LETTER: Here’s how to save money on electricity: Just use less of it

To Ozaukee Press:

Wisconsin Gov.Tony Evers pledged in August to make Wisconsin’s electricity consumption 100% carbon-free by 2050.
The executive order pushed Wisconsin into a growing group of states, municipalities and utilities pledging carbon reduction goals, with many investing in renewable energy sources.

However, renewables are just part of the solution. Remember, the cheapest unit of energy is the unit you do not use. Many Wisconsinites have embraced this idea through Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable resources program called Focus on Energy. Nearly 129,000 residents and more than 6,100 businesses and municipalities participated in Focus on Energy in 2018, investing in efficiency projects with enough energy savings to power 359,000 homes for a full year.

Wisconsin spends billions annually importing coal and natural gas. The less energy Wisconsinites use, the less state utilities spend on fuel, a cost that is passed on to consumers.

If Wisconsin uses less energy, it doesn’t have to spend as much building the renewable energy infrastructure needed to meet its carbon-free goal. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found efficiency could slash U.S. energy use about 50% by 2050.
 

Erinn Monroe-Nye
Madison
The letter writer is the director of the Focus on Energy program.