Investing in energy efficiency is smart for businesses, consumers and the environment. With growing concerns about power supply and climate change, energy efficiency has emerged as a key part of the solution to the nation and region's evolving energy plan.

To help energy efficiency make a meaningful impact, utility regulations need to be updated to keep pace with new technologies, initiatives and attitudes regarding energy.

Current regulatory models call for investments in power plants and for utilities to sell more and more energy. These laws and regulations need to be updated to promote investment in energy efficiency. Additional focus needs to be given to updating building codes and providing incentives for consumers, business and government to invest in energy efficiency.

In 2009, the Missouri General Assembly passed the Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act. The Energy Efficiency First Coalition worked to support this bill and other energy-efficiency initiatives.

This year the Missouri Public Service Commission will develop rules to implement the Energy Efficiency Investment Act which the coalition will continue to support.

In Kansas, KCP&L has made an energy-efficiency filing with the Kansas Corporation Commission that requests new programs, extends existing programs and asks for a cost recovery method that shares benefits of energy efficiency between customers and shareholders. The Energy Efficiency First Coalition is working to support this filing.