The Power Act requires that the Council prioritize cost-effective conservation when developing a resource strategy for the region. Since 1980, energy efficiency has been the cornerstone of the Council’s power plans.
Major improvements in energy efficiency have come from weatherization, lighting, and commercial and industrial advances. As technology progresses, so will energy efficiency, with more savings from lighting, heating and cooling systems, water heaters, and electronic devices.
The Council works with the Bonneville Power Administration, utilities, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, the Energy Trust of Oregon, and energy organizations to meet the efficiency targets in the Council’s regional power plans.
Over the near 20 years, efficiency will be a key factor in helping meet future load growth.
As a result of energy efficiency, Northwest electricity use per person has been decreasing faster than the US average.
The Northwest economy is producing more using less energy (compared to the US average).
These charts use electricity consumption (1960-present) and total energy consumption with GDP (1997-present) from the EIA's State Energy Data System.
Major sources of energy efficiency by sector and end-use (2010-2021).
Click any slice to change larger detail pie below.
For more about these energy efficiency measures, see the Regional Technical Forum's Conservation Report and Measures pages. As technology continues to advance, so will new forms of energy efficiency. We expect to see more efficient lighting and heating and cooling systems, as well as improved controls of those systems.
Resources Analyst Christian Douglass explains EE and supply curves in this 5-minute video.
The Regional Technical Forum is a technical advisory committee to the Council which develops standards to verify and evaluate energy efficiency savings. See the annual Regional Conservation Progress Report and the measures that create the savings.
