Settlement to increase low-income energy efficiency program spending
Today, the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Coastal Conservation League and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, joined a settlement in the Dominion Energy South Carolina rate case that all parties in the proceeding, including the state Office of Regulatory Staff, have joined or stated they do not oppose. Dominion initially sought a rate increase that would have increased the monthly bill for residential customers using 1.000 kWh per month by $18.86 (a 14.21% increase). If the settlement is approved, customers would see a smaller increase of $15.13 per month.
SELC and its clients secured terms to help customers manage increasing electric bills, including:
- An increased budget for more impactful low-income energy efficiency measures;
- A new low-income energy efficiency pilot program targeting high-energy households;
- Help for customers to access energy bill rebates through the Inflation Reduction Act; and
- Adjustments to rooftop solar “time-of-use periods” protect customers’ ability to save money on their bills and encourage shifting their energy usage to times with low demand.
“For families contending with rising costs at the grocery store and elsewhere, we hope this settlement can make a difference,” said Kate Mixson, SELC Senior Attorney. “We didn’t just achieve a lower bill increase, we achieved expanded opportunities for customers looking to increase their home energy efficiency, which will help wallets and the environment.”
“The provisions we bargained for in this case should enable many Dominion Energy customers to reduce high energy bills through improved efficiency or self-generated solar energy,” said Eddy Moore, SACE Decarbonization Director.
“We are glad that we were able to reach a settlement that avoids large cuts to rooftop solar credits and includes valuable resources to help low-income customers mitigate their energy cost burdens while reducing harmful emissions from fossil fuels,” said Taylor Allred, CCL Energy & Climate Program Director.
If the Public Service Commission approves the settlement, energy bill increases will go into effect on September 1, 2024.