Dive Brief:
- The Nevada Public Utilities Commission in December reduced the energy efficiency budget of NV Energy, but now the utility is asking for a pair of programs to be reinstituted, including a popular LED lighting rebate.
- But as the Las Vegas Sun reported, the popularity of the program is at least one reason regulators sought to kill it – the utility has discounted millions of lights, and the PUC indicated it was possibly being abused.
- The Sun notes that news of the efficiency cuts came were largely lost against the widely-reported changes to the state's net metering rules. Last week, regulators unanimously voted against a stay of the order, which authorized controversial changes to remuneration rates and fixed fees. They will, however, address a provision that makes the changes apply to exsisting solar systems, as well as new ones in a February hearing.
Dive Insight:
When regulators cut the energy efficiency budget of NV Energy last month, their order pointed out that it was not a wholesale slash and burn, but a targeted elimination of programs that might have outlived their usefulness. A program addressing disposal of old refrigerators had kicked off in 2003, and "after nearly 13 years, substantial progress to dispose of old, inefficient units should have been made."
As for the LED lighting program, the Sun reports that by the end of 2018 the utility will have given rebates for more more than 2 million lights in a service territory of 770,000. "The purpose of this program is not to relight homes in Las Vegas," the PUC wrote in its December order.
But critics say the cuts were shortsighted, as they were still saving customers money. And the utility has asked for authorization to restart the lighting program as well as one for efficient pool pumps. NV Energy had requested a $56 million efficiency budget, but regulators authorized $41 million.
According to the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, three programs were completely closed by the December decision and the other programs were funded at "low levels" for 2016-2018.
“The decision takes Nevada in the wrong direction at a time when all nearby states including Arizona and Utah are ramping up their utility energy efficiency programs, not slashing them," said SWEEP Executive Director Howard Geller.
He said the PUC's decision was “penny wise and pound foolish and not in the public interest.”