Energy Efficiency
Caroline Wolfe is Special Assistant to the Chair at the New York State Public Service Commission.
For decades, energy affordability has been a driving force of the New York State Public Service Commission’s (NYSPSC) mission. As I wrote about earlier this year, while we’ve seen changes to our energy system and advances in technology, the Commission’s core commitment remains unchanged: to ensure that every New Yorker — regardless of geography or income — has access to affordable, reliable energy.
One of the most enduring and effective strategies in pursuit of that mission is energy efficiency. It’s not a new idea. In fact, turn back to the 1980 New York State Energy Master Plan, and you’ll find language that feels just as relevant today.
The Plan called energy conservation “the least expensive, environmentally safest, and most economically beneficial supply option now available to New York.” It also underscored that investments in energy efficiency not only save energy but create jobs. More jobs, in fact, than equivalent investments in energy supply.
Forty-five years later, that vision still holds. Which is why the Commission’s recent orders to advance energy efficiency and building electrification (EE/BE) are an important chapter in New York’s energy affordability story.