Section 480-109-120. Conservation planning and reporting.

(1) Biennial conservation plan.

(a) On or before November 1st of every odd-numbered year, a utility must file with the commission a biennial conservation plan.

(b) The plan must include, but is not limited to:

(i) A request that the commission approve its ten-year conservation potential and biennial conservation target.

(ii) The extent of public participation in the development of the ten-year conservation potential and the biennial conservation target.

(iii) The ten-year conservation potential, the biennial conservation target, biennial program details, biennial program budgets, and cost-effectiveness calculations.

(iv) A description of the technologies, data collection, processes, procedures and assumptions the utility used to develop the figures in (b)(iii) of this subsection.

(v) A description of and support for any changes from the assumptions or methodologies used in the utility's most recent conservation potential assessment.

(vi) An evaluation, measurement, and verification plan for the biennium including, but not limited to:

(A) The evaluation, measurement, and verification framework;

(B) The evaluation, measurement, and verification budget; and

(C) Identification of programs that will be evaluated during the biennium.

(c) For the purposes of this section, ten-year conservation potential is derived pursuant to WAC 480-109-100(2).

(2) Annual conservation plan. On or before November 15th of each even-numbered year, a utility must file with the commission, in the same docket as its current biennial conservation plan, an annual conservation plan containing any changes to program details and annual budget.

(3) Annual conservation report.

(a) On or before June 1st of each year, a utility must file with the commission, in the same docket as its current biennial conservation plan, an annual conservation report regarding its progress in meeting its conservation target during the preceding year.

(b) The annual conservation report must include, but is not limited to:

(i) The biennial conservation target.

(ii) Planned and claimed electricity savings from conservation, including a description of the key sources of variance between the planned and actual savings.

(iii) Budgeted and actual expenditures made to acquire conservation through the conservation cost recovery adjustment described in WAC 480-109-130.

(iv) The portfolio- and program-level cost-effectiveness of the actual electricity savings from conservation.

(v) All program evaluations completed in the preceding year.

(vi) A discussion of the steps taken to adaptively manage conservation programs throughout the preceding year.

(c) A utility must submit to the department a conservation report as described in WAC 194-37-060, and file a copy of that report with the commission in the same docket as its current biennial conservation plan.

(4) Biennial conservation report.

(a) On or before June 1st of each even-numbered year, a utility must file with the commission, in the same docket as its current biennial conservation plan, a biennial conservation report regarding its progress in meeting its conservation target during the preceding two years.

(b) The biennial conservation report must include:

(i) The biennial conservation target;

(ii) Planned and claimed electricity savings from conservation;

(iii) Budgeted and actual expenditures made to acquire conservation;

(iv) The portfolio-level cost-effectiveness of the actual electricity savings from conservation;

(v) An independent third-party evaluation of portfolio-level biennial conservation savings achievement;

(vi) A summary of the steps taken to adaptively manage conservation programs throughout the preceding two years; and

(vii) Any other information needed to justify the conservation savings achievement.

(c) A utility must provide a summary of the biennial conservation report to its customers by bill insert or other suitable method within ninety days of the commission's final action on the report.

(d) A utility may file the annual conservation report and the biennial conservation report together as one report, provided that the report includes all of the information required in subsections (3) and (4) of this section and states that it serves as both the annual conservation report and the biennial conservation report.

(5) Plan and report review.

(a) Interested persons may file written comments regarding the biennial conservation plan and biennial conservation report within thirty days of the utility's filing.

(b) Upon conclusion of the commission review of the utility's biennial report or plan, the commission will issue a decision accepting or rejecting the calculation of the utility's conservation target; or determining whether the utility has acquired enough conservation resources to comply with its conservation target. If the utility does not meet its biennial conservation target described in WAC 480-109-100, the commission will determine the amount in megawatt-hours by which the utility was deficient.

(c) If a utility revises its annual or biennial conservation report as a result of the commission review, the utility must submit a revised copy of the report required in WAC 480-109-120 (3)(c) to the department.

(d) Annual plans and reports may be reviewed through the commission's open meeting process, as described in chapter 480-07 WAC.

(6) Publication of reports. All conservation plans and reports required by chapter 19.285 RCW and this section since January 1, 2010, as well as a summary of planned and actual savings and expenditures reflected in the plans and reports, must be posted and maintained on the utility's web site. Plans and reports must be posted on the utility's web site within thirty days of commission acknowledgment of the plan or order approving the report. A copy of any such plan, report, or summary must be provided to any person upon request.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040, 80.04.160, and 19.285.080. WSR 15-07-043 (Docket UE-131723, General Order R-578), § 480-109-120, filed 3/12/15, effective 4/12/15.]

RCW 80.01.040, 80.04.160, and 19.285.080. WSR 15-07-043 (Docket UE-131723, General Order R-578), § 480-109-120, filed 3/12/15, effective 4/12/15.

Rules

480-109-100,480-109-130,194-37-060,480-109-100,480-07,