An Ohio lawmaker wants to reintroduce an electricity peak demand program for small commercial and residential consumers, which would likely flatten their current bills and could create further financial incentives down the line, he said.
Under the peak demand program in House Bill 427, introduced by Rep. Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland), utilities might lower a consumer’s thermostat on the hotter days of the year or cycle their use of certain appliances, like laundry or dishwashing.
As Ohio is staring down eventual electric shortages from growing demand, and with new energy generation far off, Klopfenstein said he believes the bill is another tool in the state’s toolbox.
“If we want to attract more business to Ohio, if we want to have the data centers here, if we don’t want rolling blackouts, we’re going to have to look at a number of creative things,” he said in an interview Friday. “This is one of them we know works because the (large) commercials use it.”
Any participant in the proposed energy efficiency program would be able to override an individual effort to reduce usage, according to HB 427.
It comes about four months after Gov. Mike DeWine signed an extensive bill that lawmakers and lobbyists have said will prompt new energy generation and otherwise overhaul the system. This bill would serve as just one bridge until more baseload power is produced, Klopfenstein said.
“Until we get new baseload built, there is still not enough energy,” he said.
A similar energy efficiency effort died late last year. That bipartisan bill would have enrolled all Ohio consumers in it, requiring them to opt out rather than opt in. They would have been automatically enrolled and charged a $1.50 monthly fee for discounts on energy-efficient appliances and electronics. That struck a nerve with AFP Ohio, which lobbied hard to kill the bill.
HB 427 is likely to get bipartisan backing, too, Klopfenstein said. The legislature is scheduled to be out of town until the end of the month, so it has not yet gotten its first committee hearing.
