How Energy Efficiency Could Become the New ‘Bridge Fuel’ to Cut Carbon

Utility Dive, April 2016

One interesting result of the Clean Power Plan has been the rafts of new analysis examining the United States’ power sector. Everyone wants to know what it will cost.

That new analysis has allowed the South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER) to complete a new assessment on the potential of energy efficiency. Using data on CPP compliance from both the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), SPEER believes demand in 2030 could be reduced by as much as 10% using a “modest” slate of tools and relatively low savings goals.

And by moderating demand and delaying new generation, SPEER said efficiency has the potential to put downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices – to the tune of 7% to 13%.

“They were showing how costly the Clean Power Plan was. I think they never thought about how effective efficiency was,” said Steve Isser, an attorney and energy economist who authored the report for SPEER.

To read the full article: How Energy Efficiency Could Become the New “Bridge-Fuel” to cut Carbon