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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20140812Khawaja Direct.pdfo o o DAVID J. MEYER VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF COI'NSEL OF REGULATORY & GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AVISTA CORPORATION P.O. BOX 3727 LALL EAST MISSION AVENUE SPOI(ANE, WASHINGTON 99220-3727 TELEPHONE: (509) 495-4316 EMAIL: david. BEFORE THE IDAIIO PUBLIC UTIIJITTES COMMISSION IN THE IUATTER OF THE APPLICATION ) CASE NO. AVU-E-1, O-I oF AVTSTA CORPORiATTON FOR A ) CASE NO. AW-G-L4-O2- FTNDING OF PRUDENCE FOR 201.3 ) EXPENDITURES ASSOCIATED WITH ) PROVIDING ELECTRIC AI\TD NATURAL GAS ) DIRECT TESTIMONY ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICE IN THE ) OT STATE OF IDAHO ) U. SAIvII KHAWA,JA REPRESENTING THE CADMUS GROUP, INC FOR AVISTA CORPORATION (ELECTRIC AND NATURAL GAS) 1 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 ll t2 l3 T4 l5 t6 t7 l8 19 20 2t 22 I.INTRODUCTION O. PleaEe state your fuII Ddrn€r busineEs address, and company nErme. A. My name is M. Sami Khawaja, and my business address is 720 SW Washington Street, Portland, OR 97205. My employer j-s The Cadmus Group, Inc. a. On whose behalf are you presenting testimony in thig proceeding? A. I am testifying on behalf of Avista Utilities. O. Have you previouely submitted teEtimony in this proceeding? A. No, I have not. O. Please describe your qualification. A. I hold a doctorate degree in Economics and Systems Science. I have been conducting demand sj-de management (DSM) program J-mpact and process evaluations since 1983. I am the author of the Electric Power Research Institute Impact EvaTuation Guide, coauthor of the International Performance, Measurement, and Verification ProtocoTs, coauthor of the EnvironmentaT Protection Agency NationaT Action PTan for Energy Efficiency Impact EvaLuation Guide, and author of over 30 papers on evaluation issues. f have Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 aJ 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 t2 13 t4 15 t6 t7 18 t9 20 2l 22 taught over 40 evaluation and cost-effectiveness workshops nationally and internationally. I am one of the Association for Energy Service Professionals trainers. I am currently an adjunct professor of economics at Portland SEate University. O. Describe your current and previoug job responsibilities . A. I am currently an executive consultant for The Cadmus Group and previously managed the Energy Service Divlsion for five years (a group of 200 energy professionals). In 1-998 I started an energy efficiency evaluation and planning firm ca11ed Quantec. The company grew to 60 professionals and was purchased by Cadmus in 2008. Prior to that I held various positions at other consulting firms, PacifiCorp, and Portland State University. O. Deecribe your involvement in the delivery of Avieta DSM programs. A. The Cadmus Group was retaj-ned by Avista to serve as the third-party independent evaluator of its 201-2 and 201-3 DSM programs in Idaho and Washington. As such, we conduct,ed impact and process evaluations of the programs in the residential, nonresidentj-aI, and low income Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 t2 l3 t4 15 t6 t7 l8 t9 20 2t 22 sectors. The evaluation covered both electric and natural gas programs. a. Were the evaluationg prepared in accordance with industry standardE? A. Yes. A11 evaluations were conducted in a manner meeting Lndustry standards and established protocols. These include: (1) International Performance Measurement and Verif j-cation Protocols: Concept,s and Options for Determj-ning Energy and V'Iater Savings Volume 1-, January 2OL2 (2) Model Energy Efficiency Program Impact Evaluatj-on Guide: A Resource of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, November 2007; (3) Electric Power Research Institute: Guidebook for Energy Efficiency Program Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification, 2008, and (4) the Department of Energy Uniform Methods Protocols, 201-3. A. Have you conduct,ed similar portfolio-Level evaluationg before? A. Yes. Under my supervisj-on, Cadmus has recently completed sj-mj-Iar portfolio-1eveI evaluations for the followj-ng electric and natural gas utilities: 1. Ameren UE Missouri. 2. Ameren Illinois Utilities. Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ll t2 13 t4 l5 l6 t7 l8 t9 20 2t 3. Questar (Utah) . 4. California Public Utilities Commission. 5. DTE Energy (Michigan) . 5. Consumers Energy (Michigan) . 7. Salt River Project (Arizona) . 8. PacifiCorp (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Utah) . 9. Progress Energy (Carolinas). L0. PECO (Pennsylvania) . 11. PPL (Pennsylvania) . 1-2. Dayton Power & Llght (Ohio) . l-3. Empower (Maryland) . t4. Focus on Energy (Wisconsin) O. Have your evaluations eleewhere been reviewed by Public Utility Commissiona or state-Ievel evaluatorg? A. Yes. In all cases listed in the previous question, the evaluations were either reviewed and approved or are in the process of being revj-ewed and approved by the representative utility commissj-ons . A. Vlhat ie the purpose of your teetimony? A. The purpose of my testimony is to present the findings of our evaluatj-ons for the 2Ol3 tj-me period. Khawaja, Di 4 The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 t2 13 t4 15 t6 t7 18 l9 20 2t 22 a. Describe Cadmus' approaeh to conducting evaluations of DSM prograrns. A. Cadmus strongly believes that the best value evaluators can provide is real-time feedback to program managers. Real-time feedback aIlows for continuous improvements and course corrections as needed. We have worked closely with Avista's Planning, Policy, and Analysis (PPA) and Implementatj-on teams to implement recommended corrections from the beginning of the evaluation. We also worked closely with the stakeholders represented in the various technical and policy groups. a. DeEcribe Avista's energy efficiency internal Organization structure. A. Avista previously had created two distinct groups for the purpose of delivery of DSM programs. One team was directly responsible for implementing the programs (Implementation team) and another was responsible for planning and analysis (PPA team). We reported directly to the PPA team. In Ju1y, 201,4, the PPA and implementation teams began reporting to a central manager. O. Are you eponsoring any exhibite to be introduced in this proceeding? Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ll l2 13 t4 l5 16 t7 l8 19 20 2t 22 23 A. Yes . I am sponsoring Exhibit No. 3 , Schedule 1 t,hat presents our 2013 electric portfolio impact report, Exhibit No. 3, Schedule 2 which is the 201,3 natural gas portfolio impact memo, and Exhibit No. 3, Schedule 3 which is the 201-2-20L3 portfolio-wide process evaluation. O. Pleage describe any data collection and activities aseociated with the evaluation. A. Ful1 impact evaluations were performed for the electric portfolio covering the 1ow income, residential, and nonresidential sectors. Although natural gas programs were suspended in Idaho prior to 2013, there were several instances where natural gas savings were achieved due to grandfathered projects or dual fuel saving measures. Thus, we also completed a limited evaluation for gas-saving measures in the residential and nonresidential sectors. The low income impact evaluation included billing analysis of electric and conversion measures using the entire population of 20L2 participants and results applied to 2Ol3 participants. The nonresj-dential impact evaluation performed 1-47 site and/or metering visits, individual sj-te billing analyses, simulation modeling, and general engineering calculations. Teams of engineers spent several weeks in the field at different points in 20L3 and 20L4. Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 11 t2 13 l4 15 l6 t7 18 t9 20 2t 22 23 The residential impact evaluation was informed by billing analyses of the weatherization program and conversion program. A participant and control group billing analysis was performed for the residential behavior program as wel1. Savings analysis utilizing the Regional Technical Forum (RTF) , Avista's 201,2 Technical Reference Manual (TRM), and engineering analyses was performed on all measures, including the lumen equivalents method in conjunction with RTF inputs for lighting savings. 