This study documents ways in which electricity conservation can save consumers and utilities billions of dollars. It demonstrates that cost-effective, more efficient end-use technologies can reduce electricity consumption in the ECAR region— a major acid rain-emitting area of the Midwest — by 26% without lowering the level of energy services. Large economic savings accrue as conservation defers the need to construct new conventional power plants. Conservation can also reduce utility acid rain emissions and the costs of acid rain control by reducing the use of existing power plants and by deferring the purchase of emissions controls or cleaner, more costly fuels.
