In the coming years, electrical contractors will transition into “energy contractors” to support the fast-growing green construction market. There has been a revival of interest in the electrical trade as home owners and corporations adopt alternative methods (e.g. solar, wind, etc) to power buildings. What’s driving this? Federal incentives, lower material costs and savings from reduced energy spending.
All things being equal, if a potential employer paid for your time away from the office to volunteer for an earth-friendly cause or provided you with free compact fluorescent light bulbs and an energy audit of your home, or even a hybrid car, would you be more inclined to join them? Leading by example, renewable energy firms are developing “green” or environmentally friendly employee benefits that align the core values of a CEO and culture of their organization with the core values of each employee.
American Solar Energy Society recently released a report on the renewable energy and energy efficiency or RE&EE industries in the US and Colorado. For 2007, the U.S renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) industries generated $1,045 billion in sales and created over 9 million jobs. The U.S. RE&EE revenues represent substantially more than the combined 2007 sales of the three largest U.S. corporations — Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil, and GM ($905 billion).