A survey of major utilities reveals a link between states with strict efficiency standards and incentive programs and efforts to improve efficiency on the part of utilities.

As extreme weather events strain electric grids, “a new survey of energy-efficiency programs at the nation’s 53 largest utilities finds that their energy savings dropped more than 5 percent between 2018 and 2021,” reports Carl Smith in Governing.
As the article points out, “Of all the strategies for reducing CO2 emissions, energy efficiency would seem to be the easiest for all stakeholders to embrace. It means wasting less of a vital resource that has limits and is costly to produce.” Yet many utilities in states without strict energy efficiency standards are failing to invest in efficiency programs, according to the survey conducted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). “Most of the utilities that scored well ‘are in states that have enacted robust energy savings targets and provide strong regulatory support for achieving those targets,’ ACEEE says.”
One solution, Smith points out, is using performance-based regulation (PBR), which incentivizes utilities to reach efficiency goals. Additionally, building “a culture of efficiency” among customers can help utilities manage limited resources during peak demand to avoid blackouts and power outages. “For utilities whose regulatory framework doesn’t incentivize adding new production capacity, efficiency can increase the potential to accommodate new customers.”
FULL STORY: Utility Efficiency Goes Down as Temperature and Fossil Fuel Prices Go Up

Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023
The world is changing, and planning with it.

Chicago Red Line Extension Could Transform the South Side
The city’s transit agency is undertaking its biggest expansion ever to finally bring rail to the South Side.

How ‘Daylighting’ Intersections Can Save Lives
Eliminating visual obstructions can make intersections safer for all users.

LA Pledges to Add Thousands of New Bus Stop Shelters
The city’s bus riders will finally get some relief from sun and rain.

How Paris, Texas Became a ‘Unicorn’ for Rural Transit
A robust coalition of advocates in the town of 25,000 brought together the funding and resources to launch a popular bus service that some residents see as a mobility lifeline—and a social club.

San Diego Trolley Nation’s Most Popular Light Rail
The system's ridership benefited from an extension project and free transit for youth.
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Morganton
San Joaquin County
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Park City Municipal Corporation
National Capital Planning Commission
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.