357 phone surveys were conducted for the residential measure verification and over 2,000 general population surveys. The process evaluations completed 357 resj-dential participant,2,L60 residential general population,201- nonresidential participant, and 1-40 nonresidential non- participant surveys. The evaluat.ions also included 20 contractor interviews, as well as interviews with several implementation contractors, Avista PPA and implementation staff. The process topics covered included participant feedback, program management and design, trade a1ly input, data tracking, marketing and outreach, a detailed analysis of nonresj-dentj-aI realization rates and tariff compliance, and a benchmarking of industry best practices. Details on each of these evaluation activities and results can be Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 ll t2 l3 t4 15 16 t7 18 t9 20 2I 22 found in the assocj-ated Cadmus reports: Avista 201-3 Idaho Electric Impact Evaluation Report, Avista 201,3 Idaho Natural Gas Savi-ngs Memo, and Avista 201,2-2013 Process Evaluation Report. A. P1ease sumrnarize the Company's groaa electric energy efficiency-related eavings for this time period. A. As shown below j-n Table L, 25,899 MWh of gross energy savJ-ngs were acquired through Avj-sta's Idaho DSM projects between .Tanuary 1- , 201-3, and December 3A , 201-3. The electric portfolio had a real-ization rate of L02.7Z. Table 1. Reported and Evaluated Electric Savings Residential Nonresidential Low lncome Residential Behavior Total 5,130,507 17,602,253 292,767 2,t94,322 25,219,849 5,933,L97 16,595,342 499,901 2,870,90s 25,899,345 715.6% 94.3% 170.8% 130.8% 102.7% O. What are the gross electric energy savings by program? A. The 20L3 program year's gross savings are summarized in Table 2 by program. Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 ll t2 l3 t4 l5 t6 t7 18 19 20 2t 22 Table 2. Evaluated Electric Savings by Program Non-Conversion Low lncome Conversion Heat Pump Replacement Site Specific Nonresidential Prescriptive EnergySmart Grocer Simple Steps, Smart Savings Second Refrigerator and Freezer Recycling ENERGY STAR Products Heating and Cooling Efficiency Space and Water Conversions Residential Weatherization/Shell Water Heater Efficiency ENERGY STAR Homes Geographic CFL Giveaway Residential Behavior L79,628 309,964 10,309 7,944,237 6,978,966 t,672,139 4,750,306 368,174 29,01L L44,480 505,078 90,47L 5,487 12,550 26,U0 2,87O,9O5 25,899,345 O. What are the Company's net electric energy savings for this time period? As shown below in Table 3, 21,,999 MWh of net energy savings were acquired through Avista's Idaho DSM projects between 'January 1-, 201-3, and December 31, 201-3. The electric portfolio had an overall NTG rat,io of 85?. Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 ) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 l1 t2 13 t4 l5 t6 t7 l8 l9 20 2t 22 Table 3. Evaluated NTG and Net Electric Savings Residential Nonresidential Low lncome Total Did Avieta achieve its filed Yes, the both the Idaho electrie goals for 2013? Integrated Resource Plan goals were satisfied in g,063,ogo L3,436,L18 499,901 21,999,099 19,l28,lgtl Khawaja, The Cadmus 92% 8t% 700% 8s% L3,436,LL8 499,901 21,999,099 a. A. (IRP) and Avista Business Plan 201-3 (Tables 4 and 5). The IRP goals are portfolio-Ieve1 targets, so in order to conduct sector-Ieve1 comparison, Cadmus adopted the Avista Business Plan goals by sector, and applied those proportions to the IRP targets.The tables also show savj-ngs achievements for the portfolio Residential Behavior programs. IRP goals are sti11 exceeded. Table 4.IRP Goals and Evaluated Savings Residential Nonresidential Low lncome Total Excluding Residential Behavior 7,697,009 10,849,696 452,495 19,009,200 19,009,200 Di Group, 8,063,080 Inc I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 t2 13 t4 l5 t6 t7 18 t9 20 2t 22 o. Table 5. Avista Business Plan Goals and Evaluated Savings Residential 8,547,340 8,063,080 94.3% Nonresidential 12,048,322 13,436,L18 LIL.S% Low lncome 513,589 499,901 97.3% Total 21,109,251 2L,999,099 Lo4,.2% Excluding Residential Behavior 2'"1o9'25t L9'L28'194 Pl-ease summarize the Company's naturaL gas energy efficiency-related savings for t,his time period. A. As shown below in Table 5 , over 5l-, 000 therms of energy savings were acquired from the Idaho DSM projects between .Tanuary 7- , 20L3, and December 31 , 201-3. The 2Ol3 natural gas portfolio had a realization rate of l-05?. Table 6. Expected and Evaluated Natural Gas Savings Nonresidential Residential Residential Behavior