The Dayton Business Journal reports that The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC), a consumer advocacy group, is officially protesting new plans put forward by Dayton Power and Light. OCC filed a complaint with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and also requested that the commission hold public hearings to provide local customers a chance to voice concerns about the power company’s proposed new programs and rates.
Janine Migden-Ostrander of the Consumers’ Counsel, in a news release said, “The OCC supports the concepts in many of DP’s proposals, such as building a more advanced electric system and offering energy efficiency programs, however DP&L’s proposed costs are higher than what customers should reasonably be expected to pay.”
The OCC requests:
- Eliminating additional fuel cost charges to customers in place of deferring the costs, as proposed by DP&L;
- Reducing the cost residential consumers pay for the discounts provided to large energy users. The counsel said DP&L had proposed customers make up for the discounts provided to some large customers;
- Minimizing the administrative and marketing costs of energy efficiency programs. The counsel’s experts found that marketing and administrative costs made up 44 percent of total residential energy efficiency program costs, leaving less more for incentives. The counsel proposed the marketing and administrative costs be reduced to no more than 25 percent;
- Offering all customers weatherization opportunities. The counsel recommended that all customers, regardless of income, be eligible for incentives through a home performance program;
- Lowering expenses for advanced metering and Smart Grid initiative;
- Adding new customer rate options, including a requirement that would offer programs to help customers save on their electric bills by shifting their usage to times when the price of electricity is cheaper; and
- Introducing new incentives for consumers to generate renewable power, including a program to provide an incentive to customers who invest in a renewable energy project.
