Plainfield, IN, September 1, 2020 — PLMA, the voice of load management practitioners in the energy utility industry, has published a 10-page excerpt from its planned November publication, Thought Leadership Compendium 2020, Vol 1, titled “Why is Electricity Pricing So Difficult? Between a Rock and a Smart Meter.”
Originally presented as a webcast, this highly engaging discussion among three industry experts explores the potential and challenges of time-differentiated and dynamic pricing, where the barriers to these approaches lie, and how to design electricity pricing options that customers actually understand, and want.
Electricity Pricing Highlights
Highlights of this excerpt by Ahmad Faruqui of the Brattle Group, Bill LeBlanc of E Source, and Derek Kirchner of Consumers Energy include:
- The challenges of modulating system peaks and addressing the belly of the duck curve when the price signals and marginal cost of energy are disconnected from one another;
- Customer preference for traditional flat rates despite the higher cost these represent to them, and the increased risk they represent to the utility;
- The opportunity smart meters and associated technologies present and how these can be used to help customers easily and effectively manage their energy use while spending less.
“Customer expectations of service providers in all sectors continue to increase as new and better approaches to pricing, billing, and customer engagement extend throughout the economy. In this context, energy pricing is an area of rich opportunity for utilities to help customers make cost-effective decisions about their energy usage. Signaling customers with timely pricing information can also help reduce utility business risk,” said PLMA Vice Chair, Rich Barone. “PLMA is addressing this important opportunity with the launch of a new Pricing Interest Group to focus on effective pricing strategies and approaches that benefit all energy stakeholders.”
Pricing Interest Group Opportunity
PLMA Interest Groups provide PLMA member practitioners with a collegial environment to learn from and network with peers who share similar interests. Staff of PLMA member organizations are welcome to join any PLMA Interest Group; five are currently offered including Customer Engagement, Connected Devices, Global Load Management, Women in Demand Management, and DER Integration. To get involved as a participant or as a volunteer leader in PLMA’s planned Pricing Interest Group, please contact PLMA’s Executive Director Rich Philip at [email protected].
About PLMA
PLMA is a 501(c)(6) non-profit association founded in 1999 that serves over 165 member organizations as the Voice of Load Management Practitioners. PLMA seeks to advance practical applications of dynamic load management and distributed energy resources by providing a forum where members educate one another and explore innovative approaches to program delivery, pricing constructs, and technology adoption. Learn more at www.peakload.org, our LinkedIn page, and on Twitter @PLMAdr.
Media Contact:
Judy Knight, PLMA
(404) 771-1122
[email protected]
CLICK HERE to download the Compendium excerpt.
CLICK HERE for the Load Management Dialogue recording.
