As countries announced updated pledges to the Paris Agreement at the United Nations this September, more than 150 U.S. businesses and organisations delivered a letter to the incoming COP30 Presidency of Brazil to affirm their commitment to deploy demand-side solutions in the United States and to partner with governments toward achieving the global goal to double the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
The Alliance to Save Energy and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) sent the letter to COP30 President Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago. The industry letter brings together 152 signatories, including large companies, small businesses, and trade associations across all sectors of the energy value chain. Businesses supporting the letter represent manufacturers of insulation, heating and cooling, refrigeration, lighting, and digitalization technologies; energy service companies, finance providers, project developers, and consultancies; renewable energy, energy storage, and energy end-users; chemicals; building materials suppliers and construction firms; and more.
“Governments must see that companies are staying the course and committed to delivering the technology solutions needed to double the rate of energy efficiency improvements in five years,” said Lisa Jacobson, president of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). “Saving energy while growing the global economy is good business. Now is the time for continued public-private partnerships to seize on this interest and make real progress toward unlocking new energy resources, improving reliability, and lowering costs worldwide.”
Brazil, as host of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (also known as COP 30) from November 10 – 21, is prioritising actions to meet UN goals to decarbonise the world’s energy system, which include doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements. Both the Alliance to Save Energy and BCSE will travel to COP30 in Belém to meet with governments and stakeholders. Together, they will build out strategies to partner with the U.S. private sector to reduce emissions and strengthen community resilience.
“As we face growing demand in the United States, energy efficiency is really the first fuel because it can be deployed quickly, offers a significant return on investment, and lowers energy costs for all the world’s communities,” said Paula Glover, president and CEO of the Alliance to Save Energy. “Building massive energy generation projects and transmission is proving to be time consuming and costly, and that’s why we are seeking a doubling of energy efficiency within five years.”
The International Energy Agency predicts that doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvements will lower energy bills in advanced economies by one third, create 4.5 million new jobs, and meet 40% of the emissions reductions required by the Paris Agreement. Plus, the letter’s signatories highlight that increased efficiency will meet growing energy demand, improve grid resilience, and increase energy security.
Bob Hinkle, CEO of Metrus Energy, an energy-as-a-service provider and signatory to the letter, emphasized how energy efficiency is both a solution and an investment opportunity.
“As an energy project investor, Metrus is keenly aware of the need to scale energy efficiency upgrades to meet growing energy demand, replace aging infrastructure and mitigate the worst effects of climate change,” Hinkle said. “Doubling the rate of energy efficiency is good for the economy, good for businesses and, as this broad coalition of signatories demonstrates, it is a ready-now solution that just makes sense.”
Click here to read the full letter.