The Cheapest Kilowatt
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"As Costs to Build Power Plants Soar, Energy Efficiency More Attractive Than Ever"
(e-Newswire, 7/17/07)

As Amory Lovins has been saying for 30 years, the cheapest kilowatt produced is the one saved through energy-efficiency.
In recent years, the rising cost of stainless steel and concrete, and the precipitous rise in demand for building materials in China, has produced a spike in the costs to construct power plants. While coal is still cheap, building a coal-fired plant is not. In May of 2007, after the North Carolina Utilities Commission gave Duke Energy the green light to build a coal-fired plant, for example, the company said it would cost $1.83 billion — 80% higher than their 2005 estimate. As California's cities and counties work to reduce their emissions, employing energy efficiency and conservation before adding costly capacity to the grid is an intelligent choice that will save money and energy.