Energy Conservation: Efforts Promoting More Efficient Electricity Use
Highlights
GAO discussed efforts to increase the efficiency of electric energy use. GAO noted that: (1) utility-sponsored demand management programs are expected to avoid more than half of the growth in electricity demand that would otherwise occur by 2000; (2) levels of demand management activity vary widely among the states; (3) inhibitions to demand management programs include consumer reluctance to purchase costly energy-efficient devices, regulatory approaches that link utility revenues and profits with electricity sales, and difficulties in measuring the savings attributable to demand management programs; (4) utilities that do not face much potential growth in demand and possess excess generating capacity may not find demand management to be cost-effective; and (5) the Department of Energy (DOE) has taken a number of actions to promote energy conservation and efficiency, but the DOE power marketing administrations' efforts have varied widely and DOE funding for these programs has been inconsistent.