Washington state’s electric companies exceed conservation benchmarks
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUT) revealed on Thursday that the state’s three investor-owned electric companies are on track to meet the required 2016 state conservation and renewable energy requirements, exceeding current environmental standards.
The Energy Independence Act (EIA) requires some electric utilities to obtain a specific percentage of their energy from selected renewable resources, like wind or solar energy. The EIA was approved by Washington voters in 2006, and encourages electric utilities in the state to employ cost-effective energy conservation measures.
Avista, Pacific Power and Puget Sound Energy each filed reports in accordance with requirements. The reports detailed renewable portfolio particulars and explained how the utilities plan to achieve the 9 percent of supplied energy from renewable sources required for 2016.
WUT recognized the three utilities for meeting and surpassing energy conservation standards during the 2014-2015 biennium. During that time, the three companies conserved approximately one million megawatt-hours (mWh) of electricity, enough to power approximately 77,000 homes for a year.
