Unless your blackouts include industries and hospitals and other necessary services. And again, you'll be pushing industries overseas where there are less environmental controls and putting people at risk. Industries and hospitals and such will simply have backup generators that are probably less efficient that the power they were getting. So you might get a net increase in energy consumption from the blackouts.
I just bought 3 home batteries and charged them from home sockets. That's in case of blackouts I can keep refrigerators and freezers running. More and more people will be doing that so that they have energy during blackouts. And how much food are you going to destroy with your blackouts?
We need a more thought out approach than random or planned blackouts. We should build clean nuclear plants and provide people with the power they need. We can continue to make incremental changes, improving efficiencies wherever there is waste. But we need to prepare for the future and an ever larger population. And blackouts don't do this.
What are major sources and users of energy in the United States
"There are 5 energy consuming sectors
"The industrial sector [32% of all energy consumption, including electricity] includes facilities and equipment used for manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and construction.
"The transportation sector [29% of all energy consumption, including electricity] includes vehicles that transport people or goods, such as cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, trains, aircraft, boats, barges, and ships.
"The residential sector [20% of all energy consumption, including electricity] consists of homes and apartments.
"The commercial sector [18% of all energy consumption, including electricity] includes offices, malls, stores, schools, hospitals, hotels, warehouses, restaurants, and places of worship and public assembly.
"The electric power sector consumes primary energy to generate most of the electricity consumed by the other four sectors.
“Random blackouts won’t save that much energy and will put people at risk.”
The key point to remember is that pesky word “Demand”. While you might save on power while it is off, when it comes back on all your stuff, AC/Heating Fridges, freezers, Etc. have to now catch up on their jobs. And they will be doing this all at one time creating a load rated as “maximum demand” at a double rate per Kw hour. just a two hour blackout will end up costing 50% more after it all catches up. It is much more efficient and cheaper to keep it on and let everything maintain optimum conditions. And the power company knows this, blackouts are a scam to create 50% more revenue off the same amount of power used over a time period.
Been there and did the math years ago.