Acquisition of conservation and efficiency resources.
(1) A conservation and efficiency resource supplier may participate in the bidding process for any resource need. A utility or its subsidiary or affiliate may participate as a conservation resource supplier subject to the conditions described in WAC
480-107-024.
(2) All conservation and efficiency measures within a bid must produce savings that can be reliably measured or estimated with accepted engineering, statistical, or meter-based methods.
(3) A utility must acquire conservation and efficiency resources through a competitive procurement process as described in this rule unless the utility is implementing a competitive procurement framework for conservation and efficiency resources as approved by the commission.
(a) As part of that process, a utility may develop, and update each biennium, a competitive procurement framework for conservation and efficiency resources in consultation with its conservation advisory group, as described in WAC
480-109-110. The utility may file its first competitive procurement framework for conservation and efficiency resources with the utility's 2022-2023 biennial conservation plan.
(b) The competitive procurement framework for conservation and efficiency resources must:
(i) Define the specific criteria that the utility will use to determine the frequency of competitive bidding for conservation and efficiency resource programs, in whole or part;
(ii) Address appropriate public participation, outreach, and communication of evaluation and selection criteria;
(iii) Enhance or, at minimum, not interfere with the adaptive management of programs;
(iv) Include documentation of support by the advisory group; and
(v) Be filed as an appendix to the utility's biennial conservation plan, as described in WAC
480-109-120.
(c) The competitive procurement framework for conservation and efficiency resources may:
(i) Exempt particular programs from competitive procurement, such as low-income, market transformation, or self-directed programs; and
(ii) Consider if and when to use an independent evaluator.
[Statutory Authority: RCW
80.01.040,
80.04.160, and chapters
80.28, 19.280, and
19.405 RCW. WSR 21-02-023 (Docket UE-190837, General Order R-602), § 480-107-065, filed 12/28/20, effective 12/31/20. Statutory Authority: RCW
80.01.040 and
80.04.160. WSR 06-08-025 (Docket No. UE-030423, General Order No. R-530), § 480-107-065, filed 3/28/06, effective 4/28/06.]