Read the report
Des Moines Iowa,
April 2, 2008 – Iowans could save millions of dollars per year, and reduce
the need for new highly-polluting coal power plants if Iowa implemented a few
simple policy changes on energy efficiency.
Today the Environment Iowa Research and Policy Center released a report
on energy efficiency which describes what Iowa could easily do to reduce waste
in energy use and what policies the state should adopt to achieve those
efficiencies.
“By adopting a few energy efficiency measures, such as
increasing insulation, installing energy efficient lighting and installing a
system that uses the sun to warm up water before it goes to your water heater,
the average Iowa household could reduce their energy demand by 20 to 40 percent
with zero sacrifice of comfort or convenience,” said Andrew Hug of the
Environment Iowa Research and Policy Center.
Energy efficiency measures can save electricity at less than
half the cost of generating that electricity at a power plant and delivering it
to customers. In 2005 a Wisconsin
program saved electricity at a cost of 3 cents per kilowatt hour when
electricity was retailing at 7.5 cents.
This same program saved natural gas at a rate of 18 cents per therm when
it was retailing for $1.00 per therm.
“As the state evaluates the need for two new coal-fired power plants at Marshalltown
and Waterloo, we ask the state to consider how much more cost-effective it
would be to invest in efficiency rather than invest rate-payer dollars for coal
plants whose costs are projected to continue skyrocketing due to increased
construction costs, ever increasing prices for coal and because of the near certainty that the utilities will
charge rate-payers as they have to meet greenhouse gas reduction requirements
for decades to come,” said Hug.
“A homeowner who replaces just five incandescent bulbs with
compact fluorescent bulbs, an investment of about $15, will save $385 in electric bills over the life
of the new bulbs. That would keep $50
million per year in Iowan’s pockets,” said Hug.
Money saved through efficiency programs can be spent on other goods and
services creating jobs and stimulating the local economy.
The report titled, ““The Power of Efficiency: Opportunities to Save Money, Reduce Pollution
and Expand the Economy in the Midwest” calls on the state to implement these
policies:
o
Increase energy efficiency savings targets for
investor owned utilities to 2 percent per year for electricity and 1 percent
per year for natural gas
o
Require that municipal and cooperative owned
utilities participate in energy efficiency programs
o
Increase public accountability and oversight of
utility run energy efficiency programs
o
Set strong energy efficiency standards for
household and commercial appliances
o
Strengthen building energy codes and ensure the
codes are enforced
o
Eliminate obstacles for institutions who wish to
install Combined Heat and Power systems
o
Establish incentive programs to encourage
businesses to go above and beyond minimum standards and to encourage consumers
to adopt new energy saving technologies.
About the Environment
Iowa Research and Policy Center
The Center is a statewide, citizen-based environmental research
organization. It draws on 30 years of success in tackling our state's top
environmental problems.
