A recently unveiled proposal from a group that promotes solar thermal technology is calling attention to how much money and energy could be saved in New York with a greater emphasis on using clean energy for heating and cooling.

According to the Solar Thermal Consortium, its recently unveiled solar thermal roadmap could help New York state development 2,000 megawatts of energy capacity, including installing as many as 1 million solar hot water collectors or 500,00 residential systems.

The organization added that the plan would generate $2.6 billion in economic activity while creating 25,000 new jobs.

The group also predicts that its plan would save 6 million gallons of oil while offsetting more than 350,000 tons of carbon emissions and also saving consumers more than $175 million per year. With solar hot water heaters, consumers can actually cut their hot water bills by as much as half.

Other strategies included in the roadmap include encouraging more solar thermal manufacturers to locate themselves in New York, and creating a statewide educational campaign for consumers about the benefits of using this technology for water heating and similar tasks.