Revised reporting guidelines free customers to find creative solutions

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 requires all Western customers to submit integrated resource plans to Western every five years, followed with annual progress reports. Western's Energy Planning and Management Program implements the EPAct requirement.

Following a formal public involvement process in May 2000, Western revised EPAMP to simplify reporting requirements. The new rules gave customers three alternatives to the IRP.

Customers who are required by state, Federal or tribal law to invest a portion of their resources in demand-side management initiatives can provide a copy of their minimum investment report in lieu of an IRP. The investment is also referred to as a public benefits charge.

End-use customers may submit an energy efficiency and/or renewable energy report based on a state, Federal or tribal mandate to implement such measures within a specified timeframe. The report may include actions taken to reduce uses of water, natural gas and other fossil fuels, as well as electricity.

The small customer plan allows customers that either use less than 25 GWh annually or that are end users to present a summary of their plans to meet future energy services requirements. The plan must employ DSM techniques, renewable energy resources or other programs to provide retail consumers with electricity at a reasonable cost. Before the revision, EPAMP defined small customers as those who used less than 25 GWh annually and were also end users.

The revision also deleted the definition of and reference to least-cost option giving customers the freedom to pursue renewables and energy efficiency even if other resources appear less costly. Customers applauded the changes for giving them more flexibility in meeting the EPAMP goals.