Virginia could curtail electricity consumption by 10 percent with techniques used routinely in other states, reducing the need for new power plants and transmission lines, according to a report by Summit Blue Inc. for the Piedmont Environmental Council. (The Washington Post story is here. The study itself has not yet been posted on the PEC website.)
The report recommends creating financial incentives for installation of energy-efficient lighting, air conditioners and heaters, and incorporation of efficient design into buildings. The study also suggests investing in technology that allows consumers to automatically reduce their electricity use when demand, and cost, are highest. Virginia ranks among the bottom of states that utilize such technology.
Said PEC spokesman Robert W. Lazaro Jr.: “This report demonstrates that there’s enough [low]hanging fruit in terms of best practices by the industry to save a considerable amount of energy over the next 10 years.”
Currently, Virginia pursues a Big Grid energy policy, having enacted legislation this year that will encourage Dominion and other electric utilities to meet growing demand by building new power plants and transmission lines while offering only modest incentives for conservation, energy efficiency and renewable fuels.