Six Policies That Have Cut U.S. Energy Use By 20%

From a blog post at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

• Fuel economy standards for cars, minivans, and SUVs generated the largest energy savings in 2017. They saved an estimated 9.0 quads [quadrillion BTUs]. To that add savings of 0.3 quads (ACEEE calculations) from heavy-duty vehicle standards.
• The second-largest savings, 6.0 quads, come from minimum efficiency standards on appliances and other types of energy-using equipment.
• Third on the list is the ENERGY STAR program. ENERGY STAR has operated for more than 20 years, steadily expanding its market reach and participation levels. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that this program saved about 370 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in 2017, which is equivalent to 3.7 quads. EPA estimates an additional 0.5 quads of savings in direct fossil fuel use in homes, buildings, and industry, for a total of 4.2 quads of savings.
• Fourth is energy efficiency programs funded by utility customers and operated by either the utilities themselves or other entities designated by states and utilities. They help the utility and all ratepayers, because saving a kWh is generally less expensive than generating a kWh. In 2017, these programs saved about 242 billion kWh and 400 trillion BTUs of natural gas for a total of 2.7 quads.
• Federal government energy efficiency research, development, and deployment (RD&D) appears to produce a similar level of savings as utility programs, but this estimate is very uncertain.
• Building energy codes are next on the list, saving an estimated 1.5 quads in 2017. The first energy codes were developed in the 1970s, and code stringency has steadily increased since then, driven by new technologies and practices, as well consumer economics. Compared to 1980 codes, current national model building codes reduce energy use by nearly 40% (residential) to 50% (commercial).