When family and friends gather over the holiday season, energy efficiency isn’t typically a hot topic. Perhaps this year it should be. With conversations likely to include affordability, notably the increased cost of groceries, gas and everyday products, energy efficiency provides more than talk. Energy efficiency programs via utility offerings, such as smart thermostats and[...]

Arizona regulators scaled back a program operated by the state’s largest utility designed to encourage energy efficiency, arguing they were trimming ineffective initiatives and eliminating unnecessary expenses. On Wednesday, the all-Republican Arizona Corporation Commission voted unanimously to update Arizona Public Service programs that encourage customers to adopt energy-saving products and behaviors.

The Arizona Corporation Commission is continuing its deregulation tour, this time repealing rules on energy efficiency standards for gas utilities.  During a Wednesday open meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to repeal a set of 2010 rules that aimed to achieve an annual energy savings of 6% of each affected utility’s total retail sales by the end[...]

Low-income Arizonans are already dealing with financial stress stemming from the ongoing government shutdown and other federal cuts. Now, they’re also dealing with price hikes on their utility bills. At a recent town hall in Sun City about this issue, Attorney General Kris Mayes said that electricity prices in Arizona have risen faster in the past two[...]

Arizona regulators want to eliminate mandates and financial incentives for power companies that are intended to save money for all consumers and promote renewables. Public meetings about Arizona’s energy efficiency (EE) standards and solar “REST” rules are scheduled for November and December as the Arizona Corporation Commission considers scrapping the mandates.