2016-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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pipelines be funded by natural gas customers and natural gas company shareholders. In mid 2016, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled the utilities' proposed funding concept illegal, stating the proposal "would reexpose ratepayers to the very types of risks that the Legislature sought to protect them from when it enacted the restructuring act." This ruling put an end to the concept of electric ratepayers funding natural gas pipelines. As such, while the pipeline constraint issue remains, electric ratepayers are protected from exposure to the financial risks associated with these expensive pipelines. In November 2016, the Compact learned that Eversource plans to file a rate case for its distribution service territory on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard for the first time in nearly twenty years. The Compact plans to petition the DPU for intervention in the case to help ensure that the interests of the ratepayers on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard are protected. The Compact also continues to participate in dockets related to the retail electric market, pushing for policies that promote a competitive power supply market while ensuring common-sense protections for consumers. ENERGY EFFICIENCY — Saving Energy and Money Jan. — Dec. # of Customer kWh Rebates/Incentives 2016 Participants Savings Saved Paid to Customers Low Income 114 $27,331.80 136,659 $92,080.37 Residential 1,322 $205,256.00 1,026,280 $472,831,93 Commercial 64 $258,032.00 1,290,160 $431,765.80 Total 1,500 $490,619.80 2,453,101 $996,678.10 Funding for the energy efficiency programs (i.e. energy audits for homes and businesses, rebates on the purchase of energy efficient appliances and energy education in our schools) comes from a monthly customer "energy conservation" charge ($0.0025 cents multiplied by the number of kilowatt hours used during the month) and a portion of the "distribution charge" ($0.01802 for residential customers and $0.01343 for commercial and industrial customers) that appears on each customer's electric bill. Other Cape Light Compact Efforts Include: • 56 ENERGY STAR® qualified homes were built in the Town of Mashpee. • Cape Light Compact continues to support energy education in Mashpee High School and Quashnet School through classroom visits, teacher workshops, energy education curriculum and free materials all aligned with the state NGSS and STEM initiatives. Mashpee High School participated in the Compact's launch of the Be Energy Efficient Smart (BEES) program and with the assistance of the Compact's energy education staff, held an energy carnival for the students at Quashnet and Peebles Schools • Worked with the Town on investigating efficiency opportunities as well as the installation of efficient lighting at the Mashpee Police Station. 97