Do Energy Efficiency Investments Deliver? Evidence from the Weatherization Assistance Program / Meredith Fowlie, Michael Greenstone, Catherine Wolfram.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fowlie, Meredith.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Greenstone, Michael.

Wolfram, Catherine.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w21331.

NBER working paper series no. w21331

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2015.

Summary:

Conventional wisdom suggests that energy efficiency (EE) policies are beneficial because they induce investments that pay for themselves and lead to emissions reductions. However, this belief is primarily based on projections from engineering models. This paper reports on the results of an experimental evaluation of the nation's largest residential EE program conducted on a sample of more than 30,000 households. The findings suggest that the upfront investment costs are about twice the actual energy savings. Further, the model-projected savings are roughly 2.5 times the actual savings. While this might be attributed to the "rebound" effect - when demand for energy end uses increases as a result of greater efficiency - the paper fails to find evidence of significantly higher indoor temperatures at weatherized homes. Even when accounting for the broader societal benefits of energy efficiency investments, the costs still substantially outweigh the benefits; the average rate of return is approximately -9.5% annually.

Notes:

Print version record

July 2015.