Total L8,L92 L,743 29,498 49,433 18,580 2,56L 30,531 5L,772 LOz% L47% to4% LOs% O. What were the natural gas energy savings by program? A. The 20L2-2013 program savings are summarized j-n Table 7 by progiram. Khawaja, Di 11 The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 11 t2 13 t4 15 16 t7 18 19 20 2t 22 Table 7. Natural Gas Evaluated Savings by Program Nonresidential Prescriptive Nonresidential Site Specific Attic lnsulation with Natural Gas Heat Wall lnsulation with Natural Gas Heat Natural Gas Boiler Natural Gas Furnace Clothes Washer With Natural Gas Water Heater Simple Steps - Showerheads Residential Behavior Total 2,135 L6,445 279 370 L4t 722 420 630 30,531 sL,772 O. What were the key findings of the reEidential proceEs evaluation? A. Participation levels j-n many of Avista's residential programs trended downward during PY20L2 and PY2013. Many factors contributed to the downward trend, including reduced measure offerings and the 2Ol3 discontinuation of natural gas j-ncentives in fdaho. The trend experienced by Avista's programs is similar to particj-pation trends in other regional utility DSM programs. The Simple Steps, Smart Savings program saw increased participation, partly due to new measure offerings. Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ll t2 l3 t4 l5 l6 t7 l8 l9 20 2l Energy-efficient showerheads were added in 201,2 and LEDs were added in 2013. Avista's overall program design is effective, but there is room for improvement around internal communication between Avista staff . Avista staff showed a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, achieving fast rebate processing despite increasing complexity of applications. Avista staff have also taken steps to improve data tracking, such as integrating additional program data into a central database. In addition, program marketing through mass media channels had to be tailored to avoid customer confusion about different incentive offerings in fdaho and Washington. Key sources of program information for customers included contractors (1,72 Ln 20]-2; 28* in 2013), bill inserts (L5* ; 1,6*) , and word of mouth (L0*; 1,42) . Changes j-n information sources reflected changing program offerings such as the elimination of appliance rebates in 2013. Khawaja, Di 13 The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 ll t2 13 t4 l5 t6 t7 t8 t9 20 2t 22 General population awareness of Avista's rebates decreased from 53* in 20L2 to 542 in 20]-3. Bill inserts are the most common way for the general population to learn about Avista's rebates. Participant satisfaction increased since the 201L process evaluation, with 89e" of 20L3 participants being "very satisfied" with their progfram experience. Only a sma1I number of customers expressed any leve1 of dissatisfaction across the three years in which Cadmus conducted surveys. Avista's appliance rebates experJ-enced a high leveI of freeridership, 1ike1y due to high market penetration of ENERGY STAR applJ-ances and comparatively 1ow incentive amounts-as a percent of incremental cost. Avista adjusted their program offerings to reflect this market, discontinuing appliance rebates in 2013. Many of Avista's customers both participants and nonparticipants reported installing additional energy-saving improvements without receiving any rebate because of Avista's programs' influence. These actions contribute to program spillover. Out of the Khawaja, Di 14 The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 t2 13 t4 t5 l6 t7 18 t9 20 2t 3,2L5 customers Cadmus surveyed in 20L2 and 2013, 1l-3 (or roughly one in every 28 customers) reported a spillover measure. A. What were the key findings of the nonregidential procesE evaluation? A. o Program participants were more 1ike1y than nonparticj-pants to own their facilities: according to surveys (7eZ of participants owned their facilities, compared with 67* of nonparticipants). o Overall, participants reported high satisfaction ratings. The vast majority were "very satisfied": 87+ for Prescriptive, 752 for Site-Specific, and 88? for EnergySmart Grocer. Only a handful of customers (roughly 1E) reported any 1eve1 of dissatisfaction. o A11 three nonresidential programs recei-ved the same satlsfaction ratings or better than they did in 201-l-, with the EnergySmart Grocer program showing