Efficiency Program Expenditures Reach $8.7 Billion

BOSTON, March 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Consortium for Energy Efficiency today released its tenth Annual Industry Report, reflecting the increasing importance of managing energy to benefit customers and society. The Report covers energy efficiency and demand response programs managed by electricity and gas utilities and other ratepayer-funded efficiency programs in the US and Canada.

Total expenditures from all funding sources on DSM programs in 2014 rose nine percent over 2013 to $8.7 billion. Comparison of the subset of respondents to both 2013 and 2014 shows expenditures increased seven percent. Highlights include:

• Ratepayers contributed $8.3 billion of the $8.7 billion total. Other sources of funding included wholesale capacity market revenues, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and the Weatherization Assistance Program.
• US and Canadian electric efficiency programs resulted in 2014 estimated incremental savings of 27,500 GWh, roughly 19.0 million metric tons of avoided CO₂.
• US and Canadian natural gas program expenditures rose to just under $1.4 billion.
• Gas efficiency programs resulted in estimated incremental savings of 459 million therms, roughly 2.4 million metric tons of avoided CO₂ emissions.

As utility business models evolve for different purposes, CEE members establish facts through projects such as the CEE Annual Industry Report. With a twenty-five year history of working together on binational positions, members come together on projects, including measuring the size and impact of the DSM program industry.

"For example, to meet grid reliability and resiliency objectives, the importance of demand response is growing alongside efficiency," pointed out CEE Executive Director Ed Wisniewski. "As a result, CEE asked demand response program administrators to report further detail. Through efforts like the Annual Industry Report, we're defining the DR baseline more precisely."

The power of the CEE Annual Industry Report is in providing an annual trend analysis of energy efficiency and demand response budgets, expenditures, and savings. Compiling program data into an aggregate report of funding and savings offers value to members, regulators, and other organizations. Data is collected by CEE with the collaboration of the American Gas Association, making the Report the most extensive research on energy efficiency program funding and impacts. This reputation leads CEE members, federal agencies, industry organizations, evaluators, and others to rely on CEE data for a reliable perspective on energy efficiency trends. The Report, detailed data, and summary graphics are available at cee1.org.

SOURCE Consortium for Energy Efficiency