Nova Scotia's first standalone DSM regulator, Efficiency Nova Scotia Corporation, wins approval for a $43.7 million 2012 electricity demand-side management plan, with the Board accepting 2010 program savings of roughly 82–85 GWh while ordering improvements to free-ridership measurement, rate-impact analysis, and evaluation methodology.

M03669 · E-ENSC-R-10 - Efficiency Nova Scotia Corporation - Electricity Demand Side Management Plan for 2012A request by Efficiency Nova Scotia for approval of a $43.7 million Demand Side Management plan for the 2012 operating year. (Also see Matter Nos. M04538 and M04539)

AI summary

The NSUARB approved Efficiency Nova Scotia Corporation's (ENSC) Demand Side Management plan for 2012 at the $43.7 million budget as filed, targeting 233.6 GWh in annual energy savings drawn from ENSC programs, prior-year overachievements, extra-large industrial (ELI) customer projects, and codes-and-standards contributions — though Board consultant Mel Whalen and the Ecology Action Centre argued the plan's direct program savings of ~124 GWh fell short of the 2011 target of 158.5 GWh and urged a budget increase to roughly $53–58 million.
The 2010 savings verification study (H. Gil Peach & Associates / Scan America) recommended accepting NMR Group's evaluated results for all programs except a 10% downward adjustment for the Efficient Products – Direct Install program due to the non-standard melding of evaluator sample data with tracking-system data, placing total verified portfolio savings at ~82.45 GWh and 15.85 MW; the Board adopted these findings.
The Board ordered ENSC to address thirteen specific Program Evaluation and methodology action items from the savings verification study, including conducting a Nova Scotia socket study, developing a formal Free Ridership Measurement policy for each program, moving toward greater electrical metering, and separating 'completed' from 'committed but not completed' project savings.
Cost-allocation and Demand Side Management Cost Recovery Rider disputes were prominent: intervenors including the Consumer Advocate and the Avon Group challenged ENSC's preliminary allocation of ~95% of multi-sector Enabling Strategies costs to residential ratepayers, and the Board directed ENSC to develop a formal Cost Recovery allocation methodology (subsequently delivered by Elenchus Research Associates in September 2011) separating ratepayer-funded electricity DSM costs from taxpayer-funded non-electricity program costs.
The Board accepted ENSC's proposal to apply the Total Resource Cost test at the program level rather than the individual-measure level, required ENSC to undertake stakeholder consultation on a multi-year performance-based model, approved inclusion of new programs such as the Home Energy Report behavioural pilot and expanded low-income/renter programming, and deferred a formal multi-fuels mandate pending further study of cross-subsidization risks.

Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI from the filings it describes. We take care to make it accurate, but errors are possible - and it isn't advice. Only the filings themselves are the record: if you're relying on something here, confirm it against the source documents or the Nova Scotia Energy Board's own record. Full disclaimer →

