Dive Summary:

• The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates the state’s private utilities, recently released a staff report indicating that energy-efficiency programs allowed the state to avoid the need for nearly two power plants and cut pollution equivalent to the emissions from over 700,000 vehicles.
• The report, titled the “2010-2011 Energy Efficiency Annual Progress Evaluation Report,” also shows that investor-owned utilities have made important progress toward meeting the state’s clean energy goals, which are some of the strictest in the country.
• California’s efforts also provided $2 in benefits for customers for every energy-efficient dollar invested by the state.

From the article:

As many Californians know, energy efficiency is the cleanest, fastest, and cheapest resource to meet customers’ energy service needs, reduce pollution, lower customer bills, and meet the state’s ambitious climate goals under the AB 32 Global Warming Solutions Act. Energy efficiency also yields a well-needed economic stimulus by creating jobs across the economy. ...