Energy Efficiency

     Appliance efficiency standards, like lighting standards, operate in the background to reduce electricity use, mostly residential, such as kWh use by refrigerators, clothes washers, and air conditioners.  Many appliances earn the Energy Star label, as particularly efficient.

      For natural gas, 8-state savings averaged ~0.34% of sales (vs ~1.12% electric). Gas levelized cost of energy saved was ~ $5 / million Btu and average measure life was ~ 15 years.

     These first 2 NEEP tables show assumed measure lives that are typical, but not unanimous, across the region.

     Massachusetts measure lives, across all programs, averaged 14.7 years over 1989-2002. Now  lives average lower.

     Measure lives, especially for the biggest saving measures, were evaluated by going back years later to see what's in place and still working.  They use informed assumptions.

     The 8-state cumulative avoided CO2 emissions approach 100 times this annual 1.75 million tons; they amount to about 3% of total annual US CO2 emissions.  The average cost to reduce emissions, using a 10-year average measure life, is about $1.75 per ton of CO2.  This is a little lower than the trading price for CO2 allowances in the region and much lower than CO2 prices elsewhere.

DR stands for Demand Reduction, such as interrupting power to some lights or turning up thermostats,  on very hot summer days, to avoid blackouts.

     IIE's savings are annual savings from annual program efforts:  net savings where available (38%), but gross (33%) or incremental (30%) where not.

     For the top 10, per capita expenditures are highest in MA ($59), followed by CA $34, NY $28, WA $24, PA $22, FL $20, NJ $18, OH $15, & IL $12.

  The MA Savings spreadsheet contains a summary across 8 utility companies in Massachusetts for 14 years: costs & net benefits; savings - annual, lifetime and cumulative; savings by program type and by major technology; etc.  Cumulative savings (to 2002) were 57% of annual use, at 3.8¢/kWh, similar to costs 10 years later (see NEEP 8-state table, above).

     Below are 3 graphs drawn from the summary.  Cumulative savings recognize that a modest fraction of equipment installed in early years stopped working or was replaced (savings expired) by the end of 2002.

     Net annual savings have since increased year by year, from ~0.6% in 2000-01 to 1.7% in 2011, via aggressive targets and stepped-up efforts.  See NEEP 1013 bar graph, above.
    So have lifetime and cumulative savings.  Massachusetts energy efficiency programs since 1989 have saved enough electricity to power the state for almost 1.5 years.  Lifetime savings from 1 year's equipment installed now amount to almost 1/4 of annual sales.
 

     At left, % savings by technology in other states and in more recent years is not very different from the Massachusetts mix shown at left.  HVAC = Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning.  Industrial Process.  Refrigeration.  Motors = motors other than HVAC, Process, and Refrig.