Dive Brief:

• Persistent low prices for natural gas in the U.S. could dampen enthusiasm for more spending on energy efficiency, a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.
• The Energy Efficiency Market Report released Wednesday said low gas prices “make it more difficult to sustain and increase ratepayer spending levels as consumers see the energy efficiency surcharge on bills growing even as commodity costs are going down.” The Paris-based group said “this combination could create opposition by some utilities and regulators.” 

Dive Insight: 

The report called U.S. efficiency markets with their decade of often double-digit growth, "a force to be reckoned with.” But the IEA warned that “since U.S. energy-efficiency markets derive largely from federal and state policies, they are particularly vulnerable to political and economic developments.”