September 2005 State Energy Efficiency Bulletin

Guest Highlight
Bonneville Power Administration's Mike Weedall Explains BPA's Plans to Tap the Northwest's 2nd Greatest Energy Resource: Energy Efficiency.

Alliance to Save Energy Column
Georgians Get Ready for an Energy Star Shopping Spree.

State Updates
California, Michigan, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.

RECA Report
Get the Latest on the Work of the Responsible Energy Codes Alliance (RECA).

The Pacific Northwest Energy Efficiency Challenge
Achieves more in a High-Achievement Area  
By Mike Weedall, Vice President of Energy Efficiency, Bonneville Power Administration

In the Pacific Northwest, energy efficiency is the number two energy resource after hydropower, producing more than 2,500 average megawatts in the past 25 years. So how will the region meet even more progressive energy efficiency targets?  For the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), we will continue to rely on our best traditional programs and use our staff’s innovation and creativity to expand into new directions. Several of BPA’s new projects are detailed in this article; if you would like more information about specific projects, please visit our website.

BPA is committed to achieving 52 average megawatts (aMW) of energy efficiency in the Pacific Northwest every year between now and 2011 and we believe we have the budget to do it. This energy savings is equivalent to powering 50,000 homes in the Pacific Northwest for a year.  That's 260 aMW on top of the 800 aMW BPA has already saved since 1980 when energy efficiency became a higher priority for the agency as part of the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act. These savings have come through traditional methods like encouraging greater weatherization, more efficient appliances and space conditioning systems. Savings also have been produced through the deployment of advanced technologies such as compact fluorescent lamps.

One of the reasons BPA has embraced energy efficiency is to improve the reliability of its transmission grid.  A new twist to our traditional approaches is the goal  of deferring construction of new transmission lines in growing areas. This approach is exemplified in our new “Non-Wires Solutions Project,” focused initially on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle. By 2011, the peninsula is expected to need 10 MW of additional peak power supply to meet each succeeding year’s growth. BPA’s lines presently serving the peninsula cannot support the additional capacity, especially during major winter storms, which happen infrequently. Yet traditionally, transmission and power systems have been built for such peak requirements. Today, we must explore alternative options to building expensive facilities to meet peak demands.  With more and better demand-side options, such alternatives abound.

As part of the “Non-Wires Solutions Project,” we organized a Non-Wires roundtable, comprised of utility, environmental, government and business representatives.  The participants analyzed the Olympic Peninsula’s growth trends to determine ways to meet load requirements without building lines, or at least deferring the construction of transmission infrastructure for as long as possible. 

Why delay construction?  Today, few people are willing to tolerate nearby transmission lines, and frankly we would prefer to avoid the environmental impacts.  Since we are applying least-cost planning, deferring construction could be the best alternative, given the time value of money.  Deferring transmission infrastructure also means that scarce dollars, which would have financed new lines, can be applied to other, more critical, projects.

Working with Olympic Peninsula utilities and industries, we have developed a suite of non-wires programs including targeted energy efficiency, demand exchange, load management and use of alternative generation. Together, these projects will produce 55 aMW of capacity, and may delay line construction in the area by at least five years. Additionally, implementing most of these resources is time-efficient, and they will be available as early as this winter should we need to deploy them.

To further manage area loads, we will install remote controllers on space and water heating systems in 2,500 homes. When needed, our customer’s utilities can signal these devices to ramp down demand during critical peak-energy times.  This “smart metering” initiative provides consumers modest financial incentives in return for their willingness to help BPA reduce the region's overall load. We also have contracted with several facilities on the Olympic Peninsula, such as casinos, hospitals and industries, to use their small standby generators if the region needs additional power.

Another project BPA is operating is the “Transmission Demand Exchange.”  This initiative gives large industries and the U.S. Navy a one-day advance notice that BPA will need some of their power or capacity.  In exchange for an agreed-upon incentive payment, they reduce load. Their actions help keep the system stable for serving other loads.

By activating a variety of these resources, we believe that BPA is in a secure position to prevent power outages. The ideas are simple – energy efficiency and other demand tools can be cheaper than producing power. Demand-side management does not mean doing without – it means doing it smarter.

For more information about BPA's energy efficiency programs, please contact Mike Weedall at mjweedall@bpa.gov.

Georgia Announces Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday and Change A Light, Change the World Campaign

by Kelly Ross, Senior Research Associate,
Buildings and Utility Program, Alliance to Save Energy

The State of Georgia recently ramped up its efforts to encourage its citizens to choose energy efficient products.  The state will soon offer a short ENERGY STAR sales tax holiday, and will participate in the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)/ Department of Energy's (DOE) annual Change a Light, Change the World campaign. 

For four days next month, Georgia consumers will have the opportunity to purchase a range of ENERGY STAR products without paying the 4 percent state sales tax.  The sales tax exemption applies to ENERGY STAR dishwashers, clothes washers, air conditioners, ceiling fans, light bulbs, dehumidifiers, programmable thermostats, and refrigerators.  The Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) is working with retailers to distribute information to consumers about the energy and money-saving value of ENERGY STAR products. For more information, please visit GEFA’s website.

In addition to the sales tax holiday, October 5, 2005 marks the beginning of Georgia’s participation in EPA’s and DOE's Change a Light, Change the World campaign.  This national effort, which the EPA has coordinated for the past five years, encourages Americans to help change the world “one light at a time” by replacing their old inefficient bulbs or light fixtures with ones that have earned the Energy Star label. Georgia will join with hundreds of ENERGY STAR partners and non-profit organizations around the country to participate in the 2-month campaign. October 5 -- otherwise known as “Change a Light Day”-- is the kick-off of the annual campaign, with events being held in major cities across the country. For more information about the Change a Light, Change the World campaign, and events in your area, please visit the ENERGY STAR website.

For more information on building energy codes for all 50 states please visit BCAP's website.