- A. The programs should enable residential customers or households to conserve energy, reduce demand, or reduce residential energy bills.
B. Provided that the public utility's total portfolio of programs remains cost-effective, no less than five percent of the amount received by the public utility for program costs shall be specifically directed to energy efficiency programs for low-income customers.
- (1) A public utility may coordinate with existing community resources, including affordable housing programs, and low-income weatherization programs managed by other utilities and federal, state, county, or local governments. This section does not preclude the public utility from designing and proposing other low-income programs.
- (2) Whenever possible, providers of low-income energy efficiency measures or programs should have demonstrated experience and effectiveness in the design, administration and provision of low-income measures and programs, along with experience in identifying and conducting outreach to low-income households. In the absence of qualified independent agencies, a public utility that does not provide measures or programs directly, may solicit qualified competitive bids for these services.
- (3) In developing the utility cost test for energy efficiency and load management measures and programs directed to low-income customers, unless otherwise quantified in a commission proceeding, the public utility shall assume that twenty percent of the calculated energy savings is the reasonable value of reductions in working capital, reduced collection costs, lower bad-debt expense, improved customer service, effectiveness, and other appropriate factors qualifying as utility system economic benefits.
[17.7.2.9 NMAC - Rp. 17.7.2.9 NMAC, 9/26/2017; A, 10/26/2021]