Member and Public Input Request
on New Federal Energy Standards
Union Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. (URE) is seeking member and public input regarding Demand-Response (DR) Standards and Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Standards as part of new requirements contained in the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which amended Title I of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). State regulatory agencies and some non-regulated electric utilities, such as cooperatives, are required to consider the implementation of these standards.
Specifically, URE must consider promoting the use of demand-response and demand flexibility practices by residential, commercial, and industrial consumers to reduce electricity consumption during periods of unusually high demand. In addition, URE must consider establishing rate mechanisms to timely recover the costs of promoting demand-response and demand flexibility practices.
And finally, URE must consider measures to promote greater electrification of the transportation sector, including the establishment of rates that promote affordable and equitable electric vehicle charging options for residential, commercial, and public electric vehicle charging infrastructure, improve the customer experience associated with electric vehicle charging, including by reducing charging times for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, accelerate third-party investment in electric vehicle charging for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, and appropriately recover the marginal costs of delivering electricity to electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The amendment to PURPA requires URE to request member and public input and hold a hearing on DR and EV charging standards before November 15, 2023.
By that date, the URE Board of Trustees will determine whether it is appropriate to implement the new DR and/or EV charging standards to carry out the purposes for which PURPA was enacted. Those purposes are to encourage (1) the conservation of energy supplied by electric utilities; (2) the optimization of the efficiency of use of facilities and resources by electric utilities; and (3) equitable rates to electric customers.
Opportunity to learn more and provide input:
August 31 , 2023 – Deadline for written comments
Deadline for members and the public to submit input in the form of written comments via online form: https://ure.com/purpa-request/ or by emailing services@ure.com, or by mail to URE, Attn: PURPA, 15461 US Highway 36, Marysville, Ohio 43040.
September 26, 2023 – URE Board of Trustees Hearing
The URE Board of Trustees will conduct its required hearing on September 26, 2023, immediately following their normal board meeting, to review written comments received from members and the public, as well as input from URE management.
The URE Board of Trustees’ decision will be available to members and the public in the November magazine and on our website at www.ure.com on or before November 15, 2023.
URE’s Current DR and EV Charging Programs
DR and EV charging programs provide financial and environmental benefits to the URE membership when members reduce or shift energy use during times of high demand. EVs, a growing trend, are vehicles powered by electricity, generally provided by a battery, that will be charged using URE’s distribution system.
At URE, we offer programs and services to meet the ever-changing needs of our members, increase energy efficiency, and expand beneficial electrification to enhance the lives of those we serve. Learn more about the Demand-Response and EV charging programs that URE, in conjunction with Buckeye Power provide here:
DR – DEMAND RESPONSE
- Load Management: A long-standing program of water heater and air conditioning controls with signals and direct load control provided by Buckeye. This program includes rebates to members who convert from a natural gas to an electric water heater and/or participate in the Cool Returns program. These programs would require the installation of a load management switch on their water heaters and/or air conditioners.
- URE has not opted in (under FERC Order 719) to allow retail demand response to participate directly in PJM demand response market because Buckeye and its members have a long-standing, active load management program that works well and would be disrupted by direct participation of retail demand response in the PJM markets.
- The G&T rate from Buckeye Power allows retail members to participate in PJM demand response programs through Buckeye and the cooperative (rather than directly in the PJM market by the member).
- Load control signals provided by Buckeye can also be used by retail consumers to voluntarily control their peaks and take advantage of retail rates with demand charges to the extent the member is on a rate with demand charges. Each cooperative could consider greater use of demand charges for its retail consumers to send price signals that would incentivize reducing peak demand.
- URE, in conjunction with Buckeye Power, also has various energy efficiency rebate programs which, while not demand response per se, do help to reduce demand. Some of these rebate programs include geothermal, heat pumps and insulation, among others.
EV – ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING
- The G&T rate from Buckeye Power currently incentivizes EV charging during off-peak hours since each cooperative’s share of generation charges is based on their demand contribution during those peak demand hours.
- URE, in conjunction with Buckeye Power, provides a rebate to its members who install level 2 EV chargers.
- URE management has proposed a Time-Of-Use (TOU) rate for implementation in July of 2025. TOU rates incentivize electric use during off peak times.