The Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation (AAEF) provides legal support, technical research, expert testimony and staff support for participation by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) on behalf of advanced energy expansion, utility regulatory transparency and consumer choice in proceedings currently before the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC).   The Commission is charged with the duty of ensuring that public utilities provide safe, adequate and reliable utility service at just and reasonable rates. The Commission is also charged with the duty of ensuring that customers are not charged excessive rates for such service.   AAEA/AAEF will continue to seek to intervene on all dockets that have implications for advanced energy consumers in Arkansas.

In this website platform, the AAEF provides a listing of all PSC orders and filings by the AAEA in dockets where AAEA is a participant.  For a complete list of filings in these and other dockets, please go to the APSC website. 

Docket 13-002-U IN THE MATTER OF THE CONTINUATION, EXPANSION, AND ENHANCEMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITY ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS IN ARKANSAS

Jan. 4, 2013  Order No. 1 in Docket 13-002-U establishing a process and a timeline for the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC) to resolve issues related to the development and implementation of the second three-year cycle of comprehensive utility energy efficiency programs in Arkansas and to recommend establishment of a collaborative of all parties to address issues in the order.

Jan. 16, 2013  Petition by Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) to intervene in Docket 13-002-U on behalf of advanced energy companies in Arkansas.

Jan. 30, 2013  Order No. 2 where the APSC grants motions by AAEA and others to intervene and revises the schedule for comments to Order No. 1.

Mar. 1, 2013  Order No. 3 granting motion by WalMart to intervene in Docket 13-002-U.

Apr. 19, 2013  Joint Motion by the Parties Working Collaboratively (PWC), including AAEA, recommending that the Commission consider Arkansas-specific market conditions through a Potential Study before establishing the proposed EE goals and targets for years 2015-2017.

Apr. 30, 2013  Order No. 4 establishing a revised comment and hearing schedule for Energy Efficiency Cost Recovery (EECR) tariff updates from each of the public utilities.

May 15, 2013  Joint Initial Comments of the PWC, including AAEA, on Order No. 1.

May 15, 2013  Additional initial comments by AAEA on Order No. 1, including specific research and comments concerning avoided costs and non-energy benefits that it requests the APSC to consider and toauthorize the PWC to address at the next meetings of the collaborative (PWC).

May 30, 2013  Reply Comments by AAEA offering testimony from experts Jim Metzger and Greg Hamilton at direction of the APSC.

Jun. 24, 2013  Order No. 5 granting Entergy Arkansas’s request for budget flexibility in implementation of its EE programs.

Aug. 29, 2013  Order No. 6 ruling on issues pertaining to petition to intervene filed by the Arkansas Energy Office.

Sept. 3, 2013  Order No. 7  granting a motion for potential study and establishing guidance for the 2015-2017 energy efficiency program cycle, including modification of the annual filing schedule and guidance regarding the establishment of energy savings goals and the utility performance incentive, the calculation of utility avoided costs, program cost-effectiveness screening, recognition of non-energy benefits, formalization of the stakeholder collaborative process, and cross-fuel coordination of weatherization and core commercial and industrial programs.

Oct. 1, 2013  Order No. 8 denying motion by Arkansas Energy Office to intervene as a part in this matter. 

Oct. 21, 2013  Request by the Professional Staff of the PSC, AAEA and all other parties working collaboratively (PWC), that the PWC’s response to Order No. 7 be under protective order because it will include confidential information, such as budget and financial data, the release of which might cause the utilities and their ratepayers to suffer material damage.

Oct. 28, 2013  Order No. 9 granting request for a protective order based upon the reasonable need to protect information that could impair the competitive bidding process for the Potential Study, and upon the lack of objection by any party, with certain provisions.

Oct. 29, 2013  Joint Motion by the PWC requesting an extension of the November 1 filing deadline for responding to Commission directions in Order No. 7 due to involvement of several parties in another matter pending before the Commission at this time.

Oct. 31, 2013  Order No. 10 granting request for extension of PWC filing deadline to November 8, 2013.

Nov. 6, 2013  Joint Comments of the PWC in response to Order No. 7 concerning weatherization and C&I Collaboratives.

Nov. 6, 2013  Independent response by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association regarding a proxy value for avoided carbon costs in the evaluation of EE programs.

Nov. 7, 2013  Testimony by Mr. Scott Dimetrosky, APEX Analytics-Independent Evaluation Monitor, regarding details and methodologies of the Potential Study to determine maximum program potential of utility EE programs.

