Issue Brief: Energy Conservation

Issue Brief

Energy Conservation – HB 2200

Background

Demand for electricity in Pennsylvania is growing by 1.5% a year. This may not sound like much, but if it continues, Pennsylvania will be forced to build twelve new power plants in the next ten years to meet the state’s energy needs! This will be extremely costly, in regards to both the health of the economy and the environment. In addition to the power plants, new towers and transmission lines will also be necessary. When capital, fuel, and construction costs are totaled up, Pennsylvania is faced with spending between $17 and $20 billion by 2018 to meet the growing electricity demand.

Personal conservation is a start, but it is not enough. Pennsylvania must begin taking comprehensive steps to reduce the demand for electricity in the Commonwealth. Not only will this prevent the state from bearing the expense of building new power plants and unleashing unnecessary pollution into the air, but individuals and businesses will also realize actual savings. Conserving a kilowatt-hour of electricity costs less than three cents. In contrast, buying or producing that same kilowatt-hour could cost seven to ten cents. Energy efficiency programs in other states have resulted in reductions of consumer bills by 20 to 30%, with some businesses saving as much as 60%. Helping preserve the environment by conserving energy is incredibly cost effective.

House Bill 2200, which passed the Pennsylvania House in February with bi-partisan support and is awaiting action in the State Senate, would create programs enabling Pennsylvania to reduce its electricity demand by 2.5% of the 2012 projected demand. If enacted, Pennsylvanians will finally have the opportunity to affordably replace their appliances with high efficiency models, an opportunity people in many other states have had for quite some time. Furthermore, individuals, businesses, (and even congregations!) who wish to undertake green building projects will find that such environmentally friendly choices are no longer cost prohibitive. With these government sponsored economic incentives, fewer Pennsylvanians will have to choose between what they believe is responsible stewardship of the earth and what they can afford.

By requiring electric companies to install smart meters for all their customers within the next ten years, HB 2200 would help individuals and businesses better manage and monitor their electricity use, a key component of personal conservation. The cost of switching to smart meters is minimal, as electric companies update meters every ten years anyway, and the benefits are great. In addition to automatic reporting of power outages, smart meters will enable consumers to shift their demand

from peak to off-peak times. This shift will take pressure off the electrical grid, preventing the need for new power plants. Also included in the legislation is a requirement that consumers be offered three payment plans. With smart meters in place, customers who choose to do so can pay for their electricity in peak and off-peak periods, or even by the hour. The price for off-peak electricity will be cheaper, and if enough demand shifts, even the price of peak electricity will fall. If HB 2200 is passed by the Senate, the cost of living and doing business in Pennsylvania will decrease. Most importantly, energy conservation is one way that Pennsylvania can do its part to help reduce global warming. In recognition of the threat to the future of God's creation that climate change presents, two ELCA Synods in Pennsylvania recently passed resolutions encouraging energy conservation and environmental advocacy.

ELCA Policy Base (Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice, 1993; Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood For All, 1999)

“We call for the development and use of more energy-efficient technologies.”

“In a world of finite resources, for all to have enough means that those with more than enough will have to change their patterns of acquisition and consumption. Sufficiency charges us to work with each other and the environment to meet needs without causing undue burdens elsewhere.”

“Neither economic growth that ignores environmental cost nor conservation of nature that ignores human cost is sustainable. Both will result in injustice and, eventually, environmental degradation. We know that a healthy economy can exist only within a healthy environment.”

“The principle of sustainability summons our church…to pursue sustainable development strategies [and to] encourage industries to produce sustainably.”

“This church will favor proposals and actions that address environmental issues in a manner consistent with the principles of participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability.”

“Without appropriate environmental care, economic growth cannot be sustained.”

Visit, call, write, and/or e-mail your State Senator and tell him or her that you support HB 2200 and energy conservation and you believe she or he should make acting on energy a top priority.

Run your laundry and dishwasher at night in order to reduce peak electricity demand.