DR 98-142
Northern Utilities, Inc.
1998/1999 Demand Side Management Program
Order Approving Procedural Schedule
O R D E R N O. 23,014
September 9, 1998
APPEARANCES: LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P. by
Paul B. Dexter, Esq. for Northern Utilities, Inc. and Michelle A.
Caraway and Stephen P. Frink for the Staff of the New Hampshire
Public Utilities Commission.
I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY
On August 3, 1998, Northern Utilities, Inc. (Northern)
filed with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission
(Commission) a petition for approval of its 1998/1999 Demand Side
Management (DSM) Program for the period November 1, 1998 through
October 31, 1999. Northern proposes to continue offering its
currently approved DSM programs, with some minor modifications.
Northern proposes the following Conservation Charges for effect
November 1, 1998: Residential Water Heating at $0.0108/therm, an
increase of $0.0168/therm over the existing Conservation Charge;
Residential Heating at $0.0221/therm, an increase of
$0.0097/therm; Small Commercial at $0.0325/therm, an increase of
$0.0136/therm; and Large Commercial at $0.0193/therm, an increase
of $0.0145/therm.
By an Order of Notice issued August 13, 1998, the
Commission scheduled a Prehearing Conference for September 1,
1998, set deadlines for intervention requests and objections
thereto, and outlined a proposed procedural schedule. No party
filed for intervention. The Office of the Consumer Advocate
(OCA) is a statutorily recognized intervenor.
At the Prehearing Conference, Northern and Staff agreed
to modify the proposed procedural schedule as outlined in the
Order of Notice. The revised procedural schedule is as follows:
Data Requests by Staff and September 8, 1998
Intervenors
Company Data Responses September 15, 1998
Technical Session September 23, 1998
` Testimony by Staff and September 29, 1998
Intervenors
Data Requests by the Company October 5, 1998
Data Responses by Staff and October 12, 1998
Intervenors
Settlement Conference October 15, 1998
Filing of Settlement Agreement, October 20, 1998
if any
Hearing October 27, 1998.
Also at the Prehearing Conference, Northern and Staff
stated their positions with regard to the filing for the record.
Northern stated that it is seeking approval to continue
its DSM program as offered during the 1997/1998 program year and
which reflects the fourth year of its DSM program offerings.
Northern has not proposed any major program modifications.
Staff stated that its preliminary concerns with
Northern's filing relate to: program designs for both residential
and commercial and industrial customers; whether the filing
reflects actual installations achieved during the 1997/1998
program year; how Northern accounted for approximately $55,300 of
DSM costs overspent during the 1996/1997 program year which it
agreed would be borne by shareholders as part of a settlement
reached in Northern's DSM filing last year; the potential rate
impacts of the proposed conservation charges; and the
reasonableness of the inputs used in the benefit-cost analysis.
II. COMMISSION ANALYSIS
We find the proposed procedural schedule to be
reasonable and will, therefore, approve it for the duration of
the proceeding.
Based upon the foregoing, it is hereby
ORDERED, that the procedural schedule delineated above
is APPROVED.
By order of the Public Utilities Commission of New
Hampshire this ninth day of September, 1998.
Douglas L. Patch Bruce B. Ellsworth Susan S. Geiger
Chairman Commissioner Commissioner
Attested by:
Thomas B. Getz
Executive Director and Secretary