Industrial News
Canada and States lead world with programs delivering industrial energy efficiency services

The report, Energy Efficiency Resource Acquisition Program Models in North America, looks at eight industrial energy efficiency programs across the two countries, which were chosen because of their success at securing energy efficiency as a resource to meet current and future regional energy needs. Each program has a different model for acquiring energy savings, says the report, but all manage a series of initiatives that influence industrial customers to implement best practices and invest in efficient technologies.

“In the U.S. and Canada, the delivery of energy efficiency as a resource to meet existing and future demand is now being relied upon with the same certainty as electricity or gas from new generation,” said Robert Taylor, the lead author of the report and principal at Energy Pathways LLC. “These initiatives, called energy efficiency acquisition programs, have become a fixture of North American electricity and natural gas markets. They have been single-handedly responsible for postponing or eliminating the need for many expensive investments in new generation and transmission systems, and have become the model for other international programs to follow.”

The report was commissioned by IIP as part of their global efforts to promote program best practices. As part of the work, IIP will soon launch a new database on global energy efficiency programs.

“The research shows the importance of tailoring the programs to the needs of different regions or industries,” said Dr. R. Neal Elliott, associate director for research at ACEEE.