The Technical, Economic, and Achievable Potential for Energy Efficiency in the United States: A Meta-Analysis of Recent Studies

Steven Nadel, Anna Monis Shipley, and R. Neal Elliott, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Keywords

Abstract

In recent years, eleven studies have been conducted on the technical, economic, and/or achievable potential for energy efficiency in the United States. These studies covered many regions (e.g., California, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, the Southwest, and the United States as a whole), sectors (residential, commercial, and sometimes industrial), energy types (electricity and/or natural gas), and timeframes (e.g., 5, 10, and 20 years). In this paper we summarize the results of these different studies and then compare and contrast them to tease out overarching findings. The 11 recent studies examined in this paper show that very substantial technical, economic, and achievable energy efficiency potential remains available in the United States. Across all sectors, these studies show a median technical potential of 33% for electricity and 40% for gas, and median economic potentials for electricity and gas of 20% and 22%, respectively. The median achievable potential is 24% for electricity (an average of 1.2% per year) and 9% for gas (an average of 0.5% per year). We compare the achievable potential findings to recent-year actual savings from portfolios of electric and natural gas efficiency programs in leading states and find substantial consistency, and conclude with several recommendations for future energy efficiency potential work.