A new report says Appalachian states can create thousands of jobs and save billions of dollars by becoming more energy efficient.

Officials in Kentucky are considering the findings released Wednesday by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The Harlan County Courthouse was built at a time when going green was not a priority. Now updating this building to 21st century standards is mandatory.

"As far as our budget is concerned that we make these buildings as efficient as possible so that we'll have savings down the road," said Project Manager Marvin Goins.

Goins says the new roof is a major improvement. Plans are in place to add automatic sinks and toilets to conserve water. New windows are double paned, sealed and have a transparent coating that blocks out ultra violet rays.

"The outside air was coming through the windows, so anybody inside could feel a big difference," said Carl Canterbury with Harlan Glass Co.

The ARC report calls on states for energy saving suggestions. It says anything from tougher building codes to incentives for retrofitting old cooling and heating systems could cut energy consumption 24 percent by 2030.

In the next 18 months, Kentucky is planning to use federal stimulus money to make 10,000 low-income homes across the state green.

"We expect this to have a very dramatic effect on the homeowners that will participate. We also predict this will create thousands of green collar jobs," said Finance Secretary Jonathan Miller.

Jobs that will stay in Eastern Kentucky.

State officials say each home in the clean energy corps will receive up to $10,000 in updates, from insulation to new appliances.

New jobs will include auditors and construction workers.