May 23 2008

The More Things Change...

Yesterday, the American Gas Association (AGA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) came together in a press conference to highlight the importance of energy efficiency in combating global warming.

"By using a clean fuel, and using it efficiently, America's natural gas utilities and their customers are leading the way in the fight against global warming," said Laurence Downes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of New Jersey Resources. 

Sometimes, it's hard to remember -- here in California, here at PG&E -- that this is big news, that the more the rest of the country changes, the more things in California stay the same. That's the good news.

Thanks to a little policy called "decoupling," Californians already benefit from a regulatory structure whereby utilities do not earn based on how much energy they sell but, in large part, based on how little. A well-kept secret, but a great story in energy policy. (Still with me??) Add to that, performance-based mechanisms that make energy efficiency more than a neat thing for utilities to promote, it's a business driver.

There's the "a-ha:" So, THAT's why California utilities are so wild on energy efficiency. It's not a trick of the eye. Let down your guard, put aside your skepticism -- in addition to being great for the environment and good for your pocketbook, energy efficiency also makes good business sense. I get it.

Thanks to the work of the AGA, NRDC and many others, other states are following suit, but we clearly still have a long way to go. In the meantime, California will stay the course.

Posted by: Katie Romans | Comments (0) digg delicioussend to a friendprint entry

 

Categories

Efficiency

Leave a comment


E-mail this post


Your Name:
Your Friend's Email:

Subscribe to Blog rssIcon

> Go

Recent Comments

  • This is being rather generous to Lutz. 1. The "Volt", in no small part, will be targeted as a product to people who care about energy and environmental issues. These people don't embrace Lutz' antideluvian concepts of rejecting science. How responsible is it for a GM executive to be rejecting the science? 2. As well, Lutz didn't exactly sound too enthusiastic about the Volt itself. 3. And, GM public communications has 'defended' Lutz in rather absurd ways. -A Siegel
    > view entry


  • This article is right on - small businesses have a huge role to play in sustainability. Not only do they add up in aggregate, but many small businesses operate in industries that can have a significant environmental impact depending on the exact practices, like dry cleaners, auto repair shops, etc. Green is also starting to affect the bottom line more and more, customers are increasingly voting with their feet for more sustainable businesses as can be seen from the growth of sites like http://www.ecovian.com. This is also a huge opportunity for small businesses to leapfrog their bigger brothers by being more agile in adopting these measures. -Emily
    > view entry


  • Great entry, Katie. Love the level of detail you managed to get in there! Probably won't be able to compete with coal and oil any time the next decade, but definitely a great technology to look into! Keep it up :) -Rune (Norway)
    > view entry


Recent Posts