Energy Efficiency Quick Facts

Regional energy achievements and what they mean

Through 2008 (the latest year for which we have data) regional savings were just shy of 4,000 average megawatts. Expressed as generated electricity, that is enough to power all of the state of Idaho and Western Montana all year, with enough left over to meet the needs of a city the size of Eugene.
In 2008, the region’ s electric utilities set an all-time record for acquiring energy efficiency - 235 average megawatts in one year (as generation, enough to power more than 14,200 Northwest homes for a year).
Since 1980, half of the growth in demand for electricity in the Northwest has been met with energy efficiency.
As a result of the conservation savings, we didn't have to build 8-10 new coal- or gas-fired generating plants. This means we emitted 15 million tons less carbon-dioxide in 2008 alone.
The average cost of these savings to utilities has been less than 2 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is less than the roughly 3 cents per kilowatt-hour the Bonneville Power Administration currently charges its electric-utility customers. Energy efficiency costs about 20 percent as much as wind power, which currently costs 8 to 12 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Because consumers didn’t have to buy 4,000 average megawatts of electricity in 2008, they paid $1.8 billion less for electricity — even after accounting for the cost of energy-efficiency programs in their electric rates.

Where is the energy efficiency, past and future?

Major sources have been home weatherization (insulation, windows), improved efficiency in commercial lighting, improved irrigation efficiency (fewer leaks, more efficient pumps, lower water pressure), industrial motors, and lighting (installation of compact fluorescent lights, particularly).
In the future large savings are expected to come from more efficient televisions, high-performance windows, more efficient clothes washers, water heaters, and industrial energy use. There also is a significant potential available from improving the efficiency of utility distribution systems with better voltage management, higher-efficiency transformers, and other utility-level improvements. There even are significant savings available from more-efficient dairy farm equipment.