By Victor Skinner | The Center Square contributor
A new analysis of the nation’s largest electric utilities shows Entergy Louisiana among the least helpful for customers looking to conserve energy to keep power bills down.
A 2023 Utility Energy Efficiency Scorecard recently released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy analyzes 53 of the largest utilities in the United States based on a wide range of metrics on how they promote energy savings for various customers, particularly low-income households.
ACEEE is a nonprofit research organization that develops policies to reduce energy waste and combat climate change, with a focus on independent analysis to drive investments, programs, and behaviors that use energy more effectively.
The analysis ranked Entergy Louisiana 43rd overall, with 17 points out of a possible 100.
“Energy efficiency plays a crucial role in meeting our nation’s energy needs,” the report read. “It lowers customer energy bills, reduces energy burden, improves in-home comfort, enhances resilience, and improves indoor air quality.”
Entergy Louisiana received its lowest score of two out of a possible 54 points for the “performance group” action category, which considers net incremental electric energy savings, spending on energy efficiency, and low-income savings and spending, among other metrics.
The utility’s highest score of nine out of 20 points came in the “programs group” action category that considers energy efficiency programs offered, including programs for low-income customers, as well as transportation electrification.
Regionally, Entergy Louisiana ranked better than CenterPoint Energy and AEP in Texas, ranked 44th and 48th, respectively, as well as Alabama Power, which ranked 51st. Oncor, CPS, and Entergy Texas ranked 39th, 24th, and 37th, while Entergy Arkansas ranked 18th.
The top performing utility is Massachusetts’ Eversource, which received 85 out of 100 points, followed by California’s Pacific Gas & Electric at 80.5, Masachusetts’ National Grid at 80.5, Commonwealth Edison in Illinois at 75.5, and DTE in Michigan with a score of 73.5.
The worst-ranked utility is Ohio Edison with 2.5 out of 100 points. The next worst was Florida Power & Light at 3 points, Alabama Power at 5, Duke Ohio at 9 AEP Ohio at 9, and AEP Texas at 11.5.
By region, the Northwest’s six utilities ranked at the top with an average of 61% of total points achieved. The West’s six utilities averaged 52% of total points achieved, the Midwest’s 12 utilities averaged 38%, the Southwest’s 11 utilities averaged 32%, the Mid-Atlantic’s seven utilities averaged 30% and the Southeast’s 11 utilities averaged 22%.
