Integrated Demand Side Management Program (2013-2014)

On September 18, 2008, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted the state’s first Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan), presenting a single roadmap to achieve maximum energy savings across all major groups and sectors in California. The Strategic Plan was updated in 2011 and sets forth a roadmap for energy efficiency in California through the year 2020 and beyond. The Strategic Plan is the state’s first integrated framework of goals and strategies for saving energy, covering government, utility, and private sector actions, and holds energy efficiency to its role as the highest priority resource in meeting California’s energy needs.

The Strategic Plan recognizes the integration of demand-side management (DSM) options including energy efficiency (EE), demand response (DR), and distributed generation (DG) as fundamental to achieving California’s strategic energy goals. The Strategic Plan described the IDSM vision:

“Energy efficiency, energy conservation, demand response, advanced metering, and distributed generation technologies are offered as elements of an integrated solution that supports energy and carbon reduction goals immediately, and eventually water and other resource conservation goals in the future.”

To support this initiative, the Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) have identified integrated DSM (IDSM) as a policy priority and have proposed a series of IDSM activities, pilots, and programs.  Approved budgets for supporting the statewide IDSM Program integration efforts in the 2013-2014 program cycle are below:

Program Directives and Strategies

An IOU and Energy Division Statewide Integration Task Force (Task Force) was formed in 2010 to coordinate activities that promote, in a statewide-coordinated fashion, the strategies identified in the Strategic Plan and address the eight integration directives described in the CPUC Decision D.09-09-047. These directives and their associated activities are:

Cost Effectiveness and EM&V

The Task Force is exploring a phased approach to developing an appropriate methodology to calculate integrated cost effectiveness and an integrated EM&V approach for IDSM programs and projects.

Integrated Emerging Technologies

Both the IOUs and the Task Force track emerging technologies that have some combination of EE, DR and/or renewable self-generation capabilities.

Integrated Audits

The IOUs created online audit tools for residential and small- to medium-size business customers with customized audit recommendations based on customer profiles, operating characteristics, market sector potential, and cost-effectiveness. The IOUs also enhanced existing tools to include solar-related functionality. The IOUs continue to offer onsite integrated audits to small, medium, and large customers.

Integrated Pilots, Programs and Activities

The Task Force regularly reviews and tracks results of various programs, IDSM Pilots, and other activities. The Task Force identifies and promotes integration opportunities, and tracks projects where there are integrated efforts underway in order to identify and develop best practices. Examples include:

• Hosting integrated training/knowledge awareness events;
• Tracking hundreds of integrated projects with customers;
• Integrating Workforce Education & Training curriculum;
• Implementing multiple Zero Net Energy and Sustainable Community pilots; and
• Leveraging activities within the Energy Savings Assistance Program (ESAP), DR, California Solar Initiative (CSI), and Advanced Metering Infrastructure proceedings to further promote integration.

Regular Reports

The Task Force reviews integration activities and tracks results through statewide meetings and formal reports to the CPUC. The reports can be found at http://eega.cpuc.ca.gov.

Internal Teams

The IOUs have internal Integration teams that meet monthly or on an as needed basis with IOU staff from EE, DR, DG/CSI, ESAP, Marketing and Delivery channels such as utility account representatives, and Third Party/Government Partnerships.

Integrated Marketing

The Task Force tracks, reports, and shares best practices related to local integrated marketing campaigns for residential and business customers.

IDSM Budget for 2013 - 2014

IDSM Program Fact Sheet 2013 - 2014 (PDF)