a 23* increase in "very satj-sfied" customers over 20LL. o Contractors were the primary source of program information for nonresidential program participants Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ll t2 13 l4 l5 t6 t7 18 t9 20 2t 22 (378). Other common sources of informatj-on were word of mouth (23e,) and direct contact with Avista (17*) . Among nonparticipants, awareness of Avista's energy- efficiency rebates has remained fairly constant since 2010, with around 4 in 10 nonparticipants being aware of the programs (:At in 201-3) . Avj-sta's management and implementation of DSM programs has had some persistent organizational challenges, which may have impacted the effectiveness of implementation processes. While not limited to any specific part of Avista's DSM staff, many of the issues have primarily affected the nonresidential program processes. Cadmus' review of Avista's implementation and QA/QC processes showed that the accuracy of project savings estimates has increased since 2O1,L, but there is sti11 room for improvement. The Figure below shows the percentage of electric realization rates for site-specific projects that fe11 within the range of 90* to l-10?. This range indicates a good 1eve1 of accuracy in reported savings. Khawaja, Di 15 The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Figure No. 1. Nonresidential Site-Specific Project Electric Realization Rates 2011-2013 7Wo 50/6 s@6 4ffi 30/o zWo ta6 a96 .2O!7 .20L2 .20L3 Realization Rate = 9G11O96 Cadmus' interwiews with lighting contractors conducted as a supplement to the ongoing Panel Study research revealed that Avista's programs increase sales of energy-efficient lighting eguipment for both participating and nonparticipating contractors: l-5 out of 20 reported that their sales increased because of Avista's programs. The prescriptive program showed 9* freeridership in 201,3, showing a large decrease in freeridership as compared to the 201-1- result. The sj-te-specific Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc ll t2 13 t4 15 t6 t7 l8 t9 20 I 2 program showed 30? freeridership in 2OL3, showing an increase as compared to 201-1. a. What recommendations resulted from the residential impact and procese evaLuations? A. o Consider updating per-uni-t assumptions of recycled equipment to reflect the findings in this evaluation. J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ll t2 l3 t4 15 l6 t7 20 2t . If cl-othes washer rebates are should continue to t,rack them program unless there is penetration of gas dryers. ever reinstated, Avista all within the electric a large increase in t8 t9 o Increase measure Ieve1 detail capture on applicatj-ons. Specific additional information should include energy factors or model numbers for appliances, baseline information for insulation, and home square footage, particularly for the ENERGY STAR Homes. Consider tiered incentives by rating as higher SEER systems generally require ECM fan motors. Consider completj-ng a lighting logger study within its territory if Avista believes the results of the Khawaja, Di l-8 The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 aJ 4 5 6 7 8 forthcoming Residential Building Stock Assessment (RBSA) study do not accurately represent usage in their territory. Consj.der researching the percentage of Simple Steps, Smart Savings bulb purchase that are installed in commercial settings. This will increase the average installed hours of use and increase estimated program savings. Perform a billing analysis on ENERGY STAR homes using a non-participant comparison group once enough homes have participated under the new requirements. Consider researching the current variable speed motor market activity to determine if this measure should continue as a stand-aIone rebate or be packaged with other equipment purchases. 