Why Energy Efficiency?

Energy Efficiency Programs Provide Benefits to Utilities...

With utility programs delivering efficiency at 2 to 4 cents/kilowatt-hour (kWh), energy efficiency holds massive potential as a low cost alternative to supply side investments.

This promise of energy efficiency has been proven over the last two decades, with utility sponsored programs negating the need for about one hundred 300-megawatt (MW) power plants in the United States alone. In addition to allowing capital expenditures to be deferred, energy and peak demand savings can also create operating efficiencies and increase your system's reliability.

Benefits to Customers...

The business case for utilities like yours is even more compelling because of public power's mission to act in the best interest of the community. Energy efficiency programs can help you build positive relationships with your customers by lowering their energy bills and improving their lifestyle or productivity.

And, Benefits to the Environment

Also, by reducing emissions and air pollution, energy efficiency programs can help your utility demonstrate environmental stewardship and aid local leaders in addressing climate action plans.

Making a Business Case for Energy Efficiency

As the resources here demonstrate, the gains that can be made through efficiency programs are well documented and the reasons for initiating or expanding activity, as concerns about climate change mount, are increasingly compelling. By combining the facts and figures in this section with your own local data, you will be able to present a strong case for making energy efficiency a cornerstone of your utility’s resource plan.