HomeMy WebLinkAbout15-Review of the 2012 and Projected 2013 Conservation ProgramsAgenda Item # 15
WORKSHOP
To:
Board of Directors
From:
Steven Poncelet
Date:
January 16, 2013
Subject: Review of the 2012 and Projected 2013 Conservation Programs
1. WHY THIS MATTER IS BEFORE THE BOARD
This Workshop is before the Board to provide a review of current Conservation
Department energy and water programs and to recommend changes and additions to
the FY13 programs.
2. HISTORY
Starting in 2008, the District has been investing in new energy and water conservation
programs and capacity. The current conservation energy and water programs can be
found on our website at www.tdpud.org or in the attached brochure (See
Attachments). As verified and reported through our outside Evaluation, Measurement,
& Verification (EM&V) efforts, the District has a successful track record of delivering a
large portfolio of very cost-effective programs. The most recent EM&V results showed
the conservation programs saving —2% first -year load at a fully loaded cost of
$0.03/kWh (compared to customer cost of —0.14/kWh to use energy).
The District has expanded beyond traditional rebate programs and now also offers
give -a -way and direct -install programs. The primary goal of the District's conservation
programs remain to maximize return on equity for our customers and to ensure that all
of our customer segments have the opportunity to participate in our programs. Staff
has been working to deliver, and optimize, existing programs and to develop and bring
to our customers new water and energy savings programs.
Historically, our residential energy programs have focused on lighting (screw -in CFL's),
residential energy surveys (comprehensive delivery and installation of energy and
water saving measures), appliance rebates (energy star), and low-income. Lighting
has dominated our strong EM&V results. For businesses efficiency programs, the
emphasis has been on commercial lighting (rebates and free screw -in CFL's/LED's),
commercial refrigeration (Keep Your Cool +), and custom projects.
On the water side, our residential program has been dominated by water -efficient
toilets (1.6 GPF rebate/exchange), customer leak -rebates (in conjunction with water
meters), free water measures, and water -wise landscaping (Patricia S. Suttor
Conservation Garden). For business water programs, in addition to the residentia
programs, the emphasis has been on commercial irrigation and custom water projects.
The District has also dramatically increased our presence in the community with a
steady stream of communication and well established events such as the
neighborhood block parties, Trashion Shows, TDPUD Water Day, Truckee Thursdays,
and the Truckee Home Show to name a few. On balance, the customer demand for
our programs has met or exceeded our budget and capacity with the overall program
being fully subscribed each year. The Board did authorize additional funds in FY11 for
the water -efficient toilet program due to exceptional demand from our customers.
Some of the District's most successful programs, however, are reaching saturation or
are being phased out through regulatory actions. Over time, Staff has been analyzing
the performance of our programs through the EM&V process, optimizing existing
programs, and investigating potential new programs.
3. NEW INFORMATION
In response to Staff investigations along with feedback from EM&V, Staff is
recommending the following changes or additions to the District's energy and water
conservation programs. The goal is to implement these changes early in FY13 and to
analyze the results in the FY13 EM&V process.
New residential energy program recommendations are:
• improving our appliance rebate program by
o lowering the Energy Star rebate to $75 and
o increasing the rebate for more efficient models of refrigerators and
clothes washers according to the Consortium for Energy Efficiency
(CEE) Tiers
■ Tier 2 $100 rebate
■ Tier 3 $125 rebate
• and introducing a residential rebate for screw -in and plug in LED light bulbs
($5/bulb).
Staff is recommending that the District discontinue our Energy Star rebate for freezers
based on poor EM&V for this measure and the fact that extra freezers (typically in
garages) add load to the system and are not considered an effective energy -efficiency
measure. The District will continue to allow freezers in the Refrigerator Recycle
Rebate Program.
For businesses, staff will implement a custom rebate program to accommodate non -
lighting technologies and legacy T12's. Program development, for future program
recommendations, will focus on energy saving control systems, plug-in electronics
(TV's, computers, games, etc.) along with programs focused on electric -only
residences.
New water conservation program recommendations are to add:
■ an incremental $25 incentive to purchase 1.28 GPF or dual -flush high -efficiency
toilets over the standard $100 rebate/exchange incentive for 1.6 GPF units and;
■ an incremental $50 incentive to purchase high water -efficiency clothes washers
(CEE Tiers 2-3) over the applicable energy rebate.
The District will continue to develop and promote the Patricia S. Sutton Conservation
Garden and web -based resource along with the Customer Leak Repair Rebate
program.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
The approved FY13 budget includes funding for the District's energy and water
conservation programs. There is no direct fiscal impact associated with this workshop
item.
5. RECOMMENDATION
Receive this report and provide feedback and direction to Staff.
Steven Poncelet
Public Information & Conservation Manager
Z
Michael D. Holley
General Manager