Energy Conservation in Oregon
Since 1982, when the Northwest Power and Conservation Council completed its first Northwest Power Plan, the Northwest has reduced its electricity use through investments in energy efficiency by 3,900 average megawatts – enough to power four cities the size of Seattle. Northwest consumers would have paid $2.3 billion more for that electricity, and greenhouse gas emissions would have been 15 million tons higher in 2008 alone.
In the most recent Northwest Power Plan, the Council has identified 6,000 average megawatts of achievable energy-efficiency potential in the Northwest. According to the Council’s calculations, capturing those energy resources through efficiency could create an estimated 47,000 new jobs in the Northwest.
On July 16, Tom Eckman, Manager of Conservation Resources at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council and Margie Harris, Executive Director at Energy Trust of Oregon, will discuss Oregon’s leadership role in climate and energy policy and the benefits of aggressively promoting cost-effective energy efficiency.
