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New Energy Future In the NewsFort Morgan Times - 3/6/2008
Re: “Co-ops reverse opposition to net metering" (new window)
K.C. Mason’s article last week on net-metering glossed over a huge win
for Colorado — the passage of an energy efficiency bill out of the
state House of Representatives. Instead, Mason’s article spent more
time covering Rep. Cory Gardner’s opinions on energy efficiency rather
than the facts.
HB 1107 is an extension of a bill that passed last year, requiring Xcel energy to invest more revenue into energy efficiency. Unfortunately, the bill left nearly 1 million Colorado consumers without the same energy efficiency coverage because rural electric cooperatives and municipalities were not required to make the same investment for their consumers. HB 1107 would ensure that nearly all Coloradans would have a greater opportunity for more efficient homes and businesses. Energy efficiency is the cheapest form of energy. With Colorado’s rising energy demand, it is actually cheaper for a utility to conserve a unit of energy than it is for the utility to produce it from fossil fuels. This is why Xcel Energy welcomed last year’s policy requiring further investment in energy efficiency and why Fort Collins Utility is already investing 2 percent of their revenue in efficiency measures. Contrary to Rep. Gardner’s claim, the average Colorado home is actually very inefficient, underinsulated and leaky. There is no evidence that rural homes are any more efficient than urban homes. It’s not easy for homeowners to make their home efficient. As a result, most consumers end up paying for energy they do not even use. Efficient homes save consumers money — a utility program that helps homeowners in their pursuit of efficiency can help thousands of homeowners achieve lower energy costs. And if any cost is passed along to the consumer, as declared by Rep. Gardner, those costs will be more than made up for in energy savings from efficiency measures. Last week’s vote for energy efficiency was the right vote for Coloradans and is a sound, smart policy for Colorado’s energy future. Amy Keegan Clean Energy Associate Environment Colorado Denver |