What was filed

Documents filed on this day

E-1 Evidence - 2012 DSM Plan 2/28/2011 exhibits
E-10 Evidence of George Foote on behalf of CA 4/8/2011 exhibits
E-11 Evidence of Glenn Reed of Energy Futures Group on behalf of EAC 4/8/2011 exhibits
E-12 Evidence of Mel Whalen, Multeese Consulting, Board Consultant 4/8/2011 exhibits
E-13 Evidence of Tim Woolf, Synapse Energy Economics Inc., Board Consultant 4/8/2011 exhibits
E-14 Reply Evidence of Efficiency Nova Scotia Corporation 4/13/2011 exhibits
E-16 Revised Application - Appendix B Preliminary Program Cost Allocation (April 13-11) 4/14/2011 exhibits
E-17 NPB Opening Statement 4/18/2011 exhibits
E-18 HRM Opening Statement 4/18/2011 exhibits
E-19 Proof of Advertising 4/18/2011 exhibits
E-2 2010 DSM Evaluation Reports - Final Report - February 28, 2011 2/28/2011 exhibits
E-20 Efficiency Nova Scotia Opening Statement 4/18/2011 exhibits
E-21 CV Philippe Dunsky 4/18/2011 exhibits
E-22 ENSC Corrections to Evidence 4/18/2011 exhibits
E-23 DSM Cost Recovery Rider for 2010 and 2011 4/18/2011 exhibits
E-24 SNPI Responses to UARB Undertakings (U-1 and U-2) from NSPI DSM Plan for 2011 Hearing 4/18/2011 exhibits
E-25 Opening Statement of Glenn Reed, Energy Futures Group, on behalf of Ecology Action Centre 4/19/2011 exhibits
E-26 Excerpt from Summit Blue Consulting Report to Nova Scotia Power Inc. dated September 2006 4/19/2011 exhibits
E-27 CV of Hugh Gilbert Peach, Ph.D., H. Gil Peach & Associates/Scan America, Board Counsel Consultant 4/19/2011 exhibits
E-28 Excerpt from the Evidence of Nancy Brockway, dated April 19, 2010, from NSUARB-P-884(3) Hearing 4/19/2011 exhibits
E-3 2010 Savings Verification Study 3/25/2011 exhibits
E-4 ENSC (Avon) IR-1 to IR-10 3/29/2011 exhibits
E-5-(i) ENSC (CA) IR-1 to IR-55 3/29/2011 exhibits
E-5-(ii) ENSC (CA) Attachment to IR-23 3/29/2011 exhibits
E-6 ENSC (EAC) IR-1 to IR-43 (Revised April 6, 2011) 3/29/2011 exhibits
E-7 ENSC (Multeese) IR-1 to IR-31 3/29/2011 exhibits
E-8 ENSC (NPB) IR-1 to IR-11 3/29/2011 exhibits
E-9 ENSC (Synapse) IR-1 to IR-13 3/29/2011 exhibits
E-9(C) ENSC (Synapse) Confidential Attachment to IR-1 3/29/2011 exhibits
05676 Hearing Order 11/4/2010 key_documents
07313 Board Order 6/30/2011 key_documents
07314 Board Decision 6/30/2011 key_documents
05676 Hearing Order 11/4/2010 other_documents
05677 Notice of Hearing 11/4/2010 other_documents
06563 Preliminary Issues List 3/7/2011 other_documents
06564 Final Issues List 3/21/2011 other_documents
06797 Undertaking U-2 4/21/2011 other_documents
06798 Undertaking U-3 4/21/2011 other_documents
06934 EAC Final Submission 5/13/2011 other_documents
06935 NPB Final Submission 5/13/2011 other_documents
06951 ENSC Closing Submission 5/13/2011 other_documents
06952 Avon Group Closing Submission 5/13/2011 other_documents
06953 NSDOE/NSE Closing Submission 5/13/2011 other_documents
06954 CA Closing Submission 5/13/2011 other_documents
06957 Quetta Closing Submission 5/13/2011 other_documents
07013 EAC Reply Submission 5/20/2011 other_documents
07014 ENSC Reply Submission 5/20/2011 other_documents
07015 NPB Reply Submission 5/20/2011 other_documents
07313 Board Order 6/30/2011 other_documents
07314 Board Decision 6/30/2011 other_documents
07662 Status Report on 2010 Evaluation Recommendations and 2010 Savings Verification Study Action Items 7/29/2011 other_documents
08028 NSPI proposed ENS DSM Cost Recovery Rider and DSM Cost Recovery Rider Balance Adjustment Charges by rate class effective from January 1 through December 31, 2012 9/30/2011 other_documents
08030 Efficiency Nova Scotia Corporation - Cost Allocation Methodology Report - Prepared by Elenchus Research Associates Inc. - September 2011 9/30/2011 other_documents
08067 Letter to Parties asking for comments on NSPI's proposed DSM Recovery Rider 10/6/2011 other_documents
IR-1 to IR-10 issued by Avon Group 06612 3/17/2011 other_documents
IR-1 to IR-11 issued by NPB 06611 3/17/2011 other_documents
IR-1 to IR-13 issued by Tim Woolf, Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. (Board Counsel Consultant) 06609 3/17/2011 other_documents
IR-1 to IR-31 issued by Mel Whalen, Multeese Consulting Inc. (Board Counsel Consultant) 06607 3/17/2011 other_documents
IR-1 to IR-43 issued by Ecology Action Centre 06613 3/17/2011 other_documents
IR-1 to IR-55 issued by Consumer Advocate 06610 3/17/2011 other_documents