A new study released by research group McKinsey and Co. and sponsored by a variety of public and private organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council states that changes in building efficiency and other non-transportation initiatives could reduce the America’s energy consumption by 23% by 2020. The changes would generate approximately 900,000 jobs, save the U.S. economy $1.2 trillion, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.1 gigatons/year, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer .

To reach those savings, the country must spend nearly $50 million/year over the next decade to update commercial buildings and homes to reach maximum energy savings. The majority of savings will take place at industrial facilities (40% end-use energy efficiency potential), with residential (35%), and commercial (25%) also taking a huge role.

"Green building can stimulate the economy at a level one and a half times larger than the federal stimulus bill," said Rick Fedrizzi, the president and CEO of the USGBC. "In terms of climate change, a commitment to energy efficiency would be the equivalent to taking the entire U.S. fleet of passenger cars and light trucks-more than 200 million vehicles-off the road."

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