Data on EE in Virginia

 

VAEEC’s latest report, “Why Energy Efficiency is a Smart Investment for Virginia”

Data in the report show that energy efficiency is a $1.5B industry in Virginia that supports 75,000 jobs. The report includes a set of policy recommendations paired with case studies to underscore the potential for those policies and programs to drive even more economic and clean energy growth in the Commonwealth.

Our report pulled from a variety of sources and our data on Virginia’s energy efficiency employment comes directly from the Department of Energy’s “2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report”. Virginia specific data was pulled from the State Charts section of the DOE report.

Data on our revenue came from the VAEEC’s partnership with the South Carolina Clean Energy Business Alliance, Southface in Georgia, and The NC Sustainable Energy Association to produce the Southeast Clean Energy Industry Census (Southeast Census). For the Southeast Census, the Partners surveyed firms to understand employment, revenue, and policy drivers of the clean energy industry.

Each Partner compiled a list of firms in its state. Each state-level Census relied on a common questionnaire developed by the Partners, as well as an online survey tool and phone-banking system. Each firm classified themselves among a range of clean energy business activities and sectors.

Table 1 Categories

This level of granularity allows for a more thorough analysis of activities within the clean energy economy. Information about employment, revenue, and the general business climate was provided directly by firms operating in the industry. Data in this report is presented in aggregate in order to protect the privacy of responding firms, and includes a conservative modeling of firms that did not respond but are anticipated to be active in Virginia’s clean energy industry. The responding firms and the modeled firms represent a significant portion of the state’s clean energy industry, but certainly do not cover all activity. The conservative nature of this analysis means that the true economic impact of the clean energy industry in Virginia is larger than what is presented in our report.