The Public Utility Commission of Texas held an EEIP meeting on Tuesday, October 6 to discuss 2014 EM&V PY 2014 findings, the PY 2015 EM&V plan, and the Technical Reference Manual.
 
PY 2014 EM&V Findings and Recommendations

  • Texas electric utilities delivered statewide savings of over 500 million kWh and 393 thousand kW in PY 2014
  • CSOP and RSOP programs account for most energy savings
  • Lower Management program accounts for most demand savings
  • Realization rates are healthy and close to 100% statewide
  • Utilities’ portfolios are still cost effective, even though impacted cost-effectiveness ratios were lower in 2014 than in 2013
  • Texas adheres to best practices established by NAPEE
  • Low-income customers have been well-served by ERCOT low-income programs in coordination with existing federal weatherization program infrastructure
  • Statewide recommendations for improvement
    • Program administrative and research and development (R&D) costs
      • Recommendation: Increase consistency and transparency of program administrative and R&D cost reporting in EEPRs
      • Plan: Utilities will provide brief description of the types of costs incurred under the administrative category in their EEPRs starting in 2016
    • Transparency of sub-programs
      • Recommendation: District program components in terms of design and/or delivery should have individual documentation if they are combined into one umbrella program
      • Plan: Utilities will provide separate cost information by sub-program starting in PY 2016
    • Engagement of retail electric providers
      • Recommendation: ERCOT utilities should consider the feasibility of a REP program for their service territory
      • Plan: ERCOT will gauge the interest of REPs in their service territory in participating in energy efficiency program offerings
    • Accuracy of savings estimates
      • Recommendation: Deemed savings calculations in tracking systems and savings tools should be updated to the applicable TRM version with the exception of carryover projects
      • Plan: Utilities will check for compliance with this recommendation in their QU/QC of claimed savings and provide a list of carryover projects to the EM&V team
      • Recommendation: Utilities may want to consider increased QA/QC of program documentation with inputs into deemed savings calculations
      • Plan: Utilities may choose to supplement QA/QC with checks of program documentation against tracking system inputs
      • Recommendation: Measures with claimed savings need to have Commission approved deemed savings values or supported by M&V consistent with the IPMVP
      • Plan: Utilities will have an M&V Plan for any measures implemented that do not have commission approved deemed savings values
      • Recommendation: LEDs should meet TRM certification requirements or have an M&V plan in place
      • Plan: Utilities will require LED certification or have and M&V plan for any measures that do not have a certification category
      • Recommendation: Utilities need to develop deemed savings value for Commission approval for tune-ups or claim savings using an M&V approach
      • Plan: Utilities will develop deemed savings values for AC tune-ups.
      • Recommendation: Sufficient justification for the use of the custom values is needed when used in lieu of Commission approved values
      • Plan: Utilities will require EESPs or implementation contractors to provide supporting documentation of custom values
      • Recommendation: Review correct selection of building type and capture decision-making process of why a building type was selected when a judgment call is needed
      • Plan: Utilities will educate EESPs on selection of building type at the facility as opposed to business type level as well as documenting the reasons for selecting a business type when a judgment call is needed
      • Recommendation: Utilities may want to consider EESP education that savings could be affected if small business participants are not planning to remain in the participating facility for the next 12 months
      • Plan: The utilities will consider EESP education regarding the importance of consistent participation first year occupancy of a treated facility
      • Recommendation: Utilities may want to round load management impacts consistently with how incentives are awarded, which is at the customer-level
      • Plan: Utilities will discuss how load management impact rounding occurs with their tracking system provider and determine if changes are needed
  • Recommendations for Residential
    • Residential Savings estimates
      • Recommendation: Infiltration reduction measure savings should not be claimed where infiltration levels remain within 10% of the initial cap post-retrofit or beyond final ventilation levels specified for health and safety reasons
      • Recommendation: Insulation savings should nbot be claimed when it is installed to cover an unconditioned space.
      • Recommendation: The installed heating system type should be used to calculate shell measure savings
      • Plan: Utilities will check for compliance with this recommendation in their QA/QC
      • Recommendation: Low flow showerhead savings may be claimed at the measure level
      • Plan: Utilities will claim low flow showerhead savings for each installed measure

 
PY 2015 EM&V Plan

  • High Priority
    • Residential SOP and hard-to-reach programs
    • Data Center pilot
  • Medium Priority
    • Commercial SOPs and Schools, government and commercial solutions MTPs
    • Residential new construction
    • Pool pumps
    • Load management
  • Impact evaluations
    • Tracking system reviews all programs
    • Commercial desk reviews and on-sites
  • Continued M&V reviews and ad-hoc savings guidance
  • Process Evaluations
    • Transition of customers served historically through market transformation efforts
    • Recommend guidelines for greater consistency in pilot program status
    • Clarify criteria for which sector multifamily projects savings should be claimed
  • Evaluation methodology is discussed

 
Technical Reference Manual

  • TRM 4.0 will be completed by early next year; 3.1 version (with any identified corrections from 3.0) will be available late October
  • TRM 4.0 will attempt to update as many system types as possible

 
Meeting Adjourned