{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.026881720430107527, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0017921146953405018, 'mean_word_length': 5.445727482678984, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The Public Benefit of Energy Efficiency to the State of Massachusetts

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND ® is a registered trademark. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of its research sponsors. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. The public benefit of energy efficiency to the state of Massachusetts / Mark Bernstein ... [et al.]. p. cm. " MR-1588. " Includes bibliographical references. iii Preface This report assesses the benefits of energy efficiency to the Massachusetts state economy, its environment, and its citizens. Because energy efficiency and its effects are difficult to measure directly, this analysis estimates energy efficiency through its effects on energy consumption and economic productivity (i.e., energy intensity, or the energy consumed per unit of output), while controlling for price, sectoral composition, and other factors. Further, this study is limited to improvements in the use of energy in the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors and does not include, for example, the transportation sector. Conceivably, improvements in energy usage in the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors could yield a number of benefits, including economic gains, improved productivity, improved quality of service, higher reliability, reduced pollution, and lower costs to consumers. This report addresses three of these benefits: • Effects on the gross state product of energy efficiency improvements in the commercial and industrial sectors; • Effects on air emissions of the improved utilization of energy in the commercial and industrial sectors; and • Effects on households, particularly low-income households, of improvements in residential energy efficiency. State audits have concluded that government investments in energy efficiency programs have affected energy intensity in Massachusetts, but this study does not establish this link; this study is limited in its ability to directly compare energy efficiency programs to actual improvements in energy efficiency. The Energy Foundation, a partnership of major foundations interested in sustainable energy, funded this study. 1 The results are intended to inform policymakers and the general public about the benefits of energy efficiency programs in the state, to help these readers understand the role of the government in promoting these programs, and to provide useful information for national and local policymakers when they consider funding for energy efficiency programs in the future.