Regional Energy and Economic Impacts of the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987

摘要

We use the LBL Residential Energy Model to forecast the energy and economic impacts of the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987 (NAECA) for each of ten regions of the United States. The act sets minimum standards for residential appliances efficiencies. We find that NAECA will save the nation nearly $25 billion (1987 dollars) in cumulative, net present benefits by 2015. The savings of nearly 5 Quads (1 Q = 1E15 Btus) consist of reductions in electricity generation of 800 TWh (1 TWh = 1E9 kWh) or 3 Quads and in direct fuel use of almost 2 Quads. Appliance shipments will be largely unaffected by the standards. We also discuss some implications of our analysis for utilities regarding future air conditioner/heat pump shipments, future water heater fuel choice, and minimum rebates required to stimulate purchase of efficient central air conditioners and refrigerators. 14 refs., 2 figs., 9 tabs.