Articles

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Energy Market Imperfections: Sizing the Fixed Price Penalty from DSM Expansion

By Brooks Albery, Principal, Opinari Research Associates, LLC, November, 02, 2009 - The market for Energy Efficiency (EE) is large, highly fragmented, and includes many specific and challenging market 'imperfections' that need to be addressed before EE can live up to its full potential. This paper focuses on DSM programs as one source of EE investment and estimates the impacts of one market imperfection -- the fixed cost recovery challenge -- on kWh rates under a scenario where DSM programs expand to cover demand growth over the next decade. more...
Article Viewed 2261 Times | 21 Comments

Stimulating DSM Investment as a Product within Utility Portfolios

By Brooks Albery, Principal, Opinari Research Associates, LLC, September, 11, 2009 - The primary question being addressed through this conference is how internal operations and regulatory policies of utilities and the regulatory agencies will be impacted in a carbon-constrained future. Setting aside for the moment the question of whether constraining carbon is the right policy direction, the question becomes "how" the carbon constraining policies can be most economically implemented. Two primary directions for the industry under a carbon constrained future are: 1) utilize technology advancements to reduce the carbon intensity of how new power supply is provided to consumers; and, 2) utilize advancements in energy efficiency ("EE") to allow consumers to generate the same level of energy 'utility' out of a reduced amount of energy consumption.1 This paper provides thoughts from the electric utility's perspective in terms of operating Demand Side Management ("DSM") programs as a product line within their portfolio with an overall goal of maximizing shareholder returns. As a key player in any push to grow EE as a method for reducing carbon, the actions of the utilities will play a central role. more...
Article Viewed 2341 Times | 10 Comments

Meaningful Interaction: KCP&L Customers Speak Out

By Stephen Smith, Director of Sales and Marketing, Utility Solutions, Honeywell Utility Solutions, September, 08, 2009 - While utilities are undertaking a variety of measures to better manage peak demand and contain costs, true energy management success hinges on the ability to actively engage and interact with residential and commercial customers. more...
Article Viewed 315 Times | Be the first to comment on this article.

Managing the Invisible

By Kathy Barbian, Services Manager, We Energies, August, 11, 2009 - Demand response and energy efficiency are often joined at the hip. In this article, written for Intelligent Utility magazine's May/June issue, the author shares how We Energies assists its customers in monitoring their energy usage, conservation efforts and renewable energy initiatives. more...
Article Viewed 2488 Times | Be the first to comment on this article.

Twenty-First Century Demand Response

By Ron Bernstein, Executive Director, LonMark International, July, 14, 2009 - Despite the still-depressed economy and high (and increasingly unpredictable) costs of fuel and electricity, consumers are using more energy today than at any other time in history. They are heating and cooling larger homes, making longer commutes to work, and feeding more electricity into their ever-growing collection of devices. These range from larger refrigerators to triple-digit-wattage home theater systems and the large-screen LCD and plasma displays that go with them. One can argue gluttony, but on the flip side, we all know it's much cheaper to eat at home and create one's own home theater than to continually go out to restaurants and out to the cinema. more...
Article Viewed 2910 Times | 14 Comments

Residential Energy Efficiency: This Is How We Do It (Part 2)

By Andy Frank, Executive Vice President, Efficiency 2.0, June, 09, 2009 - In Part I, we discussed why behavior strategies should be an important component of any energy efficiency program. The "behavior resource" can be a more cost-effective solution than traditional rebate programs. By approaching energy efficiency from a consumer marketing perspective, utilities and others can take advantage of a few key principles to maximize energy efficiency investments while creating a positive, engaging experience with their customers. Personalized information, general and specific commitments, social pressure and constant feedback are all elements of a successful energy efficiency behavior campaign. more...
Article Viewed 3381 Times | 7 Comments

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How much are electric utilities spending to save a kilowatt-hour through energy-efficiency programs?

By Kelsie Bell, Research Analyst, E Source, June, 08, 2009 - Using data collected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) for the 50 electric utilities that spend the most on energy efficiency, we estimate that the median utility cost of saving a kilowatt-hour (kWh) was between three and four cents for programs run from 2001 through 2006. This estimate depends on the assumed lifetime of energy-efficiency measures and on the discounted rate used for cost levelization, and represents the average cost across all energy-efficiency programs for all market segments. more...
Article Viewed 3720 Times | 11 Comments

Residential Energy Efficiency: It's the Behavior, Stupid

By Andy Frank, Executive Vice President, Efficiency 2.0, May, 11, 2009 - Part I of this two-part article discusses why behavior must be the framework for any successful energy efficiency program. more...
Article Viewed 3885 Times | 8 Comments

Who Is Not Responding To Demand?

By Amatsia Kashti, CEO, Oxford Data Management, April, 14, 2009 - While the price of crude oil slumped to a five-year low this winter, energy costs for the home are likely to remain high and many households will have made painful decisions regarding their heating budgets. more...
Article Viewed 3182 Times | 3 Comments

How to make the grid 'smart'

By Tim Healy, CEO, EnerNOC, Inc., March, 09, 2009 - From economic woes to commodity prices, climate change to national security, the list of prominent themes that permeated our lives in 2008 and into 2009 speaks of daunting challenges. In each case, energy innovation is central to our path forward. With the announcement of billions of dollars to be funneled by the stimulus plan into improving our electric grid, efficiency and sustainability are now top of mind in Washington, D.C., and on Main Street. Expectations are surging for a clean energy future that centers on the deployment of a Smart Grid that will enable revolutionary changes to the way we generate, deliver, and consume electricity. more...
Article Viewed 3729 Times | 12 Comments

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