9 10 ll t2 13 t4 l5 t6 t7 l8 t9 Continue to promote efficiency programs Behavior Program energy reports, a's the increased both the rate of efficiency participation and savings. Avista should consider performing additional about the peak-coincident demand savings behavior program. in the reports program research from the 20 2t 22 Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc L9 1 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 l1 t2 13 t4 15 I6 l7 18 l9 20 2t Continue exploring new measures, program designs, and delivery mechanisms that leverage the national expertise of experienced third-party implementation firms. Possible programs may include additional partnership with ENERGY STAR in the form of the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. Continue testing new program designs and measure offerings through the use of pj-Iots-even if secondary sources of funding or 1ocal partners are not avai-1abIe. o If determined to be cost-effective, consider expanding the Residential Behavior program (for example, lowering the energy consumption threshold for participation) and implementing measures to track the methods these customers use to save energy. Given that Avista has already included all cost-effective customers in their target population for this program, future opportunities for expansion may be limited. As part of the transition to the new data tracking system, consider aligning program and measure names Khawaja, Di The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 aJ 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 1l t2 13 t4 l5 t6 l7 l8 t9 20 2t 22 with offerings articulated in annual business plans and other planning materials. Consider ways to encourage repeat participation (such as marketing targeted at, previous participants and onlj-ne profiles that reduce application paperwork). Continue use of customer freeridership and market assessments as a way to assess the appropriateness of measure offerings. Develop a transparent process for assessing measure or program cost-effectiveness and communicating results internally. Consider ways to ensure high- guality cost-effectiveness analysis that aligns with industry best practJ-ces, such as obtaining an objective third-party review of curent cost- effectiveness screening processes. Continue Avista's commitment satisfaction, but monitor; to customer Increased staffing costs; and Impacts of the 90-day participation window on f reerj-dership. Utilize survey results from this evaluation and other data collection activities to understand which Khawaja, Di 2L The Cadmus Group, Inc 1 2 audiences are more 1ike1y to participate in Avista programs. O. What recommendationE resulted from the nonresidential impact and procees evaluationE? A. o Create a quality control system to double-check all projects with savings over 300,000 kwh. o Avista may want to consj-der tracking and reporting demand reduction to better understand measure load profiles and peak demand reduction opportunitj"es. . Update prescriptive measure assumptions and sources on a regular basis. o Streamline file structure to enable revi-ewers more easily identify the latest documentation. o Continue to perform fo11ow-up measure confirmation and/or site visit,s on a random sample of projects (at least 10?) . o Consider flagging sites for additional scrutiny when the paid invoj-ce does not include installation labor as it may indicate that the work was not yet performed. Khawaja, Di 22 The Cadmus Group, Inc 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 1l t2 t3 t4 15 t6 t7 l8 t9 20 2t 1 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 11 t2 t3 t4 15 t6 t7 18 t9 20 2t Avista may consider adding a flag to their tracking database to automatically detect potential outlj-ers (e.9., savings per doI1ar tkwh/$ or therm/$l ) . In the case of redundant equipment, Avista may want to consider incenting pump projects through the Site- Specific Program to more accurately characterize the equipment operating hours. Avista may want to set minimum standards for modeling design guidelines. The Energy Trust of Oregon provides an example on their website. Avista should continue efforts to define and document program processes. Cadmus understands that a reorganizatj-on of the DSM group has occurred concurrent to the delivery of this report. This change may be an opportunity for fresh perspectives, clarified responsibilities, and improved coordination within and between teams. We believe unifying the organJ-zational structure under central leadership is a step in the right direction and may help alleviate some previously documented issues with internal communicati-ons . Khawaja, Di 23 The Cadmus Group, Inc I ) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 l0 ll t2 l3 t4 15 t6 t7 18 l9 20 2t 22 