MN Cost Effectiveness Advisory Committee (CAC)

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 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.