Implementing simple energy- and water-efficiency upgrades in US households would save nearly $200B per year in residential utility bills.
Unfortunately, these upgrades are often unaffordable or inaccessible for the average US home.
Growing up in West Virginia, my community was largely part of the 1/3 of Americans who can’t afford their energy bills, let alone the efficient home tech upgrades that would make these bills affordable.
This is why Kaitlin Highstreet and I founded Scope Zero, where we created the Carbon Savings Account™, or CSA. The CSA is similar to a health savings account, where employers and employees both contribute funds to the account. With the CSA, the employees use the money for home technology and personal transportation upgrades that reduce their utility bills, fuel spend, and carbon footprint.
CSA-eligible upgrades include everything from Energy Star refrigerators, low-flow showerheads, smart thermostats, and LEDs, to home solar and EVs.
For employees, the CSA is a financial wellness benefit because of how significantly it reduces their costs of living. The average US home can save over $5,000 per year from CSA-eligible home and transportation upgrades. Every 30 purchases made by employees removes an entire average US home from the grid.
For employers, the CSA is a corporate sustainability strategy. Home technology and personal transportation upgrades reduce work-from-home and commute emissions, both of which are often a substantial piece of a company’s overall environmental footprint.
Employers have been motivated by the results of implementing the CSA as a customer shares, “employees are so excited we’re offering the CSA, and employee enrollment and participation has exceeded our expectations.”
We aim to create a new standard for companies to offer sustainability benefits through the Carbon Savings Account™ on top of healthcare and retirement benefits. Disastrous impacts from climate change are happening now, and we need everyone on board to mitigate societal and environmental devastation.
Be a part of the solution and sign up here.