July 19, 2002—California’s big electricity customers are using nearly 500 fewer megawatts this summer—the equivalent of the output from a medium-sized power plant. According to the California Energy Commission (CEC), the energy savings at peak-use times come from the installation of real-time electricity meters around the state last May—one of the energy conservation measures funded last year in the wake of California’s energy crisis.
“Constructing a 500-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant would take as long as four years and can cost between $250 million to $300 million,” said California Energy Commissioner Art Rosenfeld. “With real time meters, we’ve freed up that much electricity within six months, at a cost of only $35 million.”
To prevent a repeat of last year’s electricity crisis, California is asking utility customers to conserve 3,000 megawatts of electricity this summer, approximately half of last summer’s conservation goal.
For more information, contact CEC.
