Will Duke Energy’s Save-A-Watt Go Through?

Duke Energy has asked South Carolina’s Public Service Commission to approve energy-efficiency programs for its 800,000 S.C. customers, while delaying the thorny issue of how Duke would recover its costs.

In February, the commission rejected Duke’s save-a-watt program, saying it was too complex and Duke would reap too much profit from it. Critics in both Carolinas have complained that customers would pay too much for too little energy conservation.

In its filing late Wednesday, Duke asked the S.C. commission to approve the efficiency programs now while settling the cost-recovery issue in a rate case to be filed this summer. Consumer advocates have endorsed that approach, Duke spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said.

The programs include energy audits, rewards for buying energy-efficient heat pumps and air-conditioning systems and incentives for customers to cut their electricity use in times of high demand. Duke has estimated the cost of the programs to consumers at about $1 a month.

North Carolina’s Utilities Commission approved similar efficiency programs in February, while also rejecting the way Duke proposed to recover its costs.

More recently, Duke has offered to lower its original proposal to recoup up to 90 percent of the costs avoided by not building new power plants.

Via The State

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