On March 23, 2022, John Sarver, OPAE’s Executive Director, and Nick Milano, OPAE’s Director of Utility Programs, gave a presentation to the Commissioners of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on the necessity and benefits of low-income energy efficiency programs. Their presentation was the final of the day on the third of five energy efficiency workshops. The March 23 workshop focused on the consumer sector. The workshops are being run by the Commission to discuss whether the Commission has the authority to continue energy efficiency programs in light of the elimination of the energy efficiency mandates. Additionally, the Commission is asking if electric distribution utilities should be offering these programs or if the competitive market is sufficient to serve customers’ energy efficiency needs.
John and Nick’s presentation demonstrated that the Commission continues to have the authority to approve utility offered energy efficiency programs even after the elimination of the energy efficiency mandates. They then explained the impacts low-income energy efficiency programs have on the lives of people beyond saving them money. Nick and John noted the importance of the existence of these programs to maximize the dollars received through state and federal programs to serve more customers.
The Commissioners were impressed with the presentation. The Commissioners noted how robust it was and that it answered most of their questions before they were asked. A copy of the presentation can be found on the Commission’s website, here. A recording of the presentation can be found on the Commission’s YouTube channel, here.