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California has saved $56 billion in electricity costs and created 1.5 million jobs over 35 years by using energy more efficiently than other states, according to a new study.

 

The report released Monday by the University of California, Berkeley found that state policies that boost energy efficiency aren't just good for the environment, they're also good for the economy.

 

"Energy efficiency is very good for real incomes, purchasing power and job creation," the study's author, UC Berkeley economics professor David Roland-Holst, told the Associated Press. "Energy efficiency has really helped us stimulate the economy."

 

Roland-Holst analyzed the economic impacts of government policies enacted since the early 1970s that have made California the country's most energy-efficient state. California was among the first states to create energy-efficiency standards for new homes, buildings and household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

 

The average Californian now uses about 40 percent less electricity than the average American.

 

The UC Berkeley study also est8imated that California’s plan to aggressively cut carbon emissions could create 400,000 new jobs and increase household incomes by up to $48 billion annually by 2020.

 

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