Energy Efficiency is an investment, just as a transmission line or a power plant is, More precisely, It is an investment in reducing KWh to meet rising energy demands. Energy efficiency has a focus on reducing energy waste.
In the words of Edward Vine of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, “Historically, policymakers and utility regulators have considered energy efficiency as the least cost Strategy to help meet resource adequacy and transmission expansion needs, especially in geographically congested areas.”
Energy Efficiency Benefits
Energy efficiency reduces greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing consumption and peak demand, thereby delaying or avoiding capacity upgrades.
Energy Efficiency Programs Administrations
Energy efficiency is delivered to consumers through program administrations. These most commonly are utilities, but other organizations, including state agencies, municipal organizations, or third parties, also administer programs. Program administrators are accountable for designing Cost-effective Energy efficiency portfolios that meet the overall state energy goals or strategies, along with internal objectives.
These goals and objectives will specify energy savings targets but also often include societal-related goals, such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions or the requirement to design programs that equitably serve all customers classes.
Energy Efficiency Portfolios
Energy efficiency portfolios are made up of an integrated set of cost-effective programs serving all customer classes, ranging from residential and low income to commercial and industrial. Designing and managing a portfolio that maximizes energy benefits and meets all objectives is both an art and a Science.
Successful program administrators work with their teams to create a robust portfolio that is vetted with stakeholder groups and eventually is filed for approval by appropriate regulatory bodies. Once a plan is approved, administrators focus on managing the delivery of the programs.
Inside Energy Efficiency Programs Administrations
Administrators work with internal teams, along with external partners and energy service providers, to implement residential, commercial, and industrial programs. Energy Efficiency tops the lists of programs delivered by administrators.
Today, though, program administrators are expanding their programs to include other demand-side management (DSM) efforts, such as demand response, dynamic pricing, and distributed generation, Each of these has its own unique technology, design, and delivery process and implications for utilities and customers.
Some measures, Such as energy efficiency, have an impact on both KWh and kilowatt (KW) demand, while others such as demand response, primarily have an impact on KW demand.
Benefits Of Energy Efficiency Programs Administrations
Energy efficiency programs comprise residential, low-income commercial, and industrial programs that focus on end-use technologies.
Program Administrators’s Main Goals
Program administrators strive to move technologies forward with the goal of achieving market transformation. Market transformation occurs when customers buy and use the most efficient technologies as a part of their normal routine. To advance energy-efficient technologies, program administrators identify the impact of market barriers of awareness availability, accessibility, and affordability and design a program to mitigate those barriers.
Source
Energy Efficiency: Principles and Practices [Hardcover] Penni McLean-Conner (Author)
