Grid and Building Resilience

Efficiency can increase reliability and survivability during extreme events while reducing cost.

Disasters caused by extreme heat, wildfires, winter storms, and heavy rainfall are on the rise in the US, leading to untold human suffering and trillions of dollars in costs due to rebuilding and economic disruption.

Making matters worse, most responses to these disasters are reactive. By proactively investing in efficiency and demand flexibility, utilities, cities, and states can not only increase reliability and resilience and avoid the worst impacts, but also save money—for example, modern resilient building codes save $11 for every dollar invested. 

Building efficiency and demand flexibility increases reliability by reducing strain on the grid during peak load times, thereby reducing the chance of power outages. However, if a power outage were to occur, the efficiency of the building envelope protects the life and health of the occupants by doubling the amount of time that they can safely stay inside during extreme heat or cold. It also avoids costly damage to buildings caused by frozen water pipes bursting in the cold. Finally, it saves money year-round by directly reducing utility bills and the upward pressure on electric rates.

ACEEE’s work focuses on highlighting successful programs and quantifying the resilience benefits of efficiency and demand flexibility, making them a sensible, no-regrets strategy for reducing overall costs and supporting healthy and secure lives.