Responding to the Natural Gas Crisis: America's Best Natural Gas Energy Efficiency Programs

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Responding to the Natural Gas Crisis: America's Best Natural Gas Energy Efficiency Programs

Martin Kushler, Ph.D., Dan York, Ph.D. and Patti Witte, M.A.

December 2003

Scope and Objectives

ACEEE conducted a nationwide search and review of utility-sector natural gas energy efficiency programs and associated regulatory and policy mechanisms. This research project had two primary objectives:

Provide a catalog and detailed description of the best programs available for saving natural gas through energy efficiency improvements.
Provide a review and summary of specific policy and regulatory mechanisms currently being used by state policymakers and regulators to encourage and support efforts by natural gas utilities to provide energy efficiency services to their customers.

This report presents the findings of this project. A total of approximately 30 different programs, from 13 different states, were selected and are profiled as exemplary programs. These programs cover a dozen different program categories, ranging from low-income residential programs to industrial “custom” efficiency programs. These are examples of practical, successful natural gas energy efficiency programs for all customer sectors and all major natural gas end-uses.

In addition, we identify the various legislative and regulatory policy mechanisms that are being used to require/encourage gas utility energy efficiency programs in eight states (and one Canadian province) that are leaders in natural gas energy efficiency.

The intent of this report is to provide regulators, policy makers, and program administrators with a guidebook of practical, state-of-the-art information about utility-sector energy efficiency programs that can be used effectively to yield critical natural gas savings in an expedited time frame.

ACEEE thanks the following organizations for their funding support for this project: the Energy Foundation; Energy Trust of Oregon; GasNetworks; New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; Northwest Natural Gas Company; Oregon Energy Office; Xcel Energy and the Xcel CIP Advisory Group; and Wisconsin Public Service Corporation.

To view the contents of the report in PDF format, click the links below. To view each individual program, click links within the PDF documents.

Main Report

Exemplary Natural Gas Energy Efficiency Program Profiles

223 pp., 2003, $50.00, U035

Click to order in hard copy.