Clinton rolls out energy efficiency plan

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign Tuesday rolled out a plan to increase building energy efficiency standards as a way to cut emissions and save on energy costs.

The plan, her campaign said Tuesday, looks to improve building codes, provide more information about buildings’ energy usage and expand appliance energy labeling as ways to reduce energy consumption.

{mosads}The proposal would save households and businesses $70 billion, or $600 per household, annually if implemented, Clinton’s campaign said, and reduce taxpayer spending on energy in federal buildings by $8 billion. Its goal is a one-third reduction in energy waste within ten years. 

The far-reaching plan also looks to lock in state policies it says are effective at cutting energy usage. The proposal features a host of grant programs, including those for cities to implement building codes that advance energy efficiency improvements and for states that phase out fuel oil and propane as home heating methods during the winter.

The latter proposal, especially, looks to appeal to New Hampshire voters, who go to the polls next week to cast votes in the Democratic presidential primary. 

Clinton’s website notes that nearly 70 percent of New Hampshire families utilize oil or propane for home heating, something that leads to both air pollution and swings in home heating costs. Her plan will help with both, the campaign said. 

The energy efficiency plan is the latest plank of Clinton’s climate change agenda, which she began to unveil last summer. 

“Deploying more clean energy isn’t enough—we also need to cut energy consumption, which will save families and businesses money and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change,” said a fact sheet about the plan.