More than 300,000 customers have saved on their electric and natural gas bills through Public Service Electric & Gas’ energy efficiency programs, which have also saved over 1.4 million megawatt hours of electricity per year, according to a Wednesday announcement from the Newark-based utility.
Moreover, in its first 30 months since implementation, close to 1.7 million customers have received services from PSE&G’s energy efficiency programs, through which they are expected to save approximately $300 million on their utility bills annually.
These savings are the result of many programs that were implemented from July 2021 through March, including:
- Recycling over 16,000 appliances;
- Obtaining over 53,000 home energy audits;
- Receiving over 400,000 efficiency kits through food banks for underserved customers; and
- Acquiring over 11 million high efficiency LED lightbulbs.
In addition to the savings of over 1.4 million megawatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to power over 200,000 New Jersey homes during that time, participating natural gas customers are expected to save a total of approximately 35 million therms of natural gas per year.
The combined electric and gas energy savings from PSE&G’s programs are expected to avoid approximately 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, or roughly the amount emitted by 220,000 gasoline-powered cars on the road over a one-year period.
“Helping customers become more energy efficient is key to our state’s clean energy future and (Public Service Enterprise Group)’s vision to power a future where people use less energy and that energy is cleaner, safer and delivered more reliably than ever,” Karen Reif, vice president of PSE&G Renewables and Energy Solutions, said. “Energy efficiency is one of New Jersey’s most cost-effective tools in reducing energy use and fighting climate change, and we are proud of our continued role in providing programs, resources and strategies to help New Jersey and our customers achieve this goal.”
As part of the PSE&G Clean Energy Future Energy Efficiency program that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved in September 2020, PSE&G launched 10 programs in 2021 specifically designed to provide residential and commercial customers with various options to reduce their energy consumption and save money while lowering their carbon footprint.
Since 2021, PSE&G’s energy efficiency programs (including the Clean Energy Jobs Program) have won over 25 awards in a variety of categories, including program design, program marketing and best practices.
In March, for the second consecutive year, PSE&G received the Energy Star Partner of the Year Award in the Energy Efficiency Program Delivery category from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The Partner of the Year Award in Energy Efficiency Program Delivery is bestowed on organizations for sponsoring energy efficiency programs that improve the efficiency of products, homes and buildings within their community or territory.
Recently, the BPU approved a $280 million extension of the PSE&G Clean Energy Future Energy Efficiency program. The nine-month extension puts PSE&G’s program on the same regulatory schedule as other New Jersey utilities’ energy efficiency programs and will enable PSE&G to continue to provide all of its customers with options to reduce their energy consumption and lower their utility bills.
PSE&G said its energy efficiency programs have also spurred economic growth with an emphasis on equity. The Clean Energy Jobs Program sponsored by PSE&G supports the ambitious targets set by the Clean Energy Act by developing a qualified workforce and providing jobs that will be critical to achieving New Jersey’s clean energy future. Since its implementation, PSE&G’s Clean Energy Jobs Program has already supported the hiring of more than 2,200 New Jersey residents to entry-, mid- and senior-level positions and advancing professional skills to work in New Jersey’s clean energy industry.
