Energy Efficiency Issues

F R O M T H E D E S K O F
C o m m i s s i o n e r
B r e n t B a i l e y
Central District Office

The Central District is pleased to bring you the latest information
concerning utility rates, project developments, Public Service
Commission actions and other news you can use. I hope you will find this information to be a

concerning utility rates, project developments, Public Service
Commission actions and other news you can use. I hope you will find this information to be a
useful resource to learn about the Public Service Commission, consumer issues and the
continuous work we are doing for the citizens in the Central District and across the state of
Mississippi. Thank you again for allowing me to serve you in this capacity.

E N E R G Y EF F I CI EN CY I S SUE S

Energy Efficiency in the Southeast: 2019 Annual Report

Energy efficiency is a proven low-cost clean energy resource, but some utilities in the
Southeast continue to underinvest in efficiency. By examining 2018 utility efficiency
program

program
savings, this
second
annual report
from SACE
unveils which
of the
region's
utilities are
costeffectively
eliminating
unnecessary
energy waste,
and which are simply selling more power. The Southeast has among the highest energy

2018 ENERGY SAVINGS & SPENDING

New Building Code to Make New Homes and Buildings More
Energy Efficient

The International Code Council (ICC), has formally adopted the 2021 version of its
International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), the model building energy code for the
United States. The substantial energy-saving improvements from this new code will make
new US homes more energy efficient, save consumers money, and reduce emissions.

Officials also adopted a number of improvements to the commercial building energy
code. However, Mississippi has no statewide building energy codes in effect for
residential or commercial construction. Tens of millions in energy cost savings annually
could be realized if updated building energy codes were to be adopted and enforced.

energy waste,
and which are simply selling more power. The Southeast has among the highest energy
bills in the country and the lowest energy efficiency performance – but there is a solution:
Before spending customer dollars on new power plants, utilities could first invest in all
cost-effective energy efficiency and energy optimization.

New Report Reveals Awesome Impact of Energy Efficiency

The Energy Efficiency Impact Report quantifies the scale of U.S. efficiency investments
made over decades and their many impacts, ranging from energy savings, job growth,
and reduced carbon emissions to public health and worker productivity savings. It notes
these investments since 1980 have prevented a 60% increase in energy consumption and
carbon emissions, and without these investments in energy efficiency consumers would
be paying nearly $800 billion more per year in energy costs.
Furthermore,

Furthermore,
as the chart
indicates
below,
energy
efficiency is
a low-cost,
costeffective,
reliable, zero
-emission
energy
resource.

Sources: ACEEE
(2018), Does
Efficiency Still
Deliver the Biggest
Bang for Our Buck? A Review of Cost of Saved Energy for US Electric Utilities; Lazard (2018), Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis –

Deliver the Biggest
Bang for Our Buck? A Review of Cost of Saved Energy for US Electric Utilities; Lazard (2018), Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis –
Version 12.0 *Notes: Energy Efficiency program portfolio data from Molina and Relf 2018. Represents costs to utilities or program
administrators only, including shareholder performance incentives if applicable. All other data from Lazard 2018 Unsubsidized
Levelized Cost of Energy Comparison.

The Department of Energy (DOE) issued notice that it will publish in the Federal Register
a "final determination" saying it does not believe it needs to proceed with advancing
general light bulb energy efficiency improvements envisioned under the Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) signed by President George W. Bush 12
years ago. The new standards would have gone into effect Jan.1, 2020 and required all
everyday bulbs to use 65 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. Today's LED bulbs
more than meet the paused energy-savings standards. The average U.S. household has
about 40 lighting sockets and there are almost 1.5 billion sockets nationally that still
contain an incandescent or halogen light bulb. Entergy Corporation is one of 47 utilities
that supports the light bulb energy efficiency standards that was to go into effect Jan. 1.
The freeze in light bulb efficiency standards is projected to cost the average Mississippi
family $96 per year in lost savings opportunity.