Unlike large wind turbines or rooftop solar panels, most energy efficiency improvements are invisible: They might be folded within a super-insulated building, embedded in the controls of a smart monitoring system, or quietly embodied in a high efficiency AC system. Looking at the job sector, however, the impact couldn’t be more clear. Energy efficiency is the largest sector within the U.S. clean energy economy, accounting for three in four of its jobs and employing nearly 1.9 million people nationwide. The efficiency industry helps customers squeeze more productivity and comfort out of the same amount—or less—energy. Its workers install smart lighting, for example, or seal duct leaks in HVAC systems or insulate walls and ceilings. They make climate control systems run better or manufacture state-of-the-art appliances. In short, they figure out how to help homes and businesses run leaner by lowering utility bills. In addition, they provide a public health benefit by reducing air pollution. Efficiency is also considered the most cost-effective strategy in many states to address climate change and achieve carbon reductions and/or other environmental goals
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