Policy Framework for Aggressive Energy Efficiency

In 2009, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) retained Marbek Resource Consultants (Marbek) to prepare a report on strategies and conditions which enable aggressive energy efficiency. These strategies and conditions encompass policies, regulatory frameworks and institutional arrangements. Synapse assisted Marbek with its review of these issues in the U.S. Synapse also contributed a whitepaper addressing the major financial incentives of utilities that need to be aligned with aggressive pursuit of energy efficiency. The paper presented the problems that utilities in general have experienced over the years due to mismatches between their financial incentives and the pursuit of energy efficiency, and the general approaches to correcting that problem. The paper also presented an overview of the current financial incentives of Ontario electricity distribution companies relative to the pursuit of energy efficiency, and suggested steps to further improve that alignment.