Visit the Energy Systems Laboratory Homepage.
Measures and Investment Options for Community Energy Conservation
Abstract
Municipalities and electric and gas utilities
have for the past decade offered ratepayers
incentives for conserving energy. The energy
conservation strategies used have varied
depending on the goals of the local utility. The
cost-effectiveness of these strategies, however,
has been debated because of the limited activity
in producing quantifiable data and the lack of
documentation of methodologies. Because the
cost-effectiveness and the reach of current
energy programs is often unknown, the return on
investment to the utility, city, or the ratepayer
is often without quantifiable documentation.
The development of municipal or utility
energy conservation programs centers principally
on economic and social issues. Utilities look at
energy efficiency and demand management as a
cheaper option than the construction of a new
power plant. Municipalities consider energy
efficiency because it promotes awareness and
therefore helps keep utility bills low for its
citizens. The two viewpoints may combine as in
the case of the City of San Antonio and its
municipally owned utility, City Public Service.
A dilemma, therefore, arises when a municipally
owned utility has excess capacity. The
municipality demands that its utility provide for
growth and maintain rates, two goals which may conflict.
In this project, the City of San Antonio's
Office of Public Utilities assessed the potential
for energy conservation and its relationship to
meeting the community's economic growth
objectives. The project evaluated the
municipally owned utility's energy conservation
goals and objectives, current and future
programs, and its forecasting and generation
plans. Emphasis was placed on evaluating and
developing cost-effective residential energy
conservation programs designed for the San
Antonio area and determining a "best-set" of
programs based on a detailed economic analysis.
Citation
Myers, M. S.; Korinchock, D. (1986). Measures and Investment Options for Community Energy Conservation. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6863.