20230208PAC to Staff 20-21.pdf

1407 W North Temple, Suite 330 Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
February 8, 2023
Jan Noriyuki Idaho Public Utilities Commission 472 W. Washington
Boise, ID 83702-5918 [e-mail] (C)
RE: ID PAC-E-22-12
IPUC Set 4 (20-21)
Please find enclosed Rocky Mountain Power’s Responses to IPUC 4th Set Data Requests 20-21. Also provided are Attachments IPUC 21-1 and 21-2.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at [phone].
Sincerely,
____/s/____ Mark Alder Manager, Regulation
Enclosures
RECEIVED
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 11:31:51 AM
IDAHO PUBLIC
UTILITIES COMMISSION
PAC-E-22-12 / Rocky Mountain Power February 8, 2023 IPUC Data Request 20
IPUC Data Request 20 Please explain if there have been any changes in the past ten years to the Company's practices regarding the use of Integrated Resource Plan avoided cost
data to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of its programs for a given year and for
program planning for the next year (i.e., use the avoided costs available at program planning for evaluating the cost-effectiveness for that given year, use the most current avoided costs at the time of evaluation, etc.).
Response to IPUC Data Request 20 The Company is unable to definitively confirm what the evaluation practice was 10 years ago with respect to avoided costs and evaluations for demand-side management (DSM) programs. Notwithstanding, the Company believes its
practice has been to use the most recent data available to evaluate its programs.
For clarity, however, there is an exception with respect to the Company’s annual reporting. Prior to 2020, the Company would run cost effectiveness for a given
year’s annual report using the most current data in lieu of using the data that was
originally used when planning that program year. The Company stopped this practice in favor of using the same assumptions and avoided costs for both planning a year and reporting on that year. The purpose of the annual reports is to reflect how the Company fared against its planning and targets, thus using the same assumptions and avoided costs for planning and reporting is appropriate.
The purpose of evaluations is to reflect on how programs fare against
current/forward looking data and what actions are necessary to maintain cost effectiveness.

Recordholder: Clay Monroe Sponsor: Clay Monroe
PAC-E-22-12 / Rocky Mountain Power February 8, 2023 IPUC Data Request 21
IPUC Data Request 21 Please respond to the following regarding the Wattsmart Homes electronics measure category.

(a) Please provide a list of offerings provided in the Wattsmart Homes electronics category for the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 program years.
(b) Please list any changes to the category's offerings or incentives for the 2018,
2019, 2020, and 2021 program years. (c) Please detail the Company's previous efforts and current plans to address the cost-effectiveness of the measure category.
Response to IPUC Data Request 21
(a) Please refer to Attachment IPUC 21-1 which provides a list of Wattsmart Homes offerings in Idaho filtered down to the electronics category. Measures
highlighted in gold are electronics offerings that were available in 2018-2021,
and measures highlighted in green are electronic offerings that were available in 2021. (b) Please refer to Attachment IPUC 21-2 which provides a list of changes made to the Wattsmart Homes program mid-2021 via the flexible tariff process. As
part of the flexible tariff updates, advanced power strips were retired due to
lack of cost effectiveness. No other changes were made to offerings under the electronics measure category between 2018-2021 through the flexible tariff or 45-day notice processes.

(c) With respect to the Company’s previous efforts to address cost effectiveness, changes were made to the Wattsmart Homes program via flexible tariff mid-2021 that resulted in improved cost effectiveness results over 2020. Please refer to Attachment IPUC 21-2. Specifically, advanced power strips in the electronics measure category were retired from the Wattsmart Homes program
due to lack of cost effectiveness. With respect to other categories and the
Wattsmart Homes program as a whole, the Company also retired lighting incentives effective January 1, 2022 to further improve cost effectiveness. In 2022, the Company added focus to community events and promoted engine heat block controls at the Idaho State Fair and worked directly with builders and raters to increase participation in the new construction measures. For 2023 and beyond, the Company plans to continue focus on community events and measure promotions and will launch an online marketplace where customers can purchase products that would typically only be available at
participating retailers across the Company’s service territory. Customers will
PAC-E-22-12 / Rocky Mountain Power February 8, 2023 IPUC Data Request 21
receive incentives at the point of sale in the marketplace and the product will be shipped directly. An increase to participation is anticipated as a result of the marketplace due to the simplicity of the process and the planned outreach and marketing efforts to promote the products’ available on the marketplace.
The Company also plans to launch home energy audits, both virtual and in-
home, to provide a concierge service to assist customers in the journey to becoming more energy efficient.

Recordholder: Jill Fredrickson Sponsor: Clay Monroe