The Wichita Eagle Editorial, May 14, 2008

Kansas has been locked in a bitter controversy about whether a proposed coal-plant expansion in western Kansas is needed. Largely overlooked in the debate is the untapped promise of energy efficiency and conservation to reduce our state's energy needs.

All sides should agree that energy conservation is a goal worth pursuing.

Kansas has hardly begun realizing the potential -- the state ranks near the bottom of the nation in energy efficiency programs. It's one of just 10 states that in 2006 reported zero net savings from efficiency. Zip.

More and more states and utilities are turning to efficiency programs to reduce or delay the need for new power plants.

Vermont has one of the nation's most innovative and successful programs, Efficiency Vermont, a nonprofit organization created by the state to work with everyone from utilities to consumers to implement and evaluate energy-saving measures -- everything from weatherizing homes to installing compact fluorescent bulbs and programmable thermostats.

Last year, the program completely flatlined the state's growth in electric demand, according to Efficiency Vermont.

Efficiency has been called the cheapest new energy source -- energy efficiency costs about 3 cents per kilowatt hour "produced," compared with 9 cents per kilowatt hour for new generation.

True, conservation efforts are plagued by images of people wearing sweaters around a cold house. But efficiency isn't about grim denial. It's about using energy in a smart, efficient way without sacrificing comfort or reliability.

Residential and commercial customers who embrace efficiency wouldn't even notice the difference, said Scott Allegrucci, program director of the Land Institute's Climate and Energy Project in Salina.

What they might notice are the energy savings.

In Vermont, businesses that embraced conservation measures realized an average 42 percent return on investment.

In Kansas, Kansas City Power & Light has developed several promising energy efficiency programs that target both the demand side (customer use) as well as the supply side, such as employing "smart metering" to manage peak loads and installing new, more efficient turbines.

Westar Energy also is emphasizing efficiency efforts in its energy plan.

Both utilities, however, cite the lack of regulatory incentives for efficiency and conservation. Rate structures are based on consumption, on utilities being paid for producing power -- the more power people use, the more utilities get paid.

Last year, at least 13 states were in the process of adopting or exploring the idea of "decoupling" utility rates from production to reward energy efficiency efforts.

The Kansas Corporation Commission plans to look at energy decoupling this summer. This could be a good opportunity to recalibrate the rate system.

Kansas needs to explore the potential of energy efficiency. It might change the debate about our energy needs.

For the editorial board, Randy Scholfield