Public Utility Commissions

Public utility commissions (PUCs) oversee utility activities, including rates, programs, and plans, all of which have direct impacts on commercial and residential energy use in our cities. Below is a collection of IMT resources that can be used to learn more about PUCs and how we’re engaging with them to bring effective energy efficiency projects to local governments.

The Latest

The PUC Perspective on a New Era for Local Governments and Public Utilities Commissions

Diversity in perspective is key to robust decision-making. Bringing together a robust set of stakeholders to workshop a problem can uncover new solutions that might have not been otherwise identified. This holds true in many areas, but especially in regulatory environments, where affordability, environmental concerns, resilience, public health and safety, and equity of access may … Continued

Local Government Engagement with Public Utility Commissions Mini Guide

Growing numbers of local governments, such as cities and counties, have identified benefits from working with public utility commissions (PUCs or commissions) to further their goals around clean energy, resilience, and affordability. For local government staff, elected officials, and the communities they serve, this document identifies the opportunities and benefits of working with commissions on … Continued

Creating Alignment between Cities and Utility Energy Efficiency Programs

Cities are increasingly acting as market catalysts to encourage and require building owners to improve energy performance. However, cities implementing building performance policies that require actions like audits or re-tuning may experience conflicts with their regulated utilities’ efficiency programs, which depend on energy savings being additional—not attributable to market adoption or preexisting laws. These utility … Continued

Setting Your City Up for Success at the Public Utilities Commission

This post is the third in a three-part series that helps local governments understand why working with utility regulators matters, what they can achieve, and how to set themselves up for success. Read part one here and part two here. In my last post, I talked about Montgomery County, Maryland, which engages at Maryland Public … Continued

Putting Data to Work: Emerging Uses for Building Energy Data for Utilities

Emerging Uses for Building Energy Data for Utilities Across the U.S., an increasing number of cities, counties, and states are examining building performance benchmarking and transparency as a critical step in addressing building energy and water use. These energy benchmarking and transparency requirements generate new and robust building-level datasets. This report describes the opportunities that … Continued

Overview of Utility Engagement Issues

This report was produced by IMT for the Pacific Coast Collaborative, which sets a cooperative direction in key policy areas of mutual interest among North America’s West Coast jurisdictions including California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.