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Objective
CT-NEEC strongly urges that the following principles be adhered to
when expenditures of the Energy Conservation and Load Management Fund
are being considered.
- Programs that deliver direct, measurable and verifiable savings
should be the priority expenditures for the Fund.
- Introducing energy efficient technologies and educating
the consumer can best occur through promoting real time decisions
to implement these
technologies that
reduce customer bills and achieve near term system reliability and lower costs.
- Programs should be delivered to the maximum
extent feasible by independent energy service companies providing
these services
on a turnkey basis and through
an appropriate competitive solicitation process to identify the highest value
delivery process. The energy efficiency industry is the infrastructure that
can provide the independence, jobs and support for efficiency that expands
upon the
utility efforts and adds the greatest opportunity for sustainable advances
in making our energy infrastructure efficient and reliable.
- Especially in this
fiscal environment programs that propose long term, speculative
impacts should be deferred to focus efforts on programs that reduce costs for
consumers and increase system reliability over the near term. This produces
the most visible consumer and political impact during a time of crisis.
- Programs
and benefits need to include an emphasis on delivery to SW Connecticut
but also need to be equitably distributed to all the ratepayers paying into
the fund given the collection of funds from these individuals and entities.
- Programs
should equitably serve Residential, Commercial and Industrial
customers, including low income consumers who have limited means
of securing the investments
in new technology on their own.
- Programs and efforts that support energy efficiency
and renewable energy should work cooperatively and be coordinated
but there should not be a cross
subsidy
between these funds. Renewable and sustainable efforts should be drawn from
the Renewables fund.
- The Renewable Energy fund should share in the reduction
and contribute to the $12 million transfer and securitization
costs.
- Programs that have the potential indirect consequence
of building electric load should be avoided to reduce peak load
impacts.
- The delivery of programs by Electric Distribution Companies-CL&P
and UI should be continued due to the unique benefits that these
entities can bring
to the service delivery process. While any administrative vehicle has its strengths
and weaknesses, the utility administration has been effec tive and brings the
best opportunity to link the customer’s energy usage to overall system
reliability as part of a larger energy policy for Connecticut.
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