TRENTON, NJ — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has been selected as a 2021 Energy Star Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award winner by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Sustained Excellence Award, presented for accomplishments in 2020, is the highest honor given by the Energy Star program and it recognizes New Jersey’s continued commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a clean energy economy. In announcing NJBPU’s award, the EPA cited NJBPU for being “part of a distinguished group that has made a long-term commitment to fighting climate change and protecting public health through energy efficiency.”
New Jersey is the only state utility commission in the nation to be so honored this year. NJBPU has been honored several times in the past with the Sustained Excellence Award.
“On behalf of NJBPU, I am proud to receive the 2021 Energy Star award because it is a symbol of our commitment to pursuing Gov. Murphy’s goal of 100 percent clean energy,” NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso said. “Energy efficiency is clearly a critical component of our clean energy program and we have made tremendous strides in this area, particularly over the last year.”
“Our Energy Star award winning partners are showing the world that delivering real climate solutions makes good business sense,” EPA administrator Michael Regan said. “In 2019 alone Energy Star saved American families and businesses nearly $40 billion while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and also creating more than 800,000 jobs.”
Through fiscal year 2020, NJBPU generated 1,591 single-family Home Performance with Energy Star projects through low-interest financing and incentives, leading to an annual savings of more than 55,000 metric million British thermal units, which is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 482 passenger vehicles driven for one year.
NJBPU has listed among its 2020 accomplishments: providing almost $11 million to contractors and customers through incentives and loan interest rate buy down amounts for Home Performance with Energy Star projects; boosting marketing efforts by reimbursing 50 percent of advertising costs paid by contractors in the Home Performance with Energy Star program, leading to more than $280,000 in reimbursements for 116 ads throughout the year; performing 188 HPwES quality assurance inspections, using workplace health and safety guidelines and protocols established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and incentivizing more than seven million Energy Star lighting products and nearly 30,000 Energy Star–certified appliances.
Using the state’s energy master plan as a roadmap NJBPU has implemented important programs in offshore wind, solar, electric vehicles and energy efficiency during the Murphy administration, according to the NJBPU in a press release.
According to the EPA, since 1992, Energy Star and its partners have helped families and businesses achieve four billion metric tons of greenhouse-gas reductions.
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