Still the One: New Study Finds Efficiency Remains a Cost-Effective Electricity Resource

Energy efficiency continues to be a low-cost way to meet electricity needs, according to a new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. Berkeley Lab’s latest analysis focuses on eight consecutive years of efficiency program data. Researchers found that the cost of saving electricity has remained relatively constant since 2010, at less than 3 cents a kilowatt-hour (kWh). Importantly, they found that about half of the savings that occur during times of peak demand — for most regions, in summer — cost utilities less than $100 per kilowatt (kW) saved. Three-quarters of the peak demand reductions cost less than $200 per kW saved.

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