Nov. 7, 2013  Testimony by Matt Klucher, Director of Rates and Demand Resources, Arkansas Public Service Commission, regarding the recommendation of the PWC for the EE potential study RFP and a third party estimate of the cost of compliance with carbon regulation.

Nov. 7, 2013  Testimony of Gregg Eisenberg, Eisenberg Energy-Independent Evaluation Monitor, regarding the recommended proxy value for avoided carbon costs in the evaluation of EE programs.

Dec. 16, 2013  Order No. 12 approving recommendations of the PWC with respect to the Weatherization Collaborative, C&I Collaborative, the PWC Process and Conduct of Meetings, and Budgetary Considerations.  Directs the PWC to file by February 28, 2014 an estimate of costs associated with the Collaborative Working Groups. 

Feb. 14, 2014 Joint motion filed by AAEA and other parties working collaboratively (PWC) for the extension of current energy efficiency program portfolios through 2015 program year and for 2015 budget flexibility.   The proposed extension would utilize existing Program Year 2014 budgets and incentive structure, but increase savings targets to 0.90% of retail sales for electric utilities and 0.50% of retail sales for natural gas utilities as directed by the Commission in Order No. 7.

Docket 12-060-R: IN THE MATTER OF AMENDMENTS TO THE ARKANSAS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION'S RULES CONCERNING METER AGGREGATION AND COMBINED BILLING FOR NET-METERING CUSTOMERS

Aug. 8, 2012  Order No. 1 by the APSC opening a proceeding to consider whether Arkansas statutes give the Commission legal authority to establish rules under which customers may aggregate metering and/or billing for the purpose of promoting net-metering and whether such meter aggregation is in the public interest. This Order also invites parties to comment on a “strawman” example of meter aggregation rules, based on Model Net Metering Rules developed by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

Aug. 21, 2012  Petition by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) to intervene in Docket 12-060-R.

Sep. 4, 2012  Order No. 2 by the APSC granting AAEA’s motion to intervene.

Sep. 10, 2012  Brief filed by AAEA regarding APSC’s legal authority to make rules regarding aggregation of net meters.

Sep. 10, 2013  Initial Comments to Order No. 1 filed by AAEA.

Sep. 10, 2012  Exhibit filed by AAEA concerning strawman example of meter aggregation rules.

Sep. 24, 2012  Reply Comments by AAEA to initial comments by other parties.

Oct. 24, 2012  Order No. 3 by APSC cancelling hearing schedule October 31, 2012, pending ruling on Commission’s legal authority to promulgate rules.

May 15, 2013  Order No. 4 by APSC confirming legal authority, proposing revised rules allowing net meter aggregation and setting public hearing for June 21, 2013.

May 28, 2013  Final Comments by AAEA.

Jun. 13, 2013  Order No. 5 by APSC denying petition by Municipal Electric Cooperatives to intervene in Docket 12-060-R

Jun. 13, 2013  Order No. 6 by APSC granting motion by Arkansas Electric Energy Consumers (AEEC) for extended deadline to file final comments.

Jul. 3, 2013  Instructions filed by APSC regarding access to transcript of hearing on June 21, 2013

Sept. 3, 2013 PSC Order #7 revising Arkansas net metering rules to allow aggregation and combined billing

Sept. 11, 2013 First Electric Cooperative becomes the first utility to file net metering tariff changes with the PSC under Order #7, revising state net metering laws to allow aggregation

Sept. 12, 2013 Ouachita Electric Cooperative files net metering tariff changes with the PSC

Sept. 13, 2013 PSC Order #8: Directs PSC professional staff to file revisions to the standard net metering tariff by September 17 

Sept. 16, 2013 Joint motion filed by utilities and electric cooperatives requesting extension of deadline to file revisions to standard net metering tariffs 

Sept. 17, 2013 Staff files markup of proposed revisions to the standard net metering tariff 

Sept. 19, 2013 PSC Order #9: Allows utilities and coops until September 25 to comment on staff’s proposed standard tariff and sets deadline for tariff compliance filings at 10 days after the next PSC Order approving changes to standard net metering tariff

September 25, 2013 OG&E submits comments in response to APSC General Staff’s proposed revisions to Standard Net Metering Tariff

September 25, 2013 SWEPCO submits comments in response to APSC General Staff’s proposed revisions to Standard Net Metering Tariff

September 25, 2013 Entergy Arkansas submits comments in response to APSC General Staff’s proposed revisions to Standard Net Metering Tariff