His goal under the Energy for America plan is to weatherize an additional one million homes every year.
Of course, the largest energy user in the country is - you guessed it - the good old Federal Government, which spent a whopping $14.5 billion on energy use in fiscal 2008.
Obama plans to lead by example: All new Fed buildings will have a 40% increase in energy-efficiency within five years. The new administration wants all federal buildings carbon-neutral by 2025 and he ultimately expects to achieve a 15% overall reduction in government energy use in just six years (2015).
Weatherize your Portfolio: 3 Energy Investment Opportunities
When looking for ways to play the energy efficiency/savings angle, the field narrows, but below are three energy investment opportunities. Adversely affected by the general housing downturn, many companies that would be a consideration under Obama’s plan are off the table.
There are a few we can consider, however:
- Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOG) designs, services, installs and sells glass walls and window systems that make up the outside skins and entrance areas of large commercial and institutional buildings.Through its subsidiaries, it’s engaged in the design and development of numerous glass products, services and systems. Apogee’s glass will be in high demand for weatherizing the nation’s windows.Earnings have held up remarkably well, particularly in the face of the housing slowdown. It’s had little real effect on the company since its exposed more to the commercial side of the building business. At current levels, the stock has a yield of around 6%.
CEO Ron Huffer had these forward-looking observations in a recent press release: “We believe that our markets offer significant longer-term opportunities, due to the increasing importance of green building, a sector demanding energy-efficient products that we supply and the overall growth in the use of value-added products in commercial construction projects.”
- A good blue-chip play that stands to benefit as well is 3M Company (NYSE: MMM). 3M is a diversified technology company engaged in industrial products, transportation, and numerous other sectors.
