by jbs041410 f3 — April 16, 2010—Two reports issued April 5 by the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) will help policymakers highlight the critical importance of effective evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) of energy savings and design more effective trading programs for energy savings credits (ESCs) as U.S. investments in energy efficiency continue to increase dramatically.
Scaling-Up Energy Efficiency Programs: The Measurement Challenge examines energy-savings measurement issues and challenges and echoes the ESC report’s call for development of consistent EM&V methodologies—in this case in order to enhance the accuracy, reliability and credibility of energy-savings measurement and program evaluation. It also argues that increased stakeholder participation will help to realize these goals.
Energy Saving Credits: Are Potential Benefits Being Realized? examines the potential benefits of ESC trading, details the current experience, and finds that ESC trading offers the possibility of lower-cost energy efficiency deployment, increased energy efficiency investment and the ability to target energy efficiency investment where it provides greatest value. However, the report also finds that the American experience with ESC trading is very limited.
Energy efficiency program evaluation is particularly important, the Alliance said, given the recent massive growth in funding, including federal stimulus funding; the increasing number of energy efficiency incentives for utilities; and the expanding number of state initiatives such as energy efficiency resource standards (EERS). The importance of evaluation is further enhanced by the potential for federal action on climate change, such as enactment of carbon offsets, a national EERS or the inclusion of energy efficiency within a national renewable or clean electricity portfolio standard, notes ASE.
