January 23, 2015
New efficiency standards for electric water heaters take effect on April 16

Electric Cooperatives urge U.S. Senate to pass bill regulating electric water heaters

 

Electric cooperatives in South Carolina using demand response programs are monitoring an amendment buried within a U.S. Senate bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. The bill provides regulatory relief for a water heater efficiency standard that could impact co-ops across the country.

The Senate, in a rare moment of consensus, overwhelmingly approved the amendment Tuesday by a vote of 91-5. The bill is identical to the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act passed by the House of Representatives in March 2014.  

 

Why the interest? In 2010, the Department of Energy issued new standards for water heaters that will diminish demand response programs. Many co-ops operate voluntary demand response programs using electric resistance water heaters. These programs allow co-ops to reduce demand for electricity during peak hours, providing significant savings for co-op members.  

 

Starting April 16, the new standard applies to the manufacturers of these water heaters. Language in the bill establishes a new category of efficiency standard for water heaters used in demand response programs.

 

"We have worked closely with Congressional leaders over the past several years to develop this common-sense approach," wrote Jo Ann Emerson, CEO of NRECA, in an open letter to the Senate.

 

The Senate amendment passed Tuesday "would allow co-ops and their consumers to continue to use large water heaters to save energy and money," says Emerson. "Three months short of the April deadline, co-ops do not know what product replacements they will have. The uncertainty is detrimental to co-ops, and ultimately to consumers."

 

Despite broad support on the hill and the backing of President Obama, congressional leaders say the measure will probably languish for months before it can become law as part of the Keystone bill or as a stand-alone measure. 

 

 

 Related Stories: 
President Obama delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday

President Obama pledges to stand by new EPA regulations

Energy issues made up a significant portion of President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night. The president restated his commitment to fighting climate change and reiterated his pledge to stand by new Environmental Protection Agency regulations on carbon emissions from power plants.

 

"No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change," Obama told Congress. He then promised to use his veto power in defense of the EPAs Clean Power Plan, which sits at the center of the administration's plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants 30 percent by 2030. The EPA will announce final rules for the Clean Power Plan this summer.

"As I've watched the president's actions since November, it has become clear to me that he is intent on making the environment the bedrock of his legacy," Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), the incoming chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. He vowed to bring "more rigorous oversight," to the EPAs regulatory process.

"The collision between a strengthened GOP and a president with only two years to cement his legacy will be one of 2015's biggest policy dramas in 2015," said Erica Martinson, of Politico. "In fact, energy is poised to be the most contentious political issue of the year."  

 
The John S. Rainey Generating Station was Santee Cooper's first facility with gas as its primary fuel source.

EPA: SC utilities slash hazardous air pollutants 79 percent since 2003

Electric utilities in South Carolina made significant progress reducing on-site hazardous air pollutants (HAP) emissions to the environment-- a 79 percent drop since 2003. The figure is part of the Environmental Protection Agency's  Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) released on January 14.

EPA cited a 73 percent decline nationwide in on-site (HAP) emissions. Part of the decline is because newer plants, like the John S. Rainey Generating Station in Anderson County, which use gas as a primary fuel source, further reduce toxic releases.

EPA also notes electric utilities have spent billions installing new control technologies in many of the countries coal-fired plants. In 2003, almost two-thirds of production-related waste was released without treatment. In 2013, more than two-thirds of waste was treated, due to an increase in the number of scrubbers that remove acid gases. EPA believes this trend will continue as plants upgrade to meet Mercury and Air Toxic Standards.  

 

Related Stories:

Google bought device maker Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in January, 2014

 

Special Report: State of Change

Co-op experts identify top technology and business trends 

Part 1 of 3 

 

It is no secret the electric utility industry is undergoing significant change. Technology is driving a number of trends that have potential to transform portions of the industry.

 

In all my years in the electric industry, I've never seen this much churn coming from this many directions," says Jim Spiers, NRECA vice president of business and technology strategies. "It can be daunting, but it is also exciting." 

 

RE Magazine polled experts within the co-op community to identify the top trends impacting the business. Part one of this series examines an increasing ability for consumers to monitor and control energy use. 

 

"Smartphone and tablets are now a staple of modern society," reads the report. "And applications developers are always finding new ways these devices can simplify and enhance users' lives."  

 

"Until recently, these were niche applications," says Brian Sloboda, senior program manager for consumer energy solutions at NRECA. "But now, some large, mainstream companies are getting into this market."

 

Last January, Google invested more than $3 billion to acquire Nest, a company that developed a "smart" thermostat that learns the users' schedule, programs itself and can be controlled by a smartphone.

 

The proprietary nature of these third-party applications might challenge co-ops "because they will impact the way consumers experience their electric service," says Sloboda.

 

The speed of change is going to accelerate as younger people begin to be a larger portion of a co-ops consumer base.

 

"The Millennials think about their technology in a totally different way. It's a seamless experience, fully integrated," says Steve McBee of the utility NRG. "You don't win with a single product or service but by developing a platform for products and services that can be integrated that make their lives work." 


 

Editor's note: Part 2 of this special report will examine the shifting resource portfolio for electricity generation.  
Calendar

Newberry Electric Cooperative annual meeting

Wednesday, April 1, 2015 - 12:00 p.m. 

 

Edisto Electric Cooperative annual meeting

Thursday, April 2, 2015 - 12:00 p.m.

 

Tuesday, April 7, 2015 - 1:00 p.m.

 

Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative annual meeting

Friday, April 10, 2015 - 5:30 p.m.