MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaii is ranked 12th in energy efficiency for a second year, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) 2011 State Scorecard.

The annual scorecard, now in its fifth edition, presents a comprehensive ranking of states based on metrics capturing best practices and effective leadership in energy efficiency policy and program implementation.

The scorecard compares each state’s energy-efficiency policies in six ways: utility and public benefits programs and policies, transportation policies, building energy codes, combined heat and power, state government initiatives and appliance efficiency standards.

Tied with Maine and Colorado, Hawaii scored 26.5 out of a total 50 possible points; a two-point improvement over last year.

“Thanks to the efforts of a number of organizations and individuals, Hawaii has been making significant improvements in adopting energy efficiency over the last few years,” said Ray Starling, Hawaii Energy Program Manager.

“In 2009, when the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission awarded SAIC the contract to manage Hawaii Energy, Hawaii ranked 19th and now we are 12th,” Starling said. “The report is an important tool to measure our progress in a number of areas and is a good reminder that energy efficiency is an abundant resource that is equally as important as renewable energy in meeting Hawaii clean energy mandates.”

One area where Hawaii really shined was in the amount of electricity the state actually saved. Hawaii ranked third in terms of overall energy savings, and 10th for its energy efficiency program and policies.

Conversely, the state scored zero points in the natural gas category because there is no natural gas service for customers. As such, the state was unable to earn the additional four points that were available in the category, which would have helped elevate the state to a top ten ranking overall.

Hawaii’s success in the ACEEE rankings reflects that the state has moved forward on its statutory mandate, the energy efficiency portfolio standard, to achieving 30 percent energy efficiency by 2030.

Hawaii Energy is a ratepayer-funded conservation and efficiency program administered by SAIC under contract with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, serving the islands of Hawaii, Lanai, Maui, Molokai and Oahu. Hawaii Energy offers cash rebates and other incentives to residents and businesses to help offset the cost of installing energy efficient equipment.

In addition to rebates, the program conducts education and training for residents, businesses and trade allies to encourage the adoption of energy conservation behaviors and efficiency measures.

The program plays an important role in helping to achieve Hawaii’s goal of reducing total electric energy usage by 30 percent or 4.3 billion kWh by 2030.

— Find out more:
www.HawaiiEnergy.com
http://aceee.org/research-report/e115