A cleaner, safer, reliable and more affordable energy future is within our reach.

Imagine a New Jersey where our electricity use was affordable and reliable; where our electricity use did not compromise the quality of our air and our lives. Families would not worry about paying for a winter heating bill.  Shore communities wouldn't need to fear exposure to nuclear waste and radioactivity. South Jersey residents would not have to live under the risk of a nuclear accident.

The quickest, cheapest and cleanest way to reduce harmful effects of coal and nuclear power is to reduce our energy demand.  NJPIRG already led the way in New Jersey by working for more energy-efficient appliances and products in 2005.  But much more can be done.

NJPIRG researchers concluded that New Jersey could reduce electricity demand by at least 15 percent by 2020 using three strategies:

More Efficient Products
Setting energy efficiency standards for just 12 common products would save New Jersey homes and businesses more than $1.6 billion by 2020 and significantly offset growing energy demand.

Efficient Buildings and Homes
Requiring developers to build energy-efficient buildings would create substantial savings over the life of a building. Stronger energy codes would reduce electricity demand by 4.5% by 2020 and save consumers more than $6 billion.

Decentralized, Clean Micropower
New Jersey generates about three times the amount of energy it ends up using because two-thirds of it is lost in transit. "Micropower" technologies such as solar panels, small wind turbines and fuel cells can solve this problem by generating efficient and reliable power on site. We should require state utilities to formally consider clean micropower as a least-cost alternative to upgrading our outdated and inefficient centralized distribution system.

By combining these solutions, New Jersey can get control of our runaway energy demand, saving consumers billions of dollars.