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Gov. Jack Markell expanded Thursday upon plans he introduced in his State of the State address last month, with a goal of reducing electricity usage in the state by 15% in the next six years.
Sen. Harris B. McDowell III, D-Wilmington, will introduce legislation in June that will help facilitate increasingly greater levels of energy efficiency for Delaware’s utility companies.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act of 2009 would require electric companies to meet a 2% usage and peak demand reduction target by 2011. Natural gas utilities would have to realize a 1% reduction by the same year. In 2015, those reduction targets jump to 15% for electricity and 10% for natural gas.
The program will be implemented through the combined efforts of state agencies and with some funding from the federal stimulus program, said Collin O’Mara, secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Controls.
“The idea is to tie everything together so the sum is greater than the parts,” he said.
A key element of the plan would require Delaware utilities to demonstrate that they have exhausted all options in terms of increased efficiency and renewable energy resources before adding more fossil fuels to their energy package.
In order to achieve reductions in utility usage, the plan also would encourage businesses and homeowners to improve the energy-efficiency of their buildings with weatherstipping, improved insulation and other improvements.
O’Mara said DNREC will partner with other state agencies to disseminate information on ways to increase energy efficiency.
Markell’s plan originated from recommendations made by the Governor’s Energy Advisory Council, which determined that Delaware’s per capita energy consumption ranks in the top 20 in the nation.
The council’s research also showed that low-income families in the state can spend as much as 20% of their income on energy.
“Energy efficiency is one of the best investments Delawareans can make,” he said. “By reducing our energy use we’ll have more save and more to spend on our local communities.”
Gov. Jack Markell expanded Thursday upon plans he introduced in his State of the State address last month, with a goal of reducing electricity usage in the state by 15% in the next six years.
Sen. Harris B. McDowell III, D-Wilmington, will introduce legislation in June that will help facilitate increasingly greater levels of energy efficiency for Delaware’s utility companies.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act of 2009 would require electric companies to meet a 2% usage and peak demand reduction target by 2011. Natural gas utilities would have to realize a 1% reduction by the same year. In 2015, those reduction targets jump to 15% for electricity and 10% for natural gas.
The program will be implemented through the combined efforts of state agencies and with some funding from the federal stimulus program, said Collin O’Mara, secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Controls.
“The idea is to tie everything together so the sum is greater than the parts,” he said.
A key element of the plan would require Delaware utilities to demonstrate that they have exhausted all options in terms of increased efficiency and renewable energy resources before adding more fossil fuels to their energy package.
In order to achieve reductions in utility usage, the plan also would encourage businesses and homeowners to improve the energy-efficiency of their buildings with weatherstipping, improved insulation and other improvements.
O’Mara said DNREC will partner with other state agencies to disseminate information on ways to increase energy efficiency.
Markell’s plan originated from recommendations made by the Governor’s Energy Advisory Council, which determined that Delaware’s per capita energy consumption ranks in the top 20 in the nation.
The council’s research also showed that low-income families in the state can spend as much as 20% of their income on energy.
“Energy efficiency is one of the best investments Delawareans can make,” he said. “By reducing our energy use we’ll have more save and more to spend on our local communities.”
