For Immediate Release   June 11, 2015                       

 

Contact:   Kerwin Olson (317) 702-0461 ;  Jennifer Washburn (317) 796-3335

Final Data Shows Canceling Energizing Indiana was a Mistake

Created nearly 19,000 Hoosier jobs, Proved Cost Effective at 4 cents/kWh

 

INDIANAPOLIS – The final evaluation report for former Governor Daniels’ statewide energy efficiency program, Energizing Indiana, was filed this week at the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and presented bittersweet news for the State of Indiana and Hoosier consumers.  The report confirms that the Indiana General Assembly and Governor Mike Pence’s decision to cancel the programs in 2014 was a monumental and tragic mistake that has cost the State of Indiana thousands of jobs and will drive up monthly bills for already struggling Hoosier consumers.

 

The report clearly demonstrates that the energy efficiency programs were reducing energy consumption, saving ratepayers money, and resulting in significant private sector job creation.

 

Highlights of the evaluation report showed:

 

• Energizing Indiana created approximately 18,679 jobs.
• Over the three-year life of the program, Energizing Indiana was cost-effective, acquiring energy efficiency resources at $0.04 per kWh per year.
• In 2014, Energizing Indiana realized 399,432 MWh in verified energy savings, which is enough electricity to power 37,886 homes per year.
• Continued savings from the work performed in 2014 will achieve over 3,634,835 MWh in energy savings for Hoosier consumers.
• For every $1.00 invested, Energizing Indiana saved ratepayers $2.94 in future energy related costs over the three-year life of the program, including generation, transmission and distribution.

 

“The fact that Governor Pence and the Indiana legislature rushed to cancel the Energizing Indiana program in 2014 is pathetic and Hoosiers should be outraged,” said Executive Director Kerwin Olson. “No public hearing was held, nor did the administration or the legislature have the foresight, or even the common sense, to wait for this report or conduct a study to evaluate Energizing Indiana, which took years to develop at the IURC and involved numerous public hearings and input from multiple stakeholders. It’s become clear that when it comes to energy policy, those in the Indiana Statehouse have failed to serve the public’s best interests instead bending over backwards to lick the boots of the monopoly utilities and other special interests.”

 

The 2014 Energizing Indiana Evaluation Report can be found here: https://myweb.in.gov/IURC/eds/Modules/Ecms/Cases/Docketed_Cases/ViewDocument.aspx?DocID=0900b631801c7d3d.