A recent report released by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) compiled savings from efficiency measures the commission approved. Here are five takeaways:
- Energy efficiency programs approved by the CPUC resulted in savings of 5,900 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2010-2011 based on utility reported savings estimates, enough to power more than 600,000 households for a year and the equivalent of two major power plants.
- The estimated savings cut CO2 emissions by 3.8 million tons, the equivalent of removing more than 700,000 cars from California’s roads.
- 89 percent of estimated energy savings reported through 2011 occurred in the commercial (55 percent) and residential (34 percent) sectors, with the agricultural and industrial sectors combined making up the remaining 12 percent of electric savings.
- Through 2011, the majority of estimated electric savings was achieved through lighting (59 percent), followed by process improvements (13 percent), and HVAC (10 percent). Natural gas savings were primarily achieved in the industrial sector, where 47 percent of the estimated savings were generated through process improvements.
- The 2010-2012 statewide Codes and Standards Program budget is less than 1 percent of the total portfolio of energy efficiency programs ($30 million), but is projected to account for about 22 percent of the total electricity savings and 25 percent of the natural gas savings.
Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
