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January 10, 2014
U.S. homes used the same amount of electricity in 2013, on average, as they did in 2001—even though most are inundated with more gadgets that require electricity than ever before. Energy efficiency programs and low-energy appliances have put U.S. residential electricity use on track to decline in 2013 for the third year in a row. According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. homes used 10,819 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per household last year, the lowest level since 2001 when the average was 10,535 kWh per household.
The typical home appliance is less energy intensive than it was a decade ago due in part to federal and state appliance efficiency standards. Everything from big appliances—such as refrigerators and air conditioners—to televisions to iPads, use less electricity than their counterparts 10 years ago. While some appliances are being used more often and left on when not in use, average household energy use has still gone down and is expected to fall another one percent this year. Continued expansion of efficiency programs and standards will be necessary in achieving even greater reductions.
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) has played a significant role to drive down home energy use. In 2009, DOE invested $5 billion into WAP in order to stimulate job growth and improve energy efficiency in residential homes. With this funding, WAP at one point employed 15,000 workers and has provided energy efficiency improvements to more than 1.6 million homes, many of which are low-income. This has saved approximately $16.4 billion and avoided 85 million tons of carbon emissions.
On a smaller, but still effective, scale, the “Help My House” initiative by South Carolina’s rural electric cooperatives (co-ops) has encouraged energy reduction through efficiency improvements to residential co-op members since 2011. In the Help My House pilot, the 125 participating South Carolina homes cut their average electricity use by 34 percent. The loan program uses “on-bill financing,” where participants pay back the loans through their now lowered utility bill. In the pilot, the average participant pocketed approximately $288 per year after loan payments; this amount could increase to up to $1,100 per year once the 10-year loan is paid off. EESI has partnered with the co-ops since the program’s inception, including support with program design and stakeholder outreach.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provided the South Carolina co-ops with financing for this program, will begin accepting applications in February for a new co-op energy efficiency loan program. On-bill financing programs are eligible under the $250 million per year initiative.
Author: Jenifer Collins
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