Energy Conservation and Investments

Act 129 of 2008

Electric generation rates can swing wildly during the course of the day and at different times of the year. Our plan enables consumers to take control of their energy use and costs with targeted strategies.

Smart Metering -- Every home and business will have smart meter within 15 years. Utilities must make available voluntary "Time of Use" (like a cell phone plan) rates and voluntary "Real Time Pricing" (hour to hour) rates. All consumers willstill be able to continue using their current "same price all day" rate if they choose.

Energy Conservation -- Power generators and distributors will invest in conservation. Utilities must reduce overall energy output by 3 percent, and peak demand by customers by 4.5 percent. Without it, Pennsylvanians would need to build the equivalent of five large nuclear or coal-fired power plants at a cost of over $10 billion to meet the growing demand for electricity.

In the long run, it is less expensive to employ measures that will conserve power than it is to build more facilities to produce more power.