This is the landing page for the Minnesota Cost-Effectiveness Advisory Committee (CAC). The Minnesota Department of Commerce convened the Advisory Committee to act as a forum for discussing how to update components of investor-owned utility program energy efficiency cost-effectiveness models and integrate these into the Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) process. The specific activities during 2022 focused on developing a Minnesota Test (MN Test) that can be used as CIP’s Primary Test for screening energy efficiency, load management, and efficient fuel-switching programs.
The information that follows relates to CAC meetings, information exchanged among Committee members and interim reports.
Shortcuts to Meeting Information and Working Group Report
- Meeting 1 – April 22, 2022
- Meeting 2 – May 4, 2022
- Meeting 3 – May 18, 2022
- Meeting 4 – June 15, 2022
- Meeting 5 – August 12, 2022
- Minnesota CAC Working Group Report – August 18, 2022
- Meeting 6 – September 7, 2022
- Meeting 7 – October 14, 2022
- Meeting 8 – November 18, 2022
Meeting 1 – April 22, 2022
Meeting 1 served a kick-off to discuss the CAC’s goals and plans to develop a Minnesota Test. The slides and notes from the meeting follow.
Meeting 2 (Workshop 1) – May 4, 2022
Led by Synapse Energy Economics, Meeting 2 focused on applying Step 1 of the National Standard Practice Manual’s (NSPM) 5-step process to developing a Minnesota cost-effectiveness test. This meeting and the meetings that followed were organized as “workshops” to walk CAC members through steps the NSPM prescribes for developing a jurisdiction-specific test. The slides and notes from the meeting follow.
Meeting 3 (Workshop 2) – May 18, 2022
Led by Synapse Energy Economics, Meeting 3 focused on applying Step 2 of the NSPM’s 5-step process to developing a Minnesota cost-effectiveness test. The slides and notes from the meeting follow.
Meeting 4 (Workshop 3) – June 15, 2022
Led by Synapse Energy Economics, Meeting 4 discussed Steps 3-5 of the NSPM’s 5-step process to developing a Minnesota cost-effectiveness test. The group also reviewed Synapse’s proposed MN Test Straw Proposal. The slides and notes from the meeting follow.
Meeting 5 – August 12, 2022
Agenda:
- Discuss Working Group Report.
- Mendota Group transitions to next phase of CAC process focused on quantifying MN’s primary test impacts.
- Roadmap of the key tasks and timeline for this phase of the CAC process.
- Initial discussion of priority impacts that will work to quantify.
- Initial discussion of resources that could be used to quantify priority impacts.
Minnesota Conservation Improvement Program Cost-Effectiveness Advisory Committee Working Group Report – August 18, 2022
The Working Group Report provides a summary of the current activities of the Minnesota Conservation Improvement Program Cost-Effectiveness Advisory Committee and identifies next steps for the CAC in developing a Minnesota Test (MN Test) that can be used as CIP’s Primary Test for screening energy efficiency, load management, and efficient fuel-switching programs.
Meeting 6 – September 7, 2022
Agenda:
- Key Takeaways from 8/12 CAC Meeting
- Key Takeaways from Homework Assignment #1
- Discussion of Homework Assignment Responses
Slides and notes follow.
Meeting 7 – October 14, 2022
Agenda
- Progress Check – Goals for Meeting
- Methodology Descriptions – Utility System Impacts
- Guidelines for Efficient Fuel-Switching and Load Management
- Discuss Other Topics and Non-Utility System Impacts
Slides and notes follow.
Meeting 8 – November 18, 2022
Agenda
- Key Takeaways from 10/14 CAC Meeting
- Discussion: Feedback on Draft Utility System Impact Methods
- Discussion: Feedback on Draft EFS and Load Management Technical Guidance
- Discussion: Other Requested Information
Slides and Notes follow.