Recently, we shared the great news that most utility customers across the Southeastern states that we focus on have or will very soon have access to meaningful energy efficiency programs. By 2015, these efficiency programs are projected to achieve energy savings ten times what they were just a few years ago. We’re excited about that [...]
The long darkness is over! OK, that’s a bit melodramatic but … after many years of very little access to energy efficiency programs, Southeastern households and businesses are finding that their utilities may be offering attractive and comprehensive energy efficiency programs. As recently as 2008, significant energy efficiency programs in the Southeast were limited to [...]
Why would a company that builds power plants host a reception at an event that is likely to help reduce the use of electricity? Well, the 2010 conference of the International Code Council is underway in Charlotte, NC. And building energy efficiency is the topic of the day! After the first two of five days of [...]
In 2008, Southeastern utilities spent six times more on coal from Colombia (yes, the country in South America) than they did helping their customers cut energy waste at home. In fact, the Southeast spent over $10 billion in 2008 to import coal from other states and countries to fuel power plants, according to a report [...]
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) just set goals for electric energy efficiency well below targets set—and achieved—by other states, but not surprisingly, several FEECA utilities filed objections seeking still lower goals. Earlier, we reviewed the goals and outlined why the PSC’s targets were as weak as they were—but still the utilities want to aim even lower. Progress, FP&L, Gulf [...]
The PSC meeting last week was marked by two dramatic changes for Florida electric utilities. Utility-oriented commissioner Carter was succeeded as chair for 2010-2012 by the far more consumer-oriented commissioner, Nancy Argenziano. In remarks made while nominating Ms. Argenziano, Chairman Carter said, “. . . she answered the call to leadership.” But in the same meeting in which new electricity conservation [...]
If reason drove the national energy and climate debate, we wouldn’t need more studies about costs and jobs. It seems fairly obvious that if you invest in a lower cost energy resource (such as energy efficiency), it will save consumers money. And if that lower cost resource depends primarily on American workers, rather than buying [...]
While utility executives are trying to scare people with claims that “climate and energy policy is a conspiracy of the Northeast and the West Coast to drive the cost of electric power up in the South to slow southern economic development,” NRDC has just released a report that shows the average electric bill will go [...]
Our organization and other advocates are becoming increasingly concerned about the House Waxman-Markey energy and climate bill and its companion in the Senate for a host of reasons. Among the most dramatic changes made by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is the “Combined Efficiency and Renewable Energy Standard,” or “CERES” as people are [...]
Some bloggers are anxious about the renewable electricity portfolio standard in the latest version of the Waxman-Markey energy bill. Jim DiPeso writes, “The renewable portfolio standard as currently written may be worse than doing nothing.” I think that goes too far, and encourage you to take action and support this legislation, but there are some [...]
