Wind turbines in the countryside in the evening: New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Jersey saw the largest increases in energy efficiency jobs in 2018, according to a new report./Getty Images
Thirteen states saw more than a 5% increase in energy efficiency jobs in 2018, according to a recent report.
By Casey Leins | U.S. News & World Report
New Mexico’s largest electric utility, PNM Resources, is pointing to a recent report that shows the state ranked No. 1 for its growth of energy efficiency jobs.
The report, released by E4TheFuture, a nonprofit organization, and E2, a nonpartisan business group, found that energy efficiency jobs in the U.S. grew 3.4% in 2018 and account for 28% of all energy jobs.
Many energy efficiency jobs are found in the construction industry, which involves retrofitting buildings to make them more efficient, and in the manufacturing industry, where some employees build LED lighting systems and energy-efficient appliances.
Thirteen states saw more than a 5% increase in energy efficiency jobs, with the largest increases in New Mexico (11.6%), Nevada (8.1%), Colorado (7.2%), Oklahoma (7.2%) and New Jersey (7.1%).
PNM has partnered with numerous cities in New Mexico, including Albuquerque, in an attempt to make the state a leader in solar energy. The utility also won regulatory approval recently to purchase Western Spirit, a renewable energy transmission project that would help create 800 megawatts of new wind energy.
