ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today extended and expanded Consolidated Edison’s Brooklyn Queens Demand Management program (BQDM), which has saved ratepayers millions of dollars by reducing future energy demands while delaying or possibly eliminating the need for costly new infrastructure in the future.
Through energy efficiency programs and demand management, Con Edison’s BQDM, which began in 2014, is expected to save customers approximately $24.5 million over the life of the program. These energy-reduction measures have allowed Con Edison to defer the construction of a $1 billion substation and, with today’s order, BQDM is adding additional distributed energy resources, such as fuel cells, solar power, battery storage and thermal storage, that will enable the deferral of additional traditional infrastructure, creating additional savings for customers.
“BQDM is one of the best examples of the energy reforms underway in New York thanks to Governor Cuomo’s long-term energy strategy REV — Reforming the Energy Vision,” said Commission Chair John B. Rhodes. The program was scheduled to end next year, but the success of BQDM was cited by the Commission today in an order extending the program. With today’s order, the Company can obtain additional demand reductions and defer additional traditional infrastructure investments, without any additional funding.
Extending the program without additional funding is possible because Con Edison has been able to achieve the demand management reductions it needed while staying within the budget previously approved.
By next summer, the BQDM program will have contracted for over 52 MW of non-traditional, customer-side and utility-side solutions to meet energy demand. Today, 6,000 small businesses, 1,400 multifamily buildings, and 8,800 family residences are part of BQDM, which have reduced load on the distribution system while reducing their own energy bills.
Efficiency measures by small businesses have resulted in over 110 GWh of annual energy reduction, while similar measures in multi-family residences and individual apartments have reduced more than 27 GWh in annual energy consumption.
Going forward, Con Edison anticipates future energy savings that are similar to those achieved so far.
The Commission said the continuation of BQDM will also help develop another key initiative under REV: partnerships between private energy developers and utilities for distributed energy resources (DER). The DER marketplace will benefit consumers by providing smaller, cleaner energy systems through a variety of technologies, including solar, combined heat and power, microgrids, wind turbines, gas-fired micro turbines, back-up generation and energy storage.
About Reforming the Energy Vision
Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) is Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's strategy to lead on climate change and grow New York's economy. REV is building a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers by stimulating investment in clean technologies like solar, wind, and energy efficiency and requiring 50 percent of the state's electricity needs be generated from renewable energy by 2030. Already, REV has driven a nearly 800 percent growth in the statewide solar market, enabled over 105,000 low-income households to permanently cut their energy bills with energy efficiency, and created thousands of jobs in manufacturing, engineering, installation and other clean-tech sectors. REV is ensuring New York State reduces statewide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and achieves the internationally-recognized target of reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050. To learn more about REV, including the Governor's $5 billion investment in clean energy technology and innovation, please visit www.ny.gov/REV4NY and follow us at @Rev4NY.
Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 14-E-0302 in the input box labeled "Search for Case/Matter Number". Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission documents may also be obtained from the Commission’s Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500). If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.
