Dive Brief:

• Customers participating in Idaho Power's demand side management programs showed a 33% increase in energy savings last year, according to a report the utility submitted to state regulators.
• The utility said it helped customers save nearly 140,000 MWh by participating in energy efficiency activities, enough electricity to serve more than 9,000 average-sized homes for a year.

Dive Insight:

Idaho Power focused on promoting energy efficiency, savings and demand reduction options for customers last year, and the results are a significant increase in savings. The utility submitted a report to the Public Utilities Commission showing it had exceeded the annual savings target identified in its 2013 Integrated Resource Plan.

Including 2014, on a cumulative basis, the company’s energy savings have exceeded the IRP annual targets every year since 2002. 

The company resumed two of its demand response programs in 2014 — A/C Cool Credit and Irrigation Peak Rewards. Including FlexPeak Management, Idaho Power used all three demand response programs for a total demand reduction of 378 MW and an enrolled capacity of 390 MW. The reduced costs of these programs resulted in savings to Idaho Power customers of approximately $6.5 million dollars, while reducing capacity by only 11% from 2012 when all three programs were last active. Idaho Power worked with multiple stakeholders to reduce the program costs on behalf of its customers.

Customers also saved energy by participating in Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) activities designed to increase energy efficiency across the region, and funded in part by Idaho Power. In 2014, the company renewed its commitment to NEEA, executing a 2015-2019 NEEA business plan to obtain 145 average MW of regional energy savings at a cost of about $3 million less over the next five years to Idaho Power customers than the previous five-year business plan.

“We had a very successful year in both saving energy and helping our customers use energy wisely,” said Theresa Drake, Idaho Power customer relations and energy efficiency manager. “We also saved customer funds under the new NEEA agreement and our redesigned demand response programs while keeping an excellent level of service.”