For the first time in a decade, electricity demand is rising, and costs to build new sources of generation are skyrocketing. While much of the Governor’s Lightning Plan will help bring new electricity sources onto the grid, there are also cost-effective steps we can take to reduce demand and save customers money on their bills by reducing the amount of power consumed.

Since its passage, the Commonwealth has benefitted from energy efficiency measures enabled by Act 129 of 2008.  This groundbreaking law has saved consumers over $9 billion by reducing wasted electricity, lowering utility bills, and improving the reliability of our electrical grid. It has also helped build the fast-growing energy efficiency workforce, creating good-paying jobs for electricians, HVAC mechanics, energy auditors, and building performance specialists.

Act 129 asks our electrical utilities to responsibly conserve power through energy efficiency plans, which include rebates that are available through some utilities when consumers buy a more efficient refrigerator or upgrade their home heating system to reduce energy costs. These rebates help consumers afford new and upgraded appliances and save them money through lower electricity rates.

But Act 129 has not changed since it was introduced.  Its dollar amounts are still keyed to outdated 2006-era spending levels that dramatically restrict the effectiveness of the programs our utilities can undertake, and eligible activities are arbitrarily limited.  It is time to update this important law, providing more money for consumers when they shop for new appliances, increasing the flexibility of our utilities to encourage larger efficiency investments by industrial customers, and catalyze the most impactful investments—those that increase energy efficiency while also preventing power outages during extreme weather events.

These changes will save consumers more money, help us protect our grid and use our energy more efficiently in the face of higher demand and bigger, more frequent storms.  I hope you will join me in supporting this commonsense priority of the Governor’s Lightning Plan.
 
 

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 1482 (Apr 23, 2025): 66-2806.1