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The Public Service Commission voted to remove the state’s energy efficiency program. The 3-2 vote will end all energy efficiency programs outside of the PSC’s jurisdiction at the end of the year. Commission Chairman Mike Francis says the third-party program for private entities is not cost-efficient.
“The operating costs that they have to run their side of the program is somewhere between 20 and 35% of operating costs,” Francis said.
The program looks to save people money on their utility bills by doing things like adding insulation or installing energy-efficient heating and cooling systems in their homes. Francis says the costs to run this program do not make it worthwhile to continue.
“It’s a much more expensive operation to manage and, therefore, it’s much less value to the public,” Francis said.
The Alliance for Affordable Energy is not happy with the decision. Executive Director Logan Burke says removing the energy efficiency program will make it harder for people to reduce their utility bills.
“Rates in Louisiana have gone up 45% per resident since 2018. And that’s on top of all the other costs of living that have gone up,” Burke said.
Burke says this is definitely not the time to hinder people’s ability to lower their utility bills.
“That is a really bad proposition at a time when federal programming for weatherization and federal programming for bill assistance is on the ropes,” Burke said.
The commission will discuss the issue again at its meeting next month.
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