Metering.com 21 JUNE 2016
A joint coalition of Southern California gas and electric utilities, the state regulator and local city governments have come to together to drive energy efficiency.
In a press statement the coalition, Energy Providers of Southern California, said it collaborated with the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Independent System Operator and local city governments to help customers to reduce power and gas usages and costs.
The development led to the launch of an energy conservation programme – Conserve Energy SoCal. The initiative aims to enhance consumers awareness on energy efficiency measures to lower the risk of electricity and gas shortages.
The programme will carry out public education campaigns to encourage customers to implement energy efficiency measures. In addition, the initiative will enforce alerts during peak usage periods.
The Conserve Energy SoCal was launched following a realisation that the state of California is running low of natural gas evidenced by a decrease in the storage level of the Aliso Canyon facility. Sixty-one per cent of energy used by the state is produced from natural gas-powered plants. [Con Edison unveils energy efficiency platform].
The Energy providers of Southern California is made up of 13 utilities including the Azusa Light & Water, Burbank Water & Power, City of Colton Electric Utility, Glendale Water & Power, SDG&E and the Southern California Edison.
Energy conservation in Europe
As stakeholders in the energy sector in the US collaborate to enhance implementation, the UK is reported to be experiencing a decline in the adoption of energy conservation measures.
Energy efficiency consultancy EEVS and energy markets research company Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) issued a paper on the UK’s energy efficiency sector in Q1 2016.
According to the report findings, supplier-side confidence for energy efficiency has reached its lowest level since the company started monitoring the trends of the sector.
The firm’s market monitor, which combines trends in supplier order books, staffing levels, sale prices and government action, fell to its lowest level at -4 points.
The study highlights the decrease in the implementation of energy efficiency measures to cuts in national orders. At the same time, the UK government’s drop in confidence in energy efficiency policies also played a significant role towards the lowering of the sector.
On consumer trends, energy efficiency in the form of lighting landed the second spot with the segment being included in eight out of ten projects deployed in the UK, during the first quarter of 2016. [Energy efficiency sceptics weakening UK market, finds report].
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