Calculating Avoided Emissions Should be a Standard Part of EMV and Potential Studies

摘要

Thanks in large part to guidance documents and proposed federal regulations recentlyrnissued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state and local air pollutionrnregulators have a growing interest in using energy efficiency (EE) as a strategy to improve airrnquality. The largest challenge for air pollution regulators is to quantify the impacts of EE in arnway that is suitable for regulatory purposes. To measure the air quality impacts of EE, one has tornbegin with an assessment of energy savings. However, assessing the timing and location ofrnenergy savings is also critically important for estimating avoided emissions. EE professionals arernbetter suited to this task of quantifying current or potential future avoided emissions than the airrnpollution regulators themselves. This paper explains the enormous hurdles that air pollutionrnregulators face in this area, and why the methods are more suitable for use by EE professionals.rnThis paper also suggests how EE professionals might collaborate with air pollution regulators tornbetter understand the data needed for regulatory purposes, and modify their standard practicesrnaccordingly. Further, it explains how EE professionals and the other audiences they servern(utilities, public utility commissions, and consumer advocates) will all benefit from a greaterrnemphasis on the air quality benefits of EE. Finally, the paper briefly discusses some encouragingrnexamples where these ideas are already being put into practice.