Now, the profits of utilities are tied to how much energy they sell. So they have an incentive to sell a lot, even if a lot of it is wasted. Consumers certainly play along, using far more energy than they need. Instead, utilities should do far more to reward conservation. For instance, they can allow customers to sell energy back to the utility that they conserve or produce through green technologies. This is already done in the US but in a limited way.
8 steps to US energy security
If Americans are serious about making energy security a moon shot for this generation, the president and Congress must create an integrated rather than piecemeal approach for meeting this goal.
Here's a plan to consider.
– Steve Yetiv, August 15, 2012
7. Reward efficient consumers
