Electric utilities; SCC to establish for certain utilities annual energy efficiency savings targets.
Summary
Electric utilities; energy efficiency programs. Makes several changes to energy efficiency standards under which each investor-owned incumbent electric utility is required to achieve incremental annual energy efficiency savings. The bill requires energy efficiency savings that start in 2022 at 0.5 percent for Appalachian Power and 1.25 percent for Dominion Energy Virginia of the average annual energy retail sales by that utility in 2019 and increases those savings annually until 2030 when the bill requires energy efficiency savings of 11 percent for Appalachian Power and 15 percent for Dominion Energy Virginia of the average annual energy retail sales by that utility in 2019. The bill requires that such savings percentages be net of (i) freerider savings from customers who would have implemented a measure in absence of utility-delivered energy efficiency programs and (ii) spillover savings from customers who implement an efficiency measure not directly targeted by utility-delivered energy efficiency program. The bill prohibits an electric utility from including in its efficiency programs, or the State Corporation Commission from requiring, budget limits on energy efficiency programs that the Commission reasonably determines substantially limit that electric utility's ability to acquire all feasible cost-effective energy savings available through such programs. The bill requires the Commission to biennially review the feasibility of the energy efficiency program savings requirements, taking into account the level of savings achieved by utilities in other states and required by other states, and any other factors the Commission deems appropriate to consider, and report to the Chairs of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade on such feasibility by October 1, 2023, and biennially thereafter. The bill requires the Commission to establish, from 2024 through 2026 and for every three-year period thereafter, incremental low-income, elderly, disabled, and veteran energy efficiency savings targets in each year, to be achieved through energy efficiency programs designed to benefit low-income, elderly, disabled, or veteran customers. Each year's savings targets for such programs is required to be at least 1.25 percent of the average annual energy retail sales by that utility to those customer classes. The bill authorizes the Commission to provide for performance incentives and penalties for these low-income, elderly, disabled, and veteran savings targets, as deemed appropriate, and authorizes the savings from the low-income energy efficiency programs to count toward the overall energy efficiency savings requirements.
Bill status
passed both
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2022
Committee Review
Mar 2022
Senate Passage
Apr 2022
House of Delegates Passage
Mar 2022
Vetoed
Apr 2022
Introduced Jan 11, 2022
Vetoed Apr 11, 2022
Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2022 · House of Delegates Mar 8, 2022
How they voted
32–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 33
Feb 11, 2022
D
Democratic17
100% Yea
R
Republican16
93% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
35
Key actions
11
Committee
10
Amendments
2
Apr 27, 2022
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Apr 11, 2022
Vetoed
Vetoed by Governor
executive
Mar 9, 2022
Introduced
House amendments agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
upper
Mar 8, 2022
Lower · Passed
Passed House with amendments (74-Y 24-N)
lower
Mar 8, 2022
Introduced
Engrossed by House as amended
lower
Mar 8, 2022
Lower · Passed
Committee amendments agreed to
lower
Mar 3, 2022
Lower · Passed
Reported from Commerce and Energy with amendment(s) (12-Y 10-N)
lower
Mar 3, 2022
Lower · Passed
House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
lower
Feb 22, 2022
Committee
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Energy
lower
Feb 11, 2022
Upper · Passed
Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N)
upper
Feb 10, 2022
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 9, 2022
Upper · Passed
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB347S1
upper
Feb 9, 2022
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute agreed to 22105548D-S1
upper
Feb 7, 2022
Upper · Passed
Reported from Commerce and Labor with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 31, 2022
Upper · Passed
Senate subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
upper
Jan 21, 2022
Committee
Assigned C&L sub: Energy
upper
Jan 11, 2022
Committee
Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
upper
Jan 11, 2022
Introduced
Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/12/22 22104140D
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
JB
John Bell
DDemocratic
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