Dive Brief:
- Detroit-based utility DTE Energy's energy efficiency program had saved its customers $5.2 million by 2013, with possible lifetime savings of $4.5 billion from these energy efficiency measures.
- At the same time, PECO, a Pennsylvania utility, said that its energy initiative program PECO Smart Ideas has saved $350 million for customers in the form of actual savings and customer rebates and discounts.
- PECO's energy efficiency efforts have also saved an estimated 1.5 million MWhrs of electricity, said the utility.
Dive Insight:
DTE Energy also announced that their efforts have created 300 jobs in Michigan with the energy efficiency service and product providers under contract with the utility, demonstrating the market value of such initiatives.
Both utilities began their energy efficiency initiatives, including providing customers with in-home energy usage audits and energy efficiency light bulbs, in 2009 following state legislation bolstering energy efficiency efforts in Michigan and Pennsylvania. PECO is on its way to helping Pennsylvania meet energy efficiency savings of 2.9% from current levels of demand by May 31 2016.
With the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposals on carbon pollution reduction targets, the success of these programs could help to spur further use of energy efficiency in these states, and others. The EPA requested states to implement plans to make savings of 1.5% in electricity demand by 2020 using energy efficiency initiatives like those used by DTE Energy and PECO.
