Doing More and Using Less: Regulatory Reforms for Electricity and Natural Gas Utilities Can Spur Energy Efficiency

Using energy more efficiently in the nation's buildings, appliances, and equipment will allow us to achieve the same or better levels of comfort and performance while lowering energy bills, improving service reliability, creating jobs, and reducing pollution. However, progress toward these goals is being blocked by market barriers that hinder consumers' ability to make energy-efficient choices and regulatory barriers that discourage utilities from investing in efficiency. NRDC recommends that legislators, regulators, and governing boards of publicly owned and cooperatively owned utilities adopt policies to spur utilities to collaborate with their customers to take advantage of all cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities.