Personal Impact*

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Electricity at Home and Work

 

 

 

Connecticut residents' electric consumption increased slightly in 2022 to an average of 3,632 kilowatt-hours (KWh) per person.

 

In 2022, Connecticut’s residential sector consumed approximately 13,172 million KWh, an increase of 0.6 percent from 2021 (13,092 million KWh) and 2.7 percent greater than the previous ten-year average (12,825 million KWh).⁶⁴ The use of fossil fuels for electric generation increases air pollution, especially from marginal units used to meet peak demand. Increasing the efficiency of electricity generating units, using renewable and zero carbon resources, reducing electricity use and peak demand, and carbon capture and sequestration are all viable strategies to reduce air pollution from electricity generation. The increase in residential electric sales in 2022 is likely in response to more people working from home⁶⁵ and warmer than average annual temperature. In 2022, there were 21 days with temperatures greater than 90°F, which was greater than the 20-year average (16.54) and the 60-year average (15.23). Typically, the hotter the summer, the more electricity is used by residents to cool their homes, which means more electricity that needs to be generated, and the more greenhouse gas emissions that are potentially released to the environment. 

Connecticut's commercial and industrial sectors are using electricity more efficiently in 2022.

 

In 2022, Connecticut’s commercial and industrial sectors consumed approximately 14,335 million KWh.⁶⁶ The consumption of electricity in the commercial sector decreased by 1.5 percent, while the industrial sector increased 0.4 percent from 2021 levels. Connecticut’s 2022 annual average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was calculated at approximately $252,533 million (chained 2012 dollars).⁶⁷ Overall, there was an increase in efficiency (GDP $/KWh) of 3.5 percent from 2021 to 2022. 

Estimated annual savings from electricity conservation measures have generally been declining since 2016.

 

As mentioned above, reducing electricity demand, especially peak demand, is an effective strategy for reducing air emissions from fossil fueled electric generation. Estimated annual savings from electric efficiency measures in Connecticut in 2022 (250,189 megawatt hours (MWh)) was approximately 23,000 MWh less than in 2021 (273,318 MWh), and less than the ten-year average of 332,342 MWh.⁶⁸ Connecticut’s energy-efficiency programs have helped small and large businesses, homeowners and renters, and state and local governments better manage their energy use. However, over the last ten years, the expenditure of funds (annual spending) for each MWh of electricity conserved (annual savings) has more than doubled. Programs and services for energy efficiency, both electricity and natural gas, are administered and delivered by Connecticut’s electric and gas utilities but funded from a “Public Benefits Charge” on electric bills and through a conservation charge included in natural gas rates.

The Independent System Operator for New England (ISO-NE) estimates that the cumulative annual energy savings, net of embedded expiring measures, is expected to increase over the next ten years; however, the rate at which additional measures are applied in future years is expected to decline.⁶⁹ Energy efficiency measures are important because residential and commercial buildings use approximately 74 percent of all electricity and 39 percent of all energy use in the United States. In Connecticut, the approximately 1.4 million households and 140,000 businesses together account for more than 70 percent of Connecticut’s 750 trillion BTU of annual energy consumption.⁷⁰ With widespread adoption of existing energy-efficiency building technologies, greater use of more energy efficient multi-family housing and the introduction and use of new energy efficiency technologies, energy use in homes and commercial buildings could be reduced by 50 percent.⁷¹

_{Goal: Public Act 18-50 introduced a new policy of the state to reduce energy consumption by 1.6 million MMBtus (one million British Thermal Units), or “the equivalent megawatts of electricity,” annually each year for calendar years commencing on and after January 1, 2020 through calendar year 2025. Specific goals for electric savings vary for each year based on a number of factors, including the proposed budget.}

_{Technical Note: *Personal Impact indicators illustrate trends in behavior or practices that can be expected to influence the condition of tomorrow’s air, water, land and wildlife. **The vertical axis in the charts above “Residential Electric Sales” and “Efficiency at Work” have been shortened, beginning at 3,300 KWh/capita and 12.0 GDP($)/KWh, respectively, rather than the customary zero.} 

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⁶⁴ _{Energy Information Administration (EIA), Electricity Data Browser, Retail Sales of Electricity, Residential Sector; www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/topic/5?agg=0,1&geo=008&endsec=vg&linechart=ELEC.SALES.CT-ALL.A&columnchart=ELEC.SALES.CT-ALL.A&map=ELEC.SALES.CT-ALL.A&freq=A&start=2001&end=2022&ctype=linechart&ltype=pin&rtype=s&maptype=0&rse=0&pin=.}
⁶⁵ _{United States Census Bureau, The Number of People Primarily Working From Home Tripled Between 2019 and 2021, September 15 2022; www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/people-working-from-home.html#:~:text=SEPT.,by%20the%20U.S.%20Census%20Bureau.}
⁶⁶ _{EIA, Electricity Data Browser, Retail Sales of Electricity, Commercial and Industrial Sector; www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/topic/5?agg=0,1&geo=008&endsec=6&freq=A&start=2001&end=2022&ctype=linechart&ltype=pin&rtype=s&pin=&rse=0&maptype=0.}
⁶⁷ _{United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, SQGDP9 Real GDP by state; Connecticut, Accessed 4-3-3023; www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gross-domestic-product.}
⁶⁸  _{Energize Connecticut, Connecticut Statewide Energy Efficiency Dashboard, accessed 1-30-2023; www.ctenergydashboard.com/Public/PublicSales.aspx.}
⁶⁹  _{ISO-New England, Final 2022 Energy Efficiency Forecast, May 2, 2022, p. 22; www.iso-ne.com/static-assets/documents/2022/04/eef2022_final_fcst.pdf.}
⁷⁰  _{DEEP, 2018 Connecticut Comprehensive Energy Strategy, Building Sector; portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/energy/CES/BuildingsSectorpdf.pdf.}
⁷¹  _{U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Emerging Technologies; www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/emerging-technologies.}