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A study analyzing four energy scenarios for California to develop an appropriate energy policy is presented. Factors like future energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, energy savings and renewable energy are duly integrated in the scenarios.

One of the most striking things about forecasters is their lack of historical perspective. They rarely do retrospectives, even though looking back at past work can both illuminate the reasons [...]

Studies reveal that 90% of future residential electricity growth will come from miscellaneous end use. The use of consumer electronics and halogen torchiere lamps are the major factors that cause an increase in electricity bills, accounting for approximately 100 TWh of current consumption and 65 TWh of forecasted growth. Several ways to reduce miscellaneous energy use include reducing the use of standby modes in consumer electronics, replacing halogen torchieres with fluorescent models, and improving the efficiency of fans for fuel-fired furnaces.

A framework for accounting for energy consumption in US residential and commercial buildings was developed to determine the cost savings and environmental effects of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the sectors. The adoption of efficient technologies can have a significant impact since energy use in buildings accounts for about a third of total greenhouse gas emissions. High efficiency/low-carboncase scenarios are projected to result in some $18 billion i fuel costs by the year 2010.

The US Environment Protection Agency's Energy Star office equipment program requires office equipment manufacturers to to reduce their products' power consumption in idle periods. The program, which also applies to personal computer and monitor, is expected to generate annual energy savings equivalent to approximately $1 billion by the year 2000.

Many economists question engineering-economic studies aimed at demonstrating anomalously slow diffusion of energy-efficient technology and the benefits of regulations to promote such technology. One argument against such studies is that standard techniques of engineering economics are either inappropriate or are routinely misapplied in assessing the performance of the market for energy efficiency. This paper takes account of such critiques in presenting engineering-economic evidence on the diffusion of energy efficiency improvements. It examines the engineering and economic characteristics of standard and energy-efficient magnetic ballasts for fluorescent lighting. Efficient magnetic ballasts represent an excellent investment for 99 percent of the commercial building floor stock and a moderately good investment for 0.7 percent of the commercial floor stock. Still, in the 1980s these ballasts were being adopted only at a rate commensurate with the enactment of appliance efficiency standards in various states. In this case, solid empirical evidence supports skepticism about the effectiveness of the market mechanism in promoting cost-effective energy efficiency improvements and about the benefits of regulation to counteract this shortcoming., I. INTRODUCTION When Galileo first investigated the motion of falling bodies, he conducted what the Aristotelian clerics regarded as a heretical thought experiment. He imagined a world in which friction [...]

A framework for identifying technical evidence of market failures on energy-efficient improvements is developed. The methodology is applied to examples of cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies hampered by market imperfections, thus demonstrating the presence of market failures. This empirical evidence that reinforces skepticism about the efficacy of the market mechanism in the adoption of energy-efficient improvements can be used by economists, policy analysts and technologists examining market failures related to energy efficiency and thus, in formulating policy that tackles these failures.

Shutting off a personal computer when not in use for short periods as part of some company programs to cut costs is not effective. It takes more time to turn on the computer again to log into network connections and restart programs. An employee's time which is a costly resource is not commensurate to a small amount of electricity saved when switching off the computer. Installation of technology which reduces computer power as well as automatic monitor shutdown would prove to be the better option.

This paper examines the cost of reducing carbon emissions in New England's power sector. The analysis relies on detailed sectoral studies of costs and resource potentials for demand-side efficiency, cogeneration, renewables, and conventional resource options. Sectoral studies' results were integrated using a production-cost model to estimate the total cost and rate impacts of carbon reduction strategies relative to a business-as-usual forecast. To capture potential uncertainties, the analysis takes into account variations in capital costs, fuel prices, resource utilization levels, and base case retirements of existing power plants. Results show that New England's power sector can freeze carbon emissions at current levels or reduce carbon emissions while simultaneously decreasing customers' total electricity bills., I. INTRODUCTION Growing international concern over the threat of global climate change has led policymakers to propose insuring against this threat by reducing carbon emissions (carbon dioxide) and other greenhouse [...]

Comparison of nine conservation supply curves for electricity shows that fully implementing a series of energy efficiency measures will result in annual saving of 734 billion kWh (BkWh). This is 45 percent of 1989 U.S. building sector electricity use of 1627 BkWh and represents a $29 billion saving. When translated to units of conserved carbon dioxide (CC CO2), this annual saving is 514 megatonnes, which is 10 percent of the total 1989 U.S. carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from all sources. Implementing additional fuel efficiency measures would result in further potential saving of 5.2 quads of fuel (natural gas and oil) per year, or another 300 megatonnes of CO2, at a net savings of $20 billion. Fuel switching (replacing electric resistance heat with on-site natural gas combustion) would produce annual saving of another 74 megatonnes of CO2 at a net saving of $6.8 billion. Thus, total CO2 saving from these combined efficiency measures are 890 megatonnes at a net saving of $56 billion per year.