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
- Program administrative and research and development (R&D) costs
- 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
- Residential Savings estimates
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