The electricity system is a complex regional network of generation, transmission and distribution facilities that work together to deliver reliable electric power to consumers. When a customer turns on an appliance, it places a demand on the system that ultimately requires an increase in energy output from an electric generator that may be hundreds of miles away. The environmental impact depends on what type of electric generator is needed and the fuel it consumes. As regional demands and resources change minute by minute, different electric generators may be called upon to help meet the increasing demand. This complicates the determination of environmental impacts, so normally we talk about the average environmental emissions from eletricity production. Unitil purchases electricity from specific suppliers in the New England region and we report on the average emissions for these suppliers on a regular basis in a "Disclosure Label".
 

When customers reduce their electricity consumption, as we hope they will under the Energy Savings Management pilot program beginning June 1, 2011, the demand for electricity drops, reducing the corresponding environmental emissions. This environmental benefit from reduced emissions is the opposite of the environmental impacts noted in the Disclosure Label.

View our latest disclosure label here


In addition, however, when customers reduce the peak demand for electricity, which is also a key objective of our pilot, this reduced demand may result in the decreasing need to build new power plants or to add capacity to transmission and distribution lines. Reducing future construction offers environmental benefits of a different kind, potentially lowering the requirements for land and resources to support our electrical requirements.

Your participation in the Energy Savings Management pilot program will help Unitil evaluate the impacts and the potential benefits of reduced electricity demands. For background information about the ongoing pilot program, click here.