • Grid Modernization – 1,272 jobs
  • ALL Clean Energy Sectors – 59,666 jobs

Other Highlights from 2018

  • Clean energy jobs also now employ 26,000 more workers than the state’s entire fossil fuel industry (10,022)
  • 8,100 workers Coloradans located in rural areas work in clean energy
  • 64% of clean energy workers are employed by businesses with fewer than 20 total employees
  • Colorado clean energy employers are projecting 10.3% employment growth for 2019.
  • Construction (37.6%) and professional services (40.7%) make up the majority of clean energy jobs.
  • 9.6% of Coloradans employed in clean energy are veterans
  • Denver led all counties in Colorado with 13,200 jobs, followed by Arapahoe (7,600) and Jefferson (5,868) counties

Looking for More Info?

This report follows E2’s Clean Jobs America analysis which found the clean energy jobs account for nearly 3.3 million jobs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Both reports expand on data from the U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership. E2 is a partner on the USEER, the fourth installment of the energy survey first released by the Department of Energy in 2016. Clean energy jobs have grown every year since the first report was released in 2016.

If you are looking for additional insight into E2’s Clean Jobs Colorado 2019 or our other Clean Jobs America reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]). An FAQ is also available here to answer any questions.

DOWNLOAD

The complete report is available for download at this link.

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Energizing California: State has half-million clean energy jobs

Clean energy jobs in California now outnumber jobs in the fossil fuel industry 5 to 1, a new study has found, an increase driven by the state’s ever-expanding renewable energy and climate laws. More than 512,000 people are employed in jobs related to clean energy — from installing solar panels to building electric cars — […]

California has five times more clean energy jobs than fossil fuel jobs

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New report: California has five times more clean energy jobs than fossil fuel jobs

“The clean energy industry is a large and growing part of our economy, certainly here in California, but nationally as well,” said Bob Keefe, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs, a non-profit group with offices in San Francisco and San Diego that compiled the data. “With the right policies, we can keep these clean energy jobs […]

California Home to 1 out of 7 U.S. Clean Energy Jobs – REPORT

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