The California Efficiency + Demand Management Council (the Council) works hard to keep energy efficiency and demand management forefront in decisions at the legislature and energy agencies, such as the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Our advocacy relies on an active Board and involved members to help guide our positions. Become a Member of the Council to have your voice heard in critical energy policy arenas.
CPUC Policy
Recent achievements at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) include:
- Achieved our goal of increasing the amount of work outsourced by the IOUs. Helped secure a move from a minimum of 20% bid out to third party EE implementers to a minimum of 60%.
- Expanded our sphere of influence by increasing participation in multiple proceedings (Integrated Distributed Energy Resources, Distributed Resources Plan, Integrated Resource Planning and Demand Response) to ensure that EE and DR are considered as priority resources in current and future integrated resource planning efforts and can effectively defer the need for capital expenditures on traditional distribution infrastructure.
- Ensured that the business voice was incorporated into the California Energy Efficiency Coordinating Committee to develop the future of EE delivery in CA. We were successful in revamping the conflict of interest policy to allow EE designers, implementers and evaluators to provide their knowledge in a public form without jeopardizing their future business opportunities.
- Advocated for a simplified measurement process for existing baselines.
- Aggressively pursued the opportunity for a new efficiency paradigm to use metered, measured, real-time M&V.
- Succeeded in moving the demand response budget cycle from three years to five, similar to our previous efforts for EE in the Rolling Portfolio.
- Helped obtained a streamlined demand response customer enrollment process that will simplify direct participation.
- Successfully argued for a cost effectiveness change that will more appropriately value avoided supply side capacity and benefit energy efficiency.
- Developed a proposal as part of the Diablo Canyon negotiations that would allow demand response to be included in the first round of procurement activities for replacement resources.
California Energy Commission (CEC)
Strongly supported the California Energy Commission’s development of rules for a statewide benchmarking and transparency program and provided recommendations to streamline customer permissions and building owner data requests.
Legislative and Governor’s Office Activity
The Council continues to grow significantly in activities in Sacramento. Following on the truly significant outcomes from the 2015 legislature, which included a doubling of efficiency targets, benchmarking requirements, and requiring the use of existing conditions as the default baseline, Staff was busy ensuring that implementation of these laws went smoothly. Highlights include:
- Successfully moved our EE Funding Bill (AB 1330), which was signed by Governor Brown and clarifies that the CPUC should increase funding for EE as necessary to meet the goal of doubling savings per SB 350.
- Amended legislation on contract disclosure to remove the requirement that every contract executed by the Commission or a regulated utility for any service would have to be published on the CPUC website.
- Supported legislation which required the CPUC to consider the findings of the Demand Response Potential Study to determine the availability of demand reduction resources.
- Started work with the Governor and legislative leaders to ensure that demand response and energy efficiency remain viable resources in the CAISO market in the event that CAISO is successful in expanding its efforts to expand its jurisdiction to western states.
