Energy Efficiency Savings
Mary-Anna Holden is a former New Jersey Commissioner. Butch Howard is a former South Carolina Commissioner.
Last month, we featured water service affordability — what is it? We’re following up with a few energy efficiency examples to consider and perhaps include in a Public Service Commission’s incentive or rate recovery under some mechanisms as discussed last month.
Water and wastewater systems are capital and energy intensive. For customer rate purposes, saving one dollar of operating expense could be leveraged into eight dollars of capital improvements.
While we are not advocating or endorsing any particular vendors, over the years we have discovered products, processes, and ideas at NARUC and NAWC conferences, that could lend themselves well to energy and operational efficiencies. We are certain there are many more. In fact, NARUC’s Committee on Water continually explores new technologies and processes that may perhaps lead to state and national regulatory policy changes.
Water pumping, processing, and heating are the greatest use of energy in the United States. Let’s consider why. Think of the power of water wearing down and eroding infrastructure as it is delivered to the treatment plant and customer.