Regulators committed to consistency among energy-efficiency policies

The inconsistency in state practices for evaluating energy-efficiency programs has prompted more scrutiny of these programs, as well as a call for the creation of a national standard.

In response, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) conducted a comprehensive national survey examining these practices. The National Survey of State Policies and Practices for the Evaluation of Ratepayer-Funded Energy Efficiency Programs confirmed broad diversity in policies, administrative structure and technical details across states, however the variability in does not seem to significantly change the bottom line -- that energy efficiency programs are still highly cost-effective.

In a related study, Saving Energy Cost-Effectively: A National Review of the Cost of Energy Saved Through Utility-Sector Energy Efficiency Programs, ACEEE examined the reported evaluation results across 14 different states with major ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs and found that the overall utility cost of conserved energy across states-despite differences in evaluation approaches-only ranged from 1.6 to 3.3 cents per kWh. Any point in that range is far cheaper than any available new electric supply resource, which range in cost from roughly 6 to 14 cents per kWh.

The study further found a high level of commitment by state regulators to making the process more consistent. Regulators take their role very seriously giving more detailed scrutiny to energy efficiency than any other utility operation.

For more:
- see the report

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