PR 27 08 PORTLAND, Ore. – Pacific Power, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and the Bonneville Power Administration announced today a regional effort to further improve the efficiency of electricity use throughout the Pacific Northwest. The effort will build on the region’s significant accomplishments over the last 25 years. It will be led by the Energy Efficiency Taskforce, a newly created, volunteer organization of regional leaders of electric utilities, businesses, government agencies, environmental groups and energy efficiency organizations.

“For more than two decades, the Northwest has been a leader in pursuing energy efficiency applications. It is a credit to the members of the new Taskforce that they realize we can all continue building one success after another,” said Bill Booth, chairman of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. “Collectively, the region now saves more than 3,000 megawatts each year, compared to how much electricity we would be using without the efficiency improvements. That is the equivalent of the electricity consumption of the entire state of Idaho plus western Montana. It’s an incredible achievement, and the Taskforce will focus on how to deliver even more benefits to the region.”

With climate change concerns, growth in regional population and rising energy consumption – plus escalating costs for new power sources – the Taskforce seeks to explore promising opportunities for energy efficiency for the Northwest.

Energy efficiency transcends regional boundaries. In an April 25 letter sent to governors, utility leaders and policy makers throughout the West, 15 Western electric industry leaders called for greater collaboration in addressing these issues, stating “to achieve the vision of a clean energy future, we will need to re-think and re-tool our energy supply. Energy efficiency is still the most economical resource. All of us must work to maximize the benefits of energy efficiency, advanced metering technologies and other demand-side programs for customers and our electrical system.” Greg Abel, PacifiCorp CEO, and Steve Wright, BPA administrator, were both signatories to the letter.

Other Northwest utility leaders signing on to the letter included Peggy Fowler, Portland General Electric president and CEO; Scott Morris, Avista Corp. president and CEO; and Steve Reynolds, Puget Sound Energy president and CEO.

The Taskforce reinforces that position by focusing on energy efficiency now as the energy landscape continues to change dramatically. Among recent developments:

• Regional energy demand continues to grow, requiring new supplies and expanded energy efficiency programs.
• New generating resource options are now very costly for all utilities due to global competition for raw materials, power plant components and skilled labor, as well as the movement away from traditional resources;
• Wholesale power costs are markedly more expensive today, and the West Coast energy crisis of 2000-2001 showed how volatile wholesale market prices for energy can be;
• Some utilities face state mandates to achieve increased levels of energy efficiency within specific deadlines;
• Climate change discussions have electricity customers – residential, commercial, and industrial – wanting to know what they can do.

The Taskforce is designed to pull together innovative ideas from successful energy-efficiency programs and highlight the important regional role that energy efficiency can serve in ensuring an ample and cost-effective supply of electricity. The Taskforce will explore how, through regional collaboration, energy efficiency can be delivered to consumers more efficiently. Technical work groups will be formed to undertake tasks including:

• Reviews of energy efficiency best practices and the elements of highly successful energy efficiency programs;
• Analysis of state energy efficiency incentives;
• Research into how customers’ use of electricity has changed over time;
• Exploration of load management technologies and strategies, such as “Smart Grid” techniques;
• Identification of how communities can become more involved in energy efficiency actions;
• Exploration of new and creative means to communicate the many benefits of energy efficiency actions to consumers.
• Developing the most efficient means to delivery energy efficiency to consumers.

The Taskforce’s Executive Committee will kick off the effort in June in Portland, Ore.

Chairs

Tom Karier, Washington Member, Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Pat Reiten, President, Pacific Power

Steve Wright, Administrator and CEO, Bonneville Power Administration

Members

Jim Abrahamson, Oregon Energy Partnership Coordinator, Community Action Partnership of Oregon

Richard Beam, Director of Energy Management Services, Providence Health and Services

Ralph Cavanagh, Energy Program Director, Natural Resources Defense Council

Randal Douthit, Group Vice President of Facility Engineering, Fred Meyer

Bill Drummond, Manager, Western Montana Generation and Transmission Cooperative

Melinda Eden, Oregon Member, Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Steve Eldrige, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Umatilla Electric

Paul Elias, General Manager, McMinnville Power and Light

Bill Gaines, Director/Chief Executive Officer, Tacoma Public Utilities

Michael Hanson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwestern Energy

Margie Harris, Executive Director, Energy Trust of Oregon

Susan Hermenet, Interim Executive Director, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Erin Holland, Edelman, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Portland

Fred Kiga, Vice President of State and Local Government Relations/Global Corporate Citizenship, Boeing

Paul Kjellander, Administrator, Idaho Office of Energy Resources

Bill Nicholson, Portland General Electric, Vice President of Customers and Economic Development

Sara Patton, Coalition Director, NW Energy Coalition

John Savage, Commissioner, Oregon Public Utility Commission

Brian Skeahan, General Manager, Cowlitz County Public Utility District

Cal Shirley, Puget Sound Energy, Vice President for Energy Efficiency Services

George Smith, Chief Executive Officer, NORPAC

Matt Steuerwalt, Energy Policy Advisor to Washington Governor Christine Gregoire

Phil Welker, Executive Director, Portland Energy Conservation, Inc.

Brady Wiseman, Montana House of Representatives, District 65

Roger Woodworth, Avista Utilities, Vice President for Sustainable Energy Solutions

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