Energy efficiency and conservation are popular buzzwords, but if the House of Representatives and Gov. Jack Markell follow the Senate’s lead, utilities and customers would have to cut back their power consumption 15 percent by 2015.
On a 19-1 vote June 25, the Senate approved Senate Bill 106, which sets the conservation target and also requires utilities to look at renewable energy first when planning new generation capacity.
“The energy efficiency resource standards is another step in the direction we are going to help people conserve and save energy,” said Sen. Harris B. McDowell III (D-Wilmington North), the bill’s sponsor. “It’s a win-win-win situation in that we will be able to get a cleaner environment, individuals will be saving money and we’ll be saving energy along the way.”
While a 15 percent energy savings rate may seem like a big target, McDowell and Colin O’Mara, secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, said the number is a reachable goal.
Some utilities, including the Delaware Electric Co-Op, are already putting programs into place that are helping their customers scale back their energy use. In the Co-Op’s “Peak Shaving” program, customers are given monitors that let them know when use is peaking so they can do things, such as adjusting thermostats or turning off appliances, to save energy. McDowell said that program’s already resulted in a 7 percent energy savings rate.
“The utilities are our partners in this and they’re dedicated to making this work,” O’Mara said. “We’ve set a bold target for energy efficiency – 15 percent by 2015 – but it’s a target we can reach.”
The bill also provides a structure for coordinating efforts of programs, such as home weatherization programs and programs that help cover the cost of energy-efficient appliances, that are geared toward reaching the overall energy savings target.
Part of the task is educating the public, and McDowell said when people start to learn about the money they can save, it will be a big motivator.
“We’ll save the individuals who are involved in this real money,” McDowell said. “A 15-percent across-the-board reduction will save an individual household up to $300-plus a year, and that’s more money that can go back into the economy for other things.”
Markell has said the state needs to make establishing a so-called “green economy” a priority, and O’Mara said passage of the bill is a good start.
“Our goal is to help people save money and be able to use the money they save from their energy bills to spend on their families, or save it or, hopefully, to create some jobs,” he said. “This is an important first step toward building the green economy of the future.”
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Energy efficiency and conservation are popular buzzwords, but if the House of Representatives and Gov. Jack Markell follow the Senate’s lead, utilities and customers would have to cut back their power consumption 15 percent by 2015.
On a 19-1 vote June 25, the Senate approved Senate Bill 106, which sets the conservation target and also requires utilities to look at renewable energy first when planning new generation capacity.
“The energy efficiency resource standards is another step in the direction we are going to help people conserve and save energy,” said Sen. Harris B. McDowell III (D-Wilmington North), the bill’s sponsor. “It’s a win-win-win situation in that we will be able to get a cleaner environment, individuals will be saving money and we’ll be saving energy along the way.”
While a 15 percent energy savings rate may seem like a big target, McDowell and Colin O’Mara, secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, said the number is a reachable goal.
Some utilities, including the Delaware Electric Co-Op, are already putting programs into place that are helping their customers scale back their energy use. In the Co-Op’s “Peak Shaving” program, customers are given monitors that let them know when use is peaking so they can do things, such as adjusting thermostats or turning off appliances, to save energy. McDowell said that program’s already resulted in a 7 percent energy savings rate.
“The utilities are our partners in this and they’re dedicated to making this work,” O’Mara said. “We’ve set a bold target for energy efficiency – 15 percent by 2015 – but it’s a target we can reach.”
The bill also provides a structure for coordinating efforts of programs, such as home weatherization programs and programs that help cover the cost of energy-efficient appliances, that are geared toward reaching the overall energy savings target.
Part of the task is educating the public, and McDowell said when people start to learn about the money they can save, it will be a big motivator.
“We’ll save the individuals who are involved in this real money,” McDowell said. “A 15-percent across-the-board reduction will save an individual household up to $300-plus a year, and that’s more money that can go back into the economy for other things.”
Markell has said the state needs to make establishing a so-called “green economy” a priority, and O’Mara said passage of the bill is a good start.
“Our goal is to help people save money and be able to use the money they save from their energy bills to spend on their families, or save it or, hopefully, to create some jobs,” he said. “This is an important first step toward building the green economy of the future.”
