Download Free Utility Energy Efficiency Programs Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Utility Energy Efficiency Programs and write the review.

While the utilization of energy efficiency has grown in recent years, it has not been distributed evenly across the country. In some states, over 2 of a utility's budget is spent on energy efficiency; in other states that number is 0. Much of the growth in energy efficiency has been due to state policies and the development utility-level energy efficiency programs. Yet, all utility programs are not created equal. Because they are often exempt from state regulation (and therefore state energy efficiency policy), publicly-owned utilities have traditionally lagged behind IOUs when it comes to EE programs. This research quantifies energy efficiency programs in four Midwestern states: Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. The first part of the thesis evaluates 474 electric utilities as to whether they had an energy efficiency program in 2010. The second part of the thesis evaluates each utility's EE program spending in terms of energy and utility specific factors, as well as socio-economic, housing stock and political variables. Through descriptive statistical analysis and the creation of a predictable linear regression model, this thesis identifies relationships between the dependent variable (EE program spending as a % of a utility's total revenue) and commonly cited barriers to EE program development. Through the analysis, this study finds widespread EE program coverage in Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. Also, it finds states are the greatest predictor of utility energy efficiency program spending. A utility's ownership type and the share of homes that heat with electricity are also significant predictors of program spending.
Examines the prospects for advancing U.S. energy efficiency through technology improvements and regulatory changes in the utility sector and related Federal and State initiatives. Photos, charts and tables.
Electric and natural gas energy efficiency in the United States is pursued through a diverse mix of policies and programmatic efforts, which support and supplement private investments by individuals and businesses. These efforts include federal and state minimum efficiency standards for electric and gas end-use products; state building energy codes; a national efficiency labelling program (ENERGY STAR®); tax credits; and a broad array of largely incentive-based programs for consumers, funded primarily by electric and natural gas utility customers. This book provides information on projected spending and savings of the future of utility customer-funded energy efficiency programs in the United States; and discusses the shifting landscape of ratepayer-funded energy efficiency in the United States.
As utilities investigate ways to implement conservation programs, the differences between customer and utility economic perspectives become more important. Because utilities bear the cost of new energy sources, energy efficiency investments that are cost-effective to them may not be cost-effective to their customers who pay average energy prices and have different economic parameters. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and other parties in the Pacific Northwest have initiated an innovative manufactured (mobile) home energy conservation program. Because manufactured homes are regulated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are exempt from local regulations, and comprise up to 50% of new housing starts in some parts of the United States, utilities and energy planners need to find creative ways to make the economics of manufactured housing energy-efficiency investments more attractive. Differences between the economic criteria and perspectives of consumers and utilities can be used to design energy-efficiency programs. This paper discusses life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis as a framework for highlighting these differences and examines other economic criteria. It then presents information from the Pacific Northwest manufactured housing program to illustrate the application of this framework to a real-world program. Findings from this program should, be of interest to utility and government planners who are designing innovative energy-efficiency programs.
We develop projections of future spending on, and savings from, energy efficiency programs funded by electric and gas utility customers in the United States, under three scenarios through 2025. Our analysis, which updates a previous LBNL study, relies on detailed bottom-up modeling of current state energy efficiency policies, regulatory decisions, and demand-side management and utility resource plans. The three scenarios are intended to represent a range of potential outcomes under the current policy environment (i.e., without considering possible major new policy developments).Key findings from the analysis are as follows:* By 2025, spending on electric and gas efficiency programs (excluding load management programs) is projected to double from 2010 levels to $9.5 billion in the medium case, compared to $15.6 billion in the high case and $6.5 billion in the low case.* Compliance with statewide legislative or regulatory savings or spending targets is the primary driver for the increase in electric program spending through 2025, though a significant share of the increase is also driven by utility DSM planning activity and integrated resource planning.* Our analysis suggests that electric efficiency program spending may approach a more even geographic distribution over time in terms of absolute dollars spent, with the Northeastern and Western states declining from over 70% of total U.S. spending in 2010 to slightly more than 50% in 2025, and the South and Midwest splitting the remainder roughly evenly.* Under our medium case scenario, annual incremental savings from customer-funded electric energy efficiency programs increase from 18.4 TWh in 2010 in the U.S. (which is about 0.5% of electric utility retail sales) to 28.8 TWh in 2025 (0.8% of retail sales).* These savings would offset the majority of load growth in the Energy Information Administration's most recent reference case forecast of retail electricity sales through 2025, given specific assumptions about the extent to which future energy efficiency program savings are captured in that forecast.* The pathway that customer-funded efficiency programs ultimately take will depend on a series of key challenges and uncertainties associated both with the broader market and policy context and with the implementation and regulatory oversight of the energy efficiency programs themselves.