As the utility business model changes, more states are offering utilities incentives to increase energy efficiency by making it as appealing as traditional investments. Our new topic brief, released today, explores performance incentives for utilities in 29 states, focusing on nine innovative states in particular.
New Jersey is one example. In September, the state’s largest utility, Public Service Gas and Electric (PSE&G), proposed a six-year energy efficiency portfolio that would allow them to earn a return on their investment. The utility’s proposed portfolio would increase utility investments in efficiency by 60% in its first year, ramping up to a 700% increase in 2024, compared to 2017 utility investments. It would also more than quadruple the number of programs the utility offers, help New Jersey meet its energy efficiency targets, and save customers an estimated $5.7 billion. The proposal is now being reviewed by the state utility commission.
Even with such clear benefits, however, many utilities would be unable or unwilling to invest as much in energy efficiency. Why? Without proper policies, efficiency reduces electricity sales and profits. To counteract this, New Jersey and 28 other states have performance incentive mechanisms (PIMs) that allow utilities to earn rewards for their investments in energy efficiency when they meet certain performance criteria.
Read More (ACEEE).
Don’t worry, we won’t tell you to nix your holiday light show—at least, not entirely. There are a lot of easy steps you can take to make your festive displays more energy efficient.
- Switch to LED lights. Outside or on your tree, LED string lights will shine bringer and last ten times longer(link is external) than outdated incandescent lights. Worried about the bright white normally associated with LEDs? LED lights come in a variety of colors, including a “warm white” for that old-time holiday glow. LEDs are also safer than incandescent lights because they operate at much lower temperatures(link is external). They’re less expensive, too—using a LED lamp over the holidays will cost you an estimated $0.45, compared to $5 for mini incandescent string lights and $75 for large incandescent string lights!
- Set a timer(link is external). Your lights don’t need to be on all night! Putting your decorations on a timer will save money and electricity, while conserving your lightbulbs for the times of day when they’re most visible.
(Read More) Smarter House
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the winter holiday season – and hopefully means trips to visit friends, family, and warmer weather. Whatever the occasion, consider these four tips for reducing energy use during your travels:
- Check your tire pressure – As temperatures get colder, the pressure of the air in your car tires decreases. In fact, for every ten degree Fahrenheit drop in temperature, tire pressures drop by almost one psi. By ensuring your tires are properly inflated, you can improve your car’s gas mileage by up to 3.3 percent, reducing money spent on fuel and greenhouse gases emitted by your vehicle.
- Be a patient driver – It may be tempting to rush to vacation destinations after months of hard work, but it’s still important to practice safe driving. Aggressive driving, such as speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking, can lower your highway gas mileage by up to 33 percent. Additionally, for every five miles per hour driven over 50 mph, you pay the equivalent of an additional $0.19 per gallon of gasoline.
(Read more) Alliance to Save Energy
Nearly two-thirds of behavior-based programs for saving energy involve in-person contact with residents, such as home energy audits, according to a new survey of 50 such programs nationwide. As energy efficiency programs increasingly target behavior, local governments are taking diverse approaches.
Our new report, Reducing Energy Waste through Municipally Led Behavior Change Programs, shows that the majority of locally led programs use more than one behavior change strategy. It finds that more than half include a competition, game, or educational component.
Read more (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy)
The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping which means… winter is coming! If only putting on that ugly holiday sweater and thinking about chestnuts roasting on an open fire could keep us warm all season long. Unfortunately, colder temperatures also mean rising utility costs in much of the country. Home heating is the largest energy expense in the average U.S. home, accounting for 45 percent of energy bills. While updating your home heating system can make a big difference, taking smaller steps to improve efficiency first can keep you warmer this winter with a modest investment that will pay off in bill savings.
Read More (Alliance to Save Energy)
Air pollution takes the lives of more than 500 Americans every day – far more than homicides and car crashes put together. It’s an environmental hazard globally, contributing to climate change and damaging local environments.
A significant portion of air pollution in the United States comes from vehicles. That pollution makes the impact of transportation energy waste tangible: where transportation is inefficient, we are causing great harm that can be mitigated, or avoided entirely. Federal policies aimed at making transportation more energy-efficient have been a key tool in the battle against air pollution to protect both human health and the environment – and need to be protected and expanded.
Read more (Alliance to Save Energy)
Mike Zelkind stands at one end of what was once a shipping container and opens the door to the future.
Thousands of young collard greens are growing vigorously under a glow of pink-purple lamps in a scene that seems to have come from a sci-fi movie, or at least a NASA experiment. But Zelkind is at the helm of an earthbound enterprise. He is chief executive of 80 Acres Farms, with a plant factory in an uptown Cincinnati neighborhood where warehouses sit cheek by jowl with detached houses.
Since plants emerged on Earth, they have relied on the light of the sun to feed and grow through the process of photosynthesis.
Read more (The Washington Post)
This year, Americans experienced the fourth hottest summer on record, preceded by a winter of record-breaking lows. As the winter season approaches, extreme temperature patterns serve as a reminder that home energy use isn’t just a matter of comfort, but also one of health and wellness. Yet, a recent posting from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that a significant portion of American struggle to pay for energy.
According to EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 31 percent of U.S. households face challenges when paying energy bills or adequately heating or cooling their homes. One in five households forgo necessities like food and medicine in order to pay energy bills, forcing difficult tradeo-ffs that impact well-being. These energy insecure households are also more likely to earn less than $20,000 annually and be African-American or Latino. Whereas the median U.S. energy burden is 3.5 percent of a household’s income, low-income households experience a median energy burden of 7.2 percent.
Read more (Alliance to Save energy)
When you reach for that candy bar this Halloween, don’t just count calories—count kilowatt-hours. Big candy manufacturers use a lot of energy to feed our sugar addiction, especially this time of year. The average American consumes about 22 pounds of candy per year, which is the weight of roughly 2,200 Hershey’s kisses.
That’s a lot of candy. “[We’re] good at making chocolate…but we’re not an expert in producing power,” says Winston Chen, the renewable energy manager for Mars Incorporated.
Thanks to energy efficiency, Mars soon won’t need to use as much power. As concerns about energy consumption, water depletion, and climate change rise, your favorite candy companies are taking energy-saving steps to improve their business models and meet their sustainability goals.
(Read more) American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Transportation in the U.S. is in the midst of a revolution.
The steadily increasing number of electric vehicles available provide cleaner options with lower operating costs. Autonomous vehicles, when they arrive, will undoubtedly reshape our daily routines. And ride-hailing and transit payment apps will continue to influence how many people interact with the transportation system. All of these technologies need to evolve in concert.
This transformation, if done well, offers a unique chance to move people and goods more conveniently and economically while reducing the significant energy consumption and emissions from the transportation sector.
Read more (Real Clear Energy)
