TARGETING ELECTRIC RELIABILITY: ENERGY EFFICIENCY AS A PEAK DEMAND RESOURCE

Washington, D.C. -- Energy efficiency programs can be effective resources for reducing peak demand as well as overall load, according to a new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The report, Examining the Peak Demand Impacts of Energy Efficiency: A Review of Program Experience and Industry Practices, documents how energy efficiency programs can deliver savings during peak demand periods when the power grid is most stressed. Energy efficiency savings can also reduce the high costs of power during peak demands, which typically occur during hot summer conditions. “Energy efficiency programs typically are valued mostly for the long-term electricity savings they achieve— savings that occur throughout the year or over the heating or cooling seasons,” noted lead author Dan York, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate for ACEEE’s Utilities Program. “However, our analysis of these programs shows that they also deliver critical savings during peak periods when power costs are high and supplies are constrained.”