For Indiana businesses and residents, a few cutbacks during peak energy times could save the state between $448 million and $2.3 billion over 10 years, a new report from Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) said.

AEE, a national association of business leaders dedicated to making the global energy system more secure, clean and affordable, released the report, “Potential for Peak Demand Reduction in Indiana,” earlier this month. Prepared for Indiana AEE by Demand Side Analytics, the report highlighted strategies to help the state avoid electricity infrastructure investments, including new power plants, transmission lines, and distribution infrastructure across the state.

The report focused on three main strategies impacting both commercial and residential customers: curtailing commercial and industrial electricity demand, installing more smart thermostats across Indiana’s residential sector, and deploying energy storage technologies...

“Indiana is a very energy intensive state,” said Vince Griffin, executive director of Indiana Advanced Energy Economy, a state affiliate of national business association AEE. “We have steel mills, smeltering, auto manufacturers. Indiana has something like 43 foundries, which is very energy intensive. … And what we’ve found is that, on the commercial side, if we can reduce the load during peak times, we, and the businesses, can see big returns on energy usage,” Griffin told Daily Energy Insider...

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