Olathe, Kan. —”Grundfos welcomes President Obama’s statements in his State of the Union address related to energy efficiency and infrastructure. I am heartened that President Obama chose to set ambitious goals for energy efficiency in his State of the Union address. We at Grundfos strongly support efforts to tap the enormous potential for en ergy savings in our buildings and infrastructure,” said Jes Munk Hansen, President and CEO, Grundfos North America.
In his State of the Union Address, President Obama set a goal for America to “cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next twenty years.” The President also pledged to work with the states: “Those states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make it happen.”
Water pumps and pump systems account for at least 10 percent of global electricity consumption. In additional to their own electrical consumption, these systems play a critical role in improving t he overall energy efficiency of buildings. Many commercial buildings have outdated pump systems with technologies dating back to the 1940s or 1950s. Installing new equipment can reduce the average electricity consumption by up to 60 percent.
“It is important to create greater public awareness of energy efficiency and the promise of modern technology,” said Mr. Hansen. “It is great to see President Obama and other political leaders from both parties devote more and more time to this issue.”
Last week, a bipartisan commission organized by the Alliance to Save Energy released a roadmap to make the U.S. more productive by 2030. Prominen t members of the commission include Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and former Republican New York Governor George Pataki. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) have also recently teamed up on energy efficiency proposals, and in the House of Representatives Democrat Peter Welch (VT) and Republican Cory Gardner (CO) just launched a new energy efficiency caucus.
At the state level, Democratic Governors such as Jerry Brown of California and Pat Quinn of Illinois have devoted significant attention to energy efficiency, as have Republican Governors such as Rick Snyder of Michigan and Chris Christie of New Jersey.
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