In addition to the reorganization, Cadmus recommends that Avista develop standardized processes within the DSM group, including clear delineation of roles and precise descrj-ption and assignment of all processes and responsibilities for both residential and nonresidential programs. A11 affected parties should be included in formali-zing and standardizing the DSM group's processes, ro1es, and responsibilities. Further, all parties must formally agree to clearly delineated responsibilities under the new organizational structure. V'Ihi1e these activities need to be prescriptive and precise, we cautj-on that the resulting structure should sti1l a11ow some flexibility: increased clarity, transparency, and accountability should serve to enhance program delivery and customer satisfaction. o Consider taking action to strengthen the use of program materials. Consider providing trade aI1ies with printed program information flyers or brochures to give to customers. Maintaining up-to-date information for trade al1ies is critj-ca1 when they are the key party delivering the program's message and participation details. Khawaja, Di 24 The Cadmus Group, Inc I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ll t2 l3 t4 15 l6 t7 18 t9 20 2t 22 o Identify underserved opportunities to target underserved industri.es : o Investigate overall customer industry distribution o Compare to participant industry distribution o Develop targeted outreach strategies for any underserved sectors Continue to monitor the effectiveness of the site- specific project review process and refj-ne as needed. Cadmus recommends implementing the following to ensure continued improvement: o A11 large prescriptive or site-specific projects reporting savings over a threshold of 300,000 kwh or 10,000 therms should undergo a complete QA/QC review prior to j-ncentive payment in addition to the standard Top Sheet review process. Typically, a QA/QC process reviews engineering calculations, verifies inputs, checks payback period and incentive payments for reasonableness, and ensures compliance with program requirements and tariff rules. In order to align with the above recommendation regardj-ng program management and Khawaja, Di 25 The Cadmus Group, Inc industries, outreach and seek to specific I 2 J 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 t2 13 t4 l5 t6 t7 18 t9 20 2l 22 implementation, Cadmus recommends that Avista determine and document the specific requirements and steps in the QA/QC process through a collaborative process that will ensure accountability and balance needs for efficj-ency and customer satisfaction. o Conduct an external third-party review of Top SheeEs, including reviewing a random sample of completed Top Sheets for completeness and accuracy. These were not reviewed as part of the current process evaluation, but should be included in the next process evaluation. Review should not only verify the presence of the Top Sheets, but also the quality and accuracy of the information provided. a. Wtrat recommendations resulted from the low income impact evaLuationE? A. o Consider including a control/comparison group in future billing analyses. o Consider options for increasing the analysis sample size due to sma11 program populations (such as combining Washington and Idaho program participants). Khawaja, Di 26 The Cadmus Group, fnc 1 o Obtain a fu11 list of weatherization measures from 2 agencies. 3 o Consider targeting high-use customers. 4 o Track and compile additional data from agency audits. 5 o Consider performing quantitative, non-energy benefit 6 analyses. 7 O. Based on the proceas evaluation findiDga, were the 8 programa delivered efficiently? 9 A. Yes, compared to simj-Iar undertakings by other l0 utilities, they were. ll O. Can you please srrnmarize your testimony. 12 A. Yes. I believe the Avista evaluation addresses all l3 measurement and verification needs in accordance with 14 industry and regulatory standards. Impact evaluation on 15 the 201-3 program years verified electric savings exceeding 16 IRP and Avj-sta Business Plan goaIs. The process evaluation 17 revealed that the programs are run efficiently and some l8 areas for j-mprovement exj-st. 19 O. DoeE that eomplete your pre-filed direct testimony? 20 A. Yes, i-t does. 2t Khawaja, Di 27 The Cadmus Group, Inc