Price impacts of electric-utility DSM programs
As competition in the electricity industry increases, utilities (and others) worry more about the upward pressure on electricity prices that demand-side management (DSM) programs often impose. Because of these concerns, several utilities have recently reduced the scope of their DSM programs or focused these programs more on customer service and peak-demand reductions and less on improving energy efficiency. This study uses the Oak Ridge Financial Model (ORFIN) to calculate the rate impacts of DSM. The authors use ORFIN to examine the two factors that contribute to DSM`s upward pressure on prices: the cost of the programs themselves and the loss of revenue associated with fixed-cost recovery. This second factor reflects the reduction in revenues caused by the DSM-induced energy and demand savings that exceed the reduction in utility costs. This analysis examines DSM price impacts as functions of the following factors: the DSM program itself (cost, conservation load factor, geographic focus on deferral of transmission and distribution investments, and mix across customer classes); the utility`s cost and pricing structures (factors at least partly under the utility`s control, such as retail tariffs, fixed vs variable operating costs, and capital costs not related to kW or kWh growth); and external economic and regulatory factors (the level and temporal pattern of avoided energy and capacity costs; ratebasing vs expensing of DSM-program costs; shareholder incentives for DSM programs; load growth; and the rates for income, property, and revenue taxes).
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 10105571
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/CON-402; ON: DE95004406; TRN: AHC29503%%94
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Nov 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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