One of the Council's tasks is to give priority to cost effective conservation and renewable energy to meet the region's electricity needs. Conservation is considered a source of new energy, replacing the need to construct generating facilities. The Power Act defines conservation as "any reduction in electric power consumption as a result of increased in the efficiency of energy use, production, or distribution."

Besides being the least expensive resource available, it is also the most flexible. Its generation is incremental, thereby avoiding large surpluses, and it has a relatively short lead time to "construct." Other resources take more time to develop. During a period of surplus or time of slow load growth, conservation programs can be brought on as needed. If demand increases, conservation measures can be accelerated as well. Most conservation programs can be put in place within three years, producing electricity immediately and throughout the entire implementation program. If demand decreases, conservation programs can be paused with no loss of the investment already made. There is little risk of "over-building" conservation because as soon as it becomes clear that too much conservation resource is being implemented, the program can be scaled back.

Conservation involves more efficient use of electricity — seeing to it that new homes and commercial and industrial facilities are more energy efficient; installing more efficient water heaters and appliances; and finding more efficient ways to manufacture products, to perform industrial processes, or to pump irrigation water into the fields?using less electricity to get the same job done.

How much have we saved?