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2017 Outlook

  • February 01, 2017

At the January 2017 RTF meeting on the 18th, RTF Chair/Manager Jennifer Light delivered a “Management Update” presentation that included a prospective look at measures and topics the RTF anticipates taking up this calendar year. The 2017 RTF docket includes a variety of items, such as 11 sunsetting measures, 15 new measures/measures that need updating, as well as a few high priority revisions to the RTF’s Operative Guidelines. A great deal of this work will be completed in various RTF subcommittees, a complete list of which can be found here.

Measure related work

This year will be somewhat different than years prior due to the relatively low number of measures that are set to sunset. This will allow for more time to be spent on developing new measures and standard protocols (or impact evaluation guidance), which generally require more time and effort on the part of the RTF and the Contract Analyst Team. To the right are listings which detail the measures set to sunset this year, and the new measures/measure updates RTF staff anticipates.

Measure sunset dates will dictate the pace at which those measures are addressed by the RTF, but for new measures/non-sunset related updates, the timeline is subject to staff availability and subcommittee scheduling, as well as other factors. For individuals interested in the RTF’s timeline for these measures, be sure to sign up for our general RTF mailing list by e-mailing rtfadmin@nwcouncil.org with your full name and contact information. Also, if you would like to be included on the mailing list for a specific subcommittee or measure, indicate that in your message as well.

Revisions to RTF Operative Guidelines

A large portion of the RTF’s work this year will deal with making changes and updates to the RTF Operative Guidelines, a document which delineates how the RTF functions and how savings estimates are generated. Two marquee items the RTF has already begun work on are updates to how the Guidelines discuss the Current Practice Baseline and the definition of savings, as well as the development of guidelines for estimating the associated capacity benefits of energy efficient. Both of these items are exceedingly complex, and will require a serious investment of both full RTF meeting time and Guidelines Subcommittee involvement. Background presentations on these topics can be found here: Capacity Benefits Current Practice

In addition to these two already initiated Guidelines items, the RTF will be considering a number of other Guidelines related topics including:

  • Implications of Remaining Useful Life requirements across measures
  • Potential savings threshold for the “Small Saver” measure category
  • First year vs lifetime savings
  • A framework for standard protocols and impact evaluation guidance
  • Sufficiency for creating a “Planning” measure
  • Non-energy impacts guidelines

Each of these topics is expected to require a nuanced approach and will undoubtedly elicit a spirited discussion among RTF members. Be sure to check in on RTF meeting agendas and related subcommittees often to be sure you stay abreast of all of these pioneering developments in the field of energy efficiency.

Subcommittees

Subcommittees are an essential part of the process, and allow industry experts to come together to iron out the complexities of measures, standard protocols, research, analysis, and program implementation in an organized and accessible fashion. This year the RTF anticipates a great deal of work for the Guidelines Subcommittee (detailed above), as well as the Market Analysis Subcommittee, which focused last year on a review of Bonneville’s Residential Lighting Model, and the Statistical Methods Subcommittee, which has been discussing billing analysis methodologies for heating and cooling measures. A number of other subcommittee will be convened throughout the year, including the Implementers Group, which meets monthly to allow program personnel a chance to discuss on the ground measure implementation, and the Small and Rural Utilities Subcommittee, which meets quarterly to discuss the use of RTF measures in small and rural markets. A full list of RTF subcommittee is available on the RTF website here.

Measures that Sunset

New or Other Measures to Update