New report offers consistent metric to compare energy efficiency programs Umair Irfan, E&E reporter Published: Monday, March 24, 2014 Compared to building a new generator, it's much cheaper for a utility company to coax customers to swap old light bulbs for ones that use less electricity. And it might cost less to convince people to insulate their homes than it does to build new gas pipelines. But energy efficiency measures have a long way to go before power providers in the United States can count them as just another resource, like a power plant. Energy markets face unique regulations in many parts of the country, and the demand profile in a region like sunny New Mexico is wildly different from energy use in snowy New Hampshire. All the while, reporting standards are inconsistent, so numbers from one jurisdiction rarely line up with statistics from another. However, making apples-to-apples comparisons between efficiency programs is critical in figuring out just how effective these programs are in curbing power demand. Strategies like getting homes to burn less natural gas and factories to use more efficient ventilation systems are also just as necessary for curbing carbon emissions as clean energy. With 45 states already deploying utility-based efficiency initiatives, finding out what works, what doesn't and how much it actually costs will ripple through regula
New report offers consistent metric to compare energy efficiency programs
Compared to building a new generator, it's much cheaper for a utility company to coax customers to swap old light bulbs for ones that use less electricity. And it might cost less to convince people to insulate their homes than it does to build new gas pipelines.
But energy efficiency measures have a long way to go before power providers in the United States can count them as just another resource, like a power plant. Energy markets face unique regulations in many parts of the country, and the demand profile in a region like sunny New Mexico is wildly different from energy use in snowy New Hampshire. All the while, reporting standards are inconsistent, so numbers from one jurisdiction rarely line up with statistics from another.
However, making apples-to-apples comparisons between efficiency programs is critical in figuring out just how effective these programs are in curbing power demand. Strategies like getting homes to burn less natural gas and factories to use more efficient ventilation systems are also just as necessary for curbing carbon emissions as clean energy.
With 45 states already deploying utility-based efficiency initiatives, finding out what works, what doesn't and how much it actually costs will ripple through regulators, utilities and everyone with a power bill. ¦ To continue reading the full article on ClimateWire, click here. (Subscription required to view.)
To see the complete report, click here.
tors, utilities and everyone with a power bill. ¦ To continue reading the full article on ClimateWire, click here. (Subscription required to view.) To see the complete report, click here.
