The “energy crisis” may be a distant memory, but Californians are still saving juice. After the blackouts and price hikes of 2001, utility customer sales fell 6 percent to 9 percent due to conservation efforts. Today, from 40 percent to 90 percent of the drop persists — and some experts say the shift could be around for the long haul. “We have seen a lifestyle change,” says Christy Dennis of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Iraj Deilami, who runs Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s forecasting team, concurs: “[I]t is basically a structural change in consumption rather than a transitory change in behavior.” Lynn Marshall of the California Energy Commission says that as much as one-third to one-half of the electricity-use reductions of 2001 could be permanent, but it is far too early to know for certain
