DSM Budget Funding
How do MLPs create their budget for their DSM programming? For example, Belmont Light's funding is from a $0.0024 per kWh charge on all customers. All customers are contributing to one fund for distribution of incentive programs and rebates.
Do others separate out commercial/municipal funds from residential or is it all one pot?
Do others charge one flat per customer charge or is it structured as a per kWh charge? Or are the funds pulled from general funding and there is no specific charge on the customer's electric bill?
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For me (and BL's programs overall), DSM covers any programming that is done on the Demand side of the meter, our customers. These are programs that work on building load as well as trimming and finding efficiencies when we can. Our goal with our programs is to build load wisely, help customers understand changes they can make to impact their bill (usage and costs), and seek out new products that are much more energy efficient that their current ones.
It is in the back-end calculations where the ROI is calculated. We can count carbon reductions from electrification based on power supply portfolios, pure kWh reduced or a mix of both. it's in the Techinical Reference/Resource Manual (TRM) where these calculations need to be set and developed. As of right now, ENE-related organizations are using the Mass Save TRM, which does not count for electrification or mmBTUs of energy offset. They are still looking at trying to keep both their gas and electric industries alive. The recent Globe article points out this error in their current calculation and how they have actually put many households on the misconstrued path by continuing the installation of fossil fuel systems. Yes these systems are more efficient than previous ones, but will be in place in these buildings for decades to come.
It is through programming levels of all kinds that we as MLPs are able to support out customers in their endeavor to become a better citizen of the planet. Each MLP has their own goals to work with, but as a collective unit, we need to be voicing our customers' wants and needs for more support from the state and federal for continuing programs such as the installation of ASHPs to replace FF-based systems.