ACEEE'S GRAPEVINE ONLINE

May 3, 2004

DELIVERING THE PUBLIC GOODS: NEW ACEEE STUDY DOCUMENTS SUCCESS OF PUBLIC BENEFITS ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS

ACEEE's Utilities Program has just published Five Years In: An Examination of the First Half-Decade of Public Benefits Energy Efficiency Policies, a comprehensive national review of utility sector "public benefits" energy efficiency policies. Such policies have been adopted in twenty states around the country, and are providing nearly $1 billion per year in funding for programs to improve the energy efficiency of homes and businesses in those participating states (read the press release).

The available data suggest that these energy efficiency programs have been very cost-effective, with a median "benefit-to-cost ratio" of over two to one, and a median cost to save a kilowatt-hour of electricity of 3.0 cents (less than half the cost of building, fueling, and operating a typical conventional power plant). In addition, key stakeholders (utilities, state agencies, and nonprofit advocacy groups) rated these public benefits energy efficiency policies very positively during our interviews.

The main body of the report can be downloaded for free or ordered in hard copy for $30 at http://aceee.org/pubs/u041.htm. In addition, two lengthy appendices provide detailed state-by-state descriptive information on public benefits policies and their results. This material illustrates how states have successfully utilized a wide variety of administrative structures and delivery mechanisms to implement these energy efficiency policies. For $65, the full report including the appendices also may be purchased at http://aceee.org/pubs/u042.htm.

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