• Utility Energy Efficiency Programs in Colorado

• School: Denver Public School, Castro Elementary School

• Small Business: Pellsman Auto, Boulder, Colorado

• Small Business: Moe's Original BBQ Colorado

• Manufacturing: Norgren, Colorado Headquarters

• Homeowner: Lennert Family, Lyons, Colorado

• Job Report: Colorado 2016

History

• House Bill 1037, passed by the Colorado legislature in 2007, directed the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to establish energy savings goals for investor-owned electric and gas utilities. The bill also directed the PUC to provide utilities with the opportunity to earn a profit from implementing cost-effective energy efficiency programs for their customers. The PUC established rules for electric and natural gas utilities’ efficiency programs in 2008. 

• The PUC established energy savings goals and performance-based incentives for Xcel Energy in 2008 and for Black Hills Energy (BHE) in 2009. Xcel Energy serves about 1.4 million customers and BHE serves about 100,000 customers. 
  
  
• These actions led to greatly expanded utility energy efficiency and other demand-side management (DSM) programs implemented by Xcel Energy and BHE. The programs help households and businesses reduce their energy use and utility bills through education about energy savings opportunities; rebates on energy-efficient products and equipment; technical assistance; and free installation of efficiency measures in low-income households. 
  
  
• In 2011 the Colorado PUC increased the energy savings goals for Xcel Energy by about 30% for the period 2012-2020. In 2014, the annual savings goals for Xcel Energy were revised a second time; between 2015 and 2020 Xcel Energy’s annual goal is saving 400 GWh per year. The PUC also modified the shareholder incentive that Xcel Energy can earn based on the performance of its energy efficiency programs. 
  
  
• There are no energy efficiency program requirements for municipal utilities or rural electric cooperatives in Colorado, which are self-governed and not subject to PUC regulation. A few municipal utilities and rural cooperatives (notably Fort Collins Utilities, Colorado Springs Utilities and Holy Cross Energy) have established comprehensive energy efficiency programs on their own, but most offer limited or in some case no efficiency programs. 
  
  

• The table below shows the key performance indicators for the energy efficiency and other DSM programs implemented by Xcel Energy and BHE during 2009-2014. In total, the two utilities spent $414 million on energy efficiency and load management programs, while households and businesses will save about $1.1 billion net as a result of this investment. 
  
  
• In response to Xcel’s and BHE’s energy efficiency programs and the efficiency measures installed during 2009-2014, households and businesses reduced their electricity use in 2014 by nearly 2.1 billion kWh, equivalent to the electricity use of 264,000 typical households served by these utilities. Xcel Energy exceeded the energy savings goals set by the PUC every year during 2009-2014 and underspent its approved DSM budget all years except 2012. 
  
  
• The electric efficiency programs of Xcel Energy and BHE have been very cost effective, with an overall benefit-to-cost ratio of more than two-to-one. Customers will save nearly $3 on their utility bills for every $1 invested by the utilities in energy efficiency programs. 
  
  
• In addition to recovering program costs, Xcel Energy was awarded $97 million in incentives based on the level of energy savings achieved and the cost effectiveness of its energy efficiency programs in 2009-2014. About 91% of the net benefits of energy-saving programs were retained by customers with about 9% awarded to the utility. 
  
  
• Utility energy efficiency programs increase employment through the production, sales and installation of energy-efficient products and services. Energy efficiency improvements to buildings support more than 40,000 jobs in Colorado according to a new report by Environmental Entrepreneurs using U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Energy data. Jobs are also gained when households and businesses use utility bill savings to buy other goods and services in the local economy. Colorado Job Report 2016 | Energy Efficiency Jobs in America 2016

• Xcel Energy avoided 1.46 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions between 2009 and 2014 due to energy efficiency programs, assuming that half of the energy savings reduces operation of coal-fired power plants and half reduces operation of gas-fired power plants. The reduction in emissions is equivalent to taking 299,000 cars off the road.