EnergySimulation.com

The California Public Utilities Commission has produced new analysis that shows that the growth in demand for electricity in the state has declined to 1% per year. They expect total demand to begin falling due to continuing efforts in energy efficiency, which will be a historic event.

Californians today consume the same amount of electricity per capita that they consumed in 1975, while the rest of the country has increased its consumption over 50%. Some caution should be used in reading the statistics, however, because some of the reduction may be due to de-industrialization (essentially outsourcing electricity use). The state’s total energy use has continued increasing due to the increasing population, but continuing efforts in efficiency are expected to outpace population growth and lead to reduced total use.

Read the whole article at Natural Resources Defense Council: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/smartinez/some_skeptics_of_energy_effici.html

EnergySimulation.com is currently simulating homes in Glendale and Pasadena using eQUEST. The goal is to find near term and long term strategies to reduce their energy use. Some potential changes are behavioral (e.g. thermostat settings) while some potential changes would require home improvements (e.g. adding a solar awning on the south side). Each potential change will include the expected savings on the utility bills for each month.

Please watch for results, which will be posted as they become available.