Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

Natural Gas Crisis Report

Encouraging the implementation of energy efficiency programs has been advocated by the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) for the past two years. A study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) shows this important energy-saving measure has major implications for Ohio’s economy. Approximately $1.2 billion could be saved by residential consumers in decreased energy consumption by 2010 if natural gas and electric companies institute energy efficiency programs.

The report illustrates that by participating in energy efficiency programs and reducing energy usage by 5 percent, market prices for natural gas would become lower and all customers would benefit by saving money. In addition, the study cites natural gas-focused energy efficiency success stories from across the United States and legislative and regulatory policies that facilitate the programs.

Partially funded by the OCC and other Midwest organizations, the ACEEE report is very encouraging to what Ohio’s economy could look like in the short and long terms with savings totaling in the billions.