Missed Opportunities: The Impacts of Recent Policies on Energy Efficiency Programs in Midwestern States

On behalf of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Synapse Energy Economics evaluated the impacts of recently adopted or proposed energy efficiency policies across six Midwestern states—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In several of these states, policymakers have weakened or constrained ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs by limiting budgets, rolling back standards, exempting large customers, or declining to advance modernized efficiency policies. Synapse quantified the resulting missed opportunities and found that these regressive policy choices significantly limit the region’s ability to capture energy savings, lower customer bills, reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, improve public health, and create jobs. The study demonstrates that stronger efficiency frameworks would deliver substantial economic, environmental, and public health benefits across the Midwest.