Connecticut

Legislative activities

Legislatively Connecticut has been in a good position dealing with smart grid developments. Connecticut's 1998 electric restructuring legislation had several parts but one of them created the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund to support renewable energy and other distributed generation technologies. (Public Act 98-28) [3]

In 2007 the Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 requires utilities to file Advanced Metering Infrastructure plans and Time of Use rates with the Commission, and increased the 1998 net metering capacity limit. (Public Act 07-242/House Bill 7432) [4]

Regulatory activities

The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control worked with distributed generation as early as 2005. Then, in 2007, reviewed plans to deploy thousands of smart meters across the state but is cautiously approved a multistep rollout. By 2009, the Department of Public Utility Control had reviewed Variable Peak Pricing for business customers as an option to use with time of use rates. By 2010, the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control had approved demand side management and time of use rates for residential customers; part of this included approving net-metering systems on time of use rates. Prior to 1999 interruptible accounts were available to business customers as an alternative method of load management. [1, 2]

“In summer 2009, Connecticut Light & Power ran a pilot program for demand response in order to discover how to most effectively reduce electricity usage during peak periods when demand for electricity reaches a critical level. Data from this program have been analyzed and the results have led to a number of conclusions about customer response to prices, both with and without various enabling technologies.” [6]

Distributed generators include qualifying cogeneration and small power production facilities.

Time-of-Use and Time-of-Day rates break the cost for electricity into periods on a seasonal basis with demand and on-peak, shoulder, or off-peak energy pricing.

Variable Peak Pricing is based Time-of-Use pricing but the on-peak period pricing changes each day and is quoted in advance of the day the power flows.

Net metering is available for any customer’s facility where energy production exceeds the energy supplied by the Company.

Load/demand side management synchronizes part of the load automatically to the off-peak hours of the customer’s Time of Use rate. Load management through interruptible rates controlled capacity by determining a peak firm demand.

Utilities and Rate Schedules

Connecticut Light & Power
- Connecticut Light & Power Rates

United Illuminating Company
- United Illuminating Company Rates

See the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) for information on consumer-owned Cooperatives: http://www.nreca.org/members/MemberDirectory/Pages/default.aspx

State-Level Incentives

Connecticut has several tax incentives on renewable energy generation including property tax exemptions on renewable energy systems, sales tax incentives, and both state and utility rebate and loan programs.

More information can be found in the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE): http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=CT

Additional Resources

State Energy Office:
- Office of Policy and Management Policy Development and Planning Division – Energy Management

State Authority Dealing with Energy Regulation:
- Department of Public Utility Control
- Docket Search: http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/DOCKCURR.nsf/DocketSearch/$searchForm?SearchView

Connecticut Statutes

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE): http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=CT

References

[1] Connecticut Light & Power, Rates and Tariffs. URL: http://www.cl-p.com/rates/ratesandtariffs.aspx?sec=fb
[2] The United Illuminating Company, Billing Rates. URL: http://www.uinet.com/wps/wcm/connect/e1c9170040d8535ca7b9bfd2ce51850f/UI+Tariffs+Effective+January+1%2C+2011+%28clean%29.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=e1c9170040d8535ca7b9bfd2ce51850f
[3] Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), 11/23/2009. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=CT03R&re=1&ee=1
[4] Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, Connecticut – Net Metering, 01/21/2010. URL: http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=CT01R&re=1&ee=1
[5] Demand Response and Smart Metering Policy Actions Since the Energy Policy Act of 2005: A Summary for State Officials, Prepared by the U.S. Demand Response Coordinating Committee for The National Council on Electricity Policy, Fall 2008. URL: http://www.oe.energy.gov/DocumentsandMedia/NCEP_Demand_Response_1208.pdf
[6] Draft for Comment of the National Action Plan on Demand Response The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Staff Docket No. AD09-10, Prepared with the support of The Brattle Group, GMMB, Customer Performance Group, David Lineweber. URL: http://www.ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/03-12-10-demand-response.pdf