Helps consumers, businesses, utilities, and local and state governments use energy efficiently.
State Energy Efficiency Policy Database
Utah
Related Publications & Documents
(Research Report - 3/5/2013)
(Research Report - 10/10/2012)
Related Items
(Blog Article - 10/9/2012)
Related External Links
Utah Utility Policies
Utah's utilities administer and implement energy efficiency programs as required by the Utah Public Service Commission. Its largest electric utility, Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), serves around 80 percent of Utah’s population. These programs are part of integrated resource plans, in place since 1992, that are filed biennially by the utilities and include demand-side resources and associated programs. Programs are funded via a 3% tariff rider on customer bills. Utah's integrated resource planning requirements were established in 1992.
Utah recently passed legislation (House Joint Resolution 9) that calls for Utah's electric utilities to reduce the state's energy consumption by 1% annually. The bill also calls for natural gas utilities to save 0.5% annually. It encourages the use of “all available cost-effective energy efficiency.”
In September 2009, the PSC approved RMP’s request to increase its utility bill surcharge to pay for demand-side management (DSM) programs to 4.6%. Utah’s main natural gas utility, Questar Gas, began implementing efficiency programs in 2007 and is currently testing a pilot decoupling program. Utah's funding and commitment to energy efficiency programs has increased significantly over the past several years. For electric efficiency programs, utilities saved approximately 176,505 net MWh. Electric program budgets totaled $49.4 million for 2010, according to the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, and natural gas budgets were $36.1 million.
Reported budgets for energy efficiency programs for 2011, and electricity savings for 2010, are in the State Spending and Savings Tables.
For further reading, in October 2007, as part of the State Clean Energy Resource Project, ACEEE completed the report Utah Energy Efficiency Strategy Policy Options.
Links:
↑ Top of Page
October 12, 2012
The state's principal investor-owned utility, Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), administers and provides a comprehensive set of energy efficiency programs as part of integrated resource planning. The Utah Public Service Commission reviews and approves these plans and associated program plans and budgets. For electric efficiency programs, Utah utilities saved approximately 167,054 net MWh in 2009.
Reported budgets for energy efficiency programs for 2011, and electricity savings for 2010, are in the State Spending and Savings Tables.
Rocky Mountain Power's self-direct program is a project-based rate credit program that offers up to an 80% credit of eligible project costs back to customers as a rate credit against the 3.7% cost-recovery mechanism (CRM) charge all customers pay. Customers earn a credit up to 100% of their CRM charge, but do pay a flat $500/project administrative fee for each self-directed project. Customers can choose to engage in self-direct and more traditional CRM programs simultaneously, provided the different programs are used to deploy different projects. More information on large customer self-direct programs can be found in the ACEEE report, Follow the Leaders: Improving Large Customer Self-Direct Programs.
Links:
↑ Top of Page
October 12, 2012
Electric program spending totaled $49.4 million for 2010, according to the UTPUC, and natural gas budgets were $36.1 million. Electric efficiency programs are funded through a 3% tariff rider on customer bills. Utah's funding and commitment to energy efficiency programs has increased significantly over the past several years.
Reported budgets for energy efficiency programs for 2011 are in the State Spending and Savings Tables.
Links:
↑ Top of Page
October 12, 2012
House Joint Resolution (HJR) 9 urges the UT PSCto set energy savings goals of at least 1% per year for regulated electric utilities and at least 0.5% per year for gas utilities. The bill does not penalize utilities that do not meet the savings goals, as long as they make good faith efforts. A docket is open at the PSC(09-035-T08) that is reviewing a wide range of DSM policies including (but not limited to) the issues addressed in the resolution.
In 2008, Utah adopted a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 20% by 2025 that allows energy savings from DSM measures to qualify towards the standard without any cap. However, the policy remains pending as this is a legislative goal that has yet to be codified by the Utah PSC.
Links:
↑ Top of Page
October 12, 2012
No decoupling mechanism is in place for electric utilities.
On October 5, 2006, Questar Gas was approved to implement a Conservation Enabling Tariff (CET) and Demand-Side Management (DSM) Pilot Program. The CET allows Distribution Non-Gas (“DNG”) revenues received by Questar to be based on the number of customers rather than customers’ gas usage. This is considered to be a form of decoupling. On June 24, 2009, the Pilot Program was extended to operate until December 31, 2010 (PSC Docket No. 05-057-T01, October 2006).
HJR 9 encourages the Utah Public Service Commission to remove financial disincentives to utility efficiency programs.
Links:
- Utah Public Service Commission docket search
↑ Top of Page
March 28, 2013
HJR 9 expresses support for regulatory mechanisms to help remove utility disincentives and create incentives to increase efficiency and conservation so long as these mechanisms are found to be in the public interest.
↑ Top of Page
July 28, 2011
Integrated resource planning has been in place since 1992. Utilities file biennial integrated resource plans which include demand-side resources and associated programs.
In March 2009, the Utah Legislature passed HJR 9, a Joint Resolution on Cost-effective Energy Efficiency and Utility Demand-Side Management. This resolution recognizes the multifaceted benefits of utility energy efficiency and sets non-binding energy savings goals of at least 1 percent per year for Utah’s electric corporations and at least 0.5 percent per year for Utah’s natural gas utility corporations.
↑ Top of Page
September 14, 2010
- Cost-effectiveness test(s) used: UCT, TRC, PCT, RIM
- Uses a deemed savings database: no
The evaluation of ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs in Utah relies on regulatory orders (Docket No. 09-035-27).Evaluations are mainly administered by the utilities. Utah has formal requirements for evaluation articulated in Docket No. 09-035-27, Docket No. 09-035-74 and Guideline Revisions Report, Exhibits A, B, C and D. Evaluations for each of the utilities are conducted. Utah uses four of the five classic benefit-cost tests identified in the California Standard Practice Manual. These are the Total Resource Cost (TRC), Utility/Programs Administrator (UCT), Participant (PCT), and Ratepayer Impact Measure (RIM). Utah specifies the UCT to be its primary test for decision making. The benefit-cost tests are required for overall portfolio, total program, and customer project level screening. The rules for benefit-cost tests are stated in Docket No. 09-035-27.
Links:
- Authority: Docket No. 09-035-27, December 2009
- Authority: Docket No. 09-035-74, July 2011
- Authority:Guideline Revisions Report, Exhibits A, B, C and D
↑ Top of Page
March 28, 2013