Read on Twitter
New paper alert! 
@UCSUSA just released a new paper on valuing #effeciency in Minnesota. The paper details how utilities traditionally undervalue EE and how we can improve upon that calculation. 1/ https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/benefits-from-minnesota-energy-efficiency
1/x
@UCSUSA just released a new paper on valuing #effeciency in Minnesota. The paper details how utilities traditionally undervalue EE and how we can improve upon that calculation. 1/ https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/benefits-from-minnesota-energy-efficiency
1/x
If this all sounds vaguely familiar, that's because @Audrey_MNCEE and I presented on this topic at @ACEEEdc last year. And if you want to learn more about the MN specific results you can read this blog by my colleague and co-author @jamesgignac 2/x https://blog.ucsusa.org/james-gignac/better-ways-valuing-energy-efficiency-minnesota-beyond
But I want to take a moment to step back and talk about the broader implications of the report and how we value energy efficiency. Utilities traditionally value EE based on what resources it helps defer in the future. 3/x
But if the only resources we are building are carbon-free does that mean EE doesn't contribute to decarbonization b/c it only displaces carbon-free resources?
I'd argue no.
4/x
I'd argue no.
4/x
We've now reached a point where new clean resources are cheaper than existing dirty resources. Now more than ever we can invest in both renewables and efficiency serve both new load and displace old, dirty, expensive resources still on the grid. 5/x
Allow me to visualize this for y'all. Ignoring all the many benefits of EE and boil it down to energy value and avoided emissions. If a utility (or consultant) assumes that EE is avoiding new wind instead of their existing coal plant they can cut the value of EE in half! 6/x
Even worse is when utilities use LMP as a proxy for the value of EE. This is where this work ties into UCS's work on self-scheduling. B/c now utilities will assert that EE has a negative value when LMP is negative while charging customers for their self-committed coal. 7/x
