# Bipartisan Efforts in 2005 Energy Bill Led to Significant Energy Efficiency Gains – ACEEE

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2011/04/bipartisan-efforts-in-2005-energy-bill-led-to-significant-energy-efficiency-gains-aceee/
- Published: 2011-04-11T13:30:07-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

_**Analysis of 2005 Energy Policy Act Shows Markets Transformed and Doors Opened
to Further Legislation- HOW ABOUT TRYING IT AGAIN DURING THIS YEAR’S BUDGET BATTLES!!!!

**

_ _Energy efficiency provisions in the _Energy Policy Act of 2005 _were largely 
successful in expanding markets for money-saving energy-efficient products, and 
in creating opportunities for continued bipartisan political action on energy efficiency
in later legislation. These are the results of a new report, [_Assessing the Harvest: Implementation of the Energy Efficiency Provisions in the _Energy Policy Act of 2005](https://aceee.org/research-report/e113)_,_
by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The report documents
current knowledge about the implementation of the energy efficiency provisions in
this legislatiion.

The _Energy Policy Act of 2005_, signed by President George W. Bush in August of
that year, included manufacturer and consumer tax incentives for energy-saving technologies,
minimum efficiency standards for appliances and equipment, and a variety of other
provisions to encourage energy savings. It was the first major energy legislation
since 1992, and began a period of bold energy efficiency legislation from 2005 to
2010.

“This bill dates to the last time Republicans had control of both sides of Congress
and the White House,” said Steven Nadel, co-author of the report and Executive Director
of ACEEE. “There is a clear precedent for bipartisan action on energy efficiency,
because these are win-win policies.”

The [report](https://aceee.org/research-report/e113) also looks at lessons learned
from implementation of the 2005 bill. The most successful energy efficiency provisions
had good timing, stakeholder engagement and education, and appropriate levels of
funding. Other provisions, especially those with limited or nonexistent funding 
or where a loophole was built into the law did not fare as well.

“Most of the provisions have proved successful in helping save consumers and businesses
energy, but there are some clear winners,” said Rachel Gold, lead report author 
and a researcher at ACEEE. “The new homes and appliance manufacturer tax incentives,
and the appliance and equipment standards have succeeded the best at transforming
markets.”

Overall, ACEEE estimates that in 2020, the bill will still be saving enough energy
to power the state of Tennessee for a year at current energy use levels. These findings
are close to ACEEE’s original estimate in 2005, showing that for the most part, 
implementation of the provisions over the past five years has gone well.