This article was originally published in the March/April 1994
issue of Home Energy Magazine. Some formatting inconsistencies
may be evident in older archive content. | Home Energy Home Page
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March/April 1994 Fuel Switching Comes Out of the Closet There is
a special group of conservation measures called fuel switching.
In most cases, these measures involve removing an electric
appliance and replacing it with a natural gas counterpart. For
years, the topic of fuel switching has been nearly taboo,
however, because electric utilities have been less than eager to
inform their customers that a cheaper alternative to their
service might be available. In fact, many utility auditors used
to be instructed not to recommend fuel switching measures to
their customers. Likewise, state regulatory commissions have
rarely pressed the issue. An article in this issue of Home
Energy illustrates the political sensitivity of fuel switching
(see Evaluating Low-income Water H