The province’s utility and review board has put its stamp of approval on Nova Scotia Power’s $23-million plan to save energy — with some amendments — in a decision released yesterday.
Consumer advocate John Merrick said the decision “means that there’ll be a more robust conservation program implemented in 2010.”
“This was an application by Nova Scotia Power to have the board approve a spending program for what’s called DSM, or demand side management, which is really a euphemism for a conservation effort,” he explained. “The board approved their plan with a few minor changes.”
Those include Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board’s denial of a mechanism called LCFC, or lost contribution to fixed costs mechanism, which would have allowed NSP to recover any revenue it loses through DSM by dinging consumers.
“If conservation takes hold and is successful, they’re going to be selling less electricity, which means they’ll get less revenue and they wanted to recover the amount of revenue that they would lose,” Merrick said.
All electricity users will help pay for the conservation program, Merrick said, adding costs “have been equitably split among all the rate classifications in a fair and balanced way.”
