Energy Alternatives for California

An assessment of the extent to which rapid adoption of conservation measures might help relieve the energy crisis, including how far each conservation measure might go toward reducing expected shortages and the potential aggregate effect on the energy shortage from vigorous adoption of conservation policies. The author concludes that although short-term conservation measures have considerable potential for reducing wasteful uses of energy and comsumers' expenditures, there is considerable uncertainty concerning the actual short-term savings that might result from implementation of conservation measures. Because of these uncertainties and likely implementation difficulties, energy conservation alone may be insufficient to deal rapidly with anticipated shortages. There is a need to establish a centralized system for collecting and analyzing current supply and consumption data and for monitoring the effectiveness of conservation policies. (Statement before the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Committee on Planning and Land Use, California State Assembly, Sacramento, December 11, 1973.)