Dive Brief:

• The Sierra Club plans to ask the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to set mandatory electric and natural gas efficiency targets that utilities would have to meet.
• New Jersey has fallen behind other states on its efficiency efforts.
• Sierra Club wants the BPU to adopt an energy efficiency portfolio standard that sets a target of cutting electric use by 1.5% a year. The state has been averaging less than 0.5% a year.

Dive Insight:

Utility spending on efficiency in New Jersey is expected to fall to $35 million this year, down from $124 million in 2010. “New Jersey used to be a national leader on utility-sector energy efficiency programs, but has slipped to the middle of the pack,’’ Steven Nadel, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) executive director, said.

Currently, 25 states have energy efficiency targets, according to ACEEE. Setting targets helps guide utility programs and allows policymakers and stakeholders track utility efforts. Like renewable portfolio standards, the targets drive growth in efficiency efforts.