Rocky Mountain Institute

Scratching the Surface

A 2013 retrospective on ‘Saving Gigabucks with Negawatts’ (1985)

The basic conclusion of “Saving Gigabucks with Negawatts”—that big thermal plants are obsolete—has proven true, as has its call for flexibility and strategic risk management. But the big issues now are no longer about marginal costs; they’re about the very nature of the electricity enterprise.

Turning Energy Inside Out

Amory Lovins on negawatts, renewables, and neoclassical markets.

Fortnightly speaks with Amory Lovins about the evolving role of conservation, competition, and distributed resources in the energy industry.

Saving Gigabucks with Negawatts (1985)

In an age of costly electricity and cheap efficiency, smart utilities will sell less electricity and more efficiency.

Efficiency gains, if not properly managed, can quietly take away most of the present market for electricity. But they also offer alert utilities an unprecedented opportunity to control risk, improve cash flow, secure market share, save operating costs, and become once more a declining-cost industry.