Library: Evaluation, Regional/Binational clearinghouse

This report presents the findings of a process evaluation of Pacific Gas & Electric Company's (PG&E) 2006-2008 Medical Efficiency Program conducted by Research Into Action, Inc. This process evaluation seeks to provide PG&E with feedback to improve the ability of the Medical Efficiency Program to provide energy savings and comprehensive energy solutions.

The primary focus of the study is the gross and net potential estimates for electricity and gas savings in the existing and new residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, building on the 2006 Energy Efficiency Potential Study (Itron 2006 study), The study here forecasts the short- and mid-term gross and net market potential resulting from the installation of energy efficiency measures funded through publicly funded energy efficiency programs

This study has been conceived as a special-purpose process evaluation, to inform the SDG&E new construction program managers about how well their current program processes are working for their customers, and for meeting their 2006-08 goals. This study is also to suggest possible improvements that could be adopted in the program design or operations. Based on discussions with SDG&E, the study scope was limited to SBD, along with a component of Sustainable Communities, and Advanced Homes.

Rising energy use and energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions are encouraging new national energy efficiency policies and long-term international cooperative agreements. These require on-going studies to monitor their progress; thus, substantial effort must be directed toward developing reliable evaluation methodologies. One proposed methodology that is gaining in popularity involves energy efficiency indexes. The purpose of this paper is to show that there is a fundamental shortcoming in this approach that makes it unsuitable for estimating policy impacts.

This study of U.S. electricity demand finds that those states that have moderate to strong commitment to energy efficiency programs reduce electricity intensity relative to what it would have been with weak program commitment.

Market transformation is the goal of an increasing number of publicly-funded programs, especially U.S. EPA's Green Lights and its predecessor EnergyStar. Using four decades of data related to fluorescent lighting ballasts, this study isolates product price effects and thereby permits the impacts of public programs to be distinguished from he typical workings of the market.