Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• Energy efficient technologies offer much lower electricity use (>50% savings), and
better comfort/performance.
• Although these technologies often have higher first (initial) costs, they pay those
costs back very quickly.
• Some of these technologies are not widely used, despite their clear advantages.
• There is considerable remaining potential for more energy efficiency: electricity use
could be cut significantly, without a reduction in ‘energy services’.
• Energy efficiency does not mean discomfort or reduced economic growth.
• Energy efficiency and ‘demand response’ can help the utility cut peaks and avoid
the need for new power plants.
Energy efficiency policy
Cons:
Not clear how this would work in a competitive retail
electricity market.
Can be very complicated.
Require Integrated Resource Planning
(IRP)
• What is it? IRP means to provide energy
services at lowest total cost
• Finds the optimal mix of supply-side resource
(power plants) and demand-side resources
(energy efficiency and demand response)
• Government can require utilities to use this
planning method.
Require IRP - pros and cons
• Pros:
– Can lead to optimal use of efficiency and demand
response.
– No direct cost to government
• Cons:
– Little experience in using this option in a competitive
retail electricity market
– Can be complicated and time-consuming.
– Awkward for utility to promote reduced consumption.
Energy efficiency performance
standards (EEPS)
• What is it? Requiring electricity retailers to meet a
specific efficiency goal. Example goals:
– 2% MW, 2% MWh reduction from forecasts
– 100 MW, 500,000 MWh documented savings
• Also called ‘Energy Efficiency Resource Standard’
(EERS)
• Similar to Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), except
for Efficiency.
Energy efficiency performance standards (EEPS) - Pros
and Cons
• Pros:
– Allows retailer to find least expensive way to meet
goal
– Little direct cost to government
– Can work in competitive electricity markets
• Cons:
– Goal set politically, not economically optimal
– Measuring saved electricity is uncertain and prone
to disagreements.
Voluntary certification
Source: www.energystar.gov
Voluntary Certification: “Energy Star”
*http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/annualreports/annual_report_2008.pdf
Earthrise, 1968