Bright idea makes a big comeback: Conservation

Nearly all businesses share an all-consuming mission: sell, sell, sell. McDonald’s wants to peddle more hamburgers. Airlines strive to fill every seat. Phone companies want you to make more calls.

But power companies these days are increasingly being told by regulators to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into selling less electricity.

Energy-efficiency programs, which first caught fire in the 1970s before fading in recent years, are making a big comeback spurred by global-warming fears and the public’s aversion to more pollution-belching power plants. At least 15 states are starting or considering new or expanded rebate and tax-incentive programs. The campaigns entice consumers to buy compact fluorescent light bulbs and energy-saving dishwashers and coax businesses to replace power-guzzling freezers and lighting systems.

To prod utilities into better promoting or funding the initiatives, many states are carving out new financial inducements that turn the industry’s 125-year-old business model on its head: In some cases, companies could make just as much money by selling less power.

USAToday