How Much is Left? Massachusetts’ Remaining Efficiency Potential

Massachusetts is renowned for its ambitious energy efficiency savings and targets, regularly landing the #1 spot on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s State Scorecard. Yet, as any race car driver will tell you, maintaining the pole position may be even tougher than getting there to begin with.

That’s where Dunsky comes in. We were recently retained by several of the state’s leading program administrators to assess the remaining potential for achievable, cost-effective savings. Recent projects include:

• Eversource – the electric and gas utility that serves 1.7 million customers – has retained us to assess the potential for electricity, natural gas, and delivered fuels savings;
• Columbia Gas of Massachusetts has retained us to assess its achievable natural gas savings potential; and
• Cape Light Compact has retained us (as subcontractors to Opinion Dynamics) to assess the potential for savings from electric efficiency and demand response programs.

By assessing the technical, economic and achievable potential in each territory, these studies will inform the state’s next three-year savings targets. And beyond a single number (or set of numbers), the Dunsky model will provide critical market insight, so that program managers can prioritize efforts. For example, it can allow them to focus more energy and attention on select measures, strategies and market segments.

Results should allow each administrator to develop its next energy efficiency plan with robust, detailed and up-to-date information, adding value for both program planning and implementation, and further supporting the state’s ongoing economic and environmental leadership.