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Ohio Administrative Code (Last Updated: January 12, 2021) |
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122:5 Office of Community Services |
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Chapter122:5-3. Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) Program |
122:5-3-08. Energy efficiency and weatherization services and consumer education
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(A) Allocation of energy efficiency and weatherization services. To the extent practicable, energy efficiency and weatherization services supported with resources from the fund shall be targeted to the certified territories of an electric distribution utility in the same proportion as the revenue remitted by such electric distribution utility to the director for the fund as corresponds to the total revenue remitted from all electric distribution utilities to the director for the fund. In the event any electric distribution utility makes any other funding contribution to the director to support energy efficiency or weatherization services, such additional funding shall be targeted to delivery of energy efficiency and weatherization services in such electric distribution utility's service territory.
(B) Target high-cost, high-use structures. The director shall establish and maintain criteria designed to target energy efficiency and weatherization services to high-cost, high-use structures, provided that such criteria may allow flexibility to perform cost-effective energy efficiency and weatherization services for residences of PIPP plus customers and customers then eligible to participate in the PIPP plus program even though such residences may not be the highest cost or highest use structures. Such criteria may include, among others identified by the director from time to time:
(1) the extent to which an adequate delivery infrastructure is available to serve the targeted structures within a particular region;
(2) the extent to which additional training is necessary to deliver the energy efficiency and weatherization services; and
(3) the net present value of savings to the fund from the implementation of particular energy efficiency and weatherization services. Any energy efficiency or weatherization measure projected to yield a savings-to-investment ratio of greater than one shall be considered a cost-effective measure.
(C) Rental properties. Energy efficiency and weatherization services may be provided for a rental property then leased to a PIPP plus customer or to a customer then eligible to participate in PIPP plus. As a condition to providing energy efficiency and weatherization services for a rental property, the director may require the owner of such rental property to agree:
(1) for the benefit of the PIPP plus customer not to increase rent charged to such individual as a result of any investment made in the property in connection with the energy efficiency and weatherization services to be provided; and
(2) to make a funding contribution toward the cost of the energy efficiency and weatherization service where such services are likely to enhance the value of the rental property. Replacement of consumables (e.g., light bulbs and furnace filters) and tenant-owned appliances shall not require landlord approval or a funding contribution from the landlord. The director may authorize service providers to solicit and obtain landlord approval and funding contributions to be applied against the cost of the energy efficiency and weatherization measures provided. A funding contribution will not be required from an individual owner of a rental property who is himself or herself eligible to participate in the PIPP plus program. The amount of any funding contribution received by a service provider from an owner of rental property for energy efficiency and weatherization measures will be offset dollar-for-dollar from the amount to be paid by the department to the service provider for such measures.
(D) Service providers. The director shall establish and maintain standards for the selection and performance of service providers who offer energy efficiency and weatherization services to participants in low-income customer assistance programs. No service provider shall hold itself out as a development services agency authorized provider unless the service provider has a current designation of such status from the director. The standards for authorized service providers shall require, without limitation, service providers to:
(1) be able to provide services which are to be paid for from the fund comparably and in accordance with energy efficiency and weatherization program standards, as established and amended by the office of community assistance from time to time;
(2) employ electronic data collection methods for reporting service data, cost data, and customer eligibility data, and report all such data to the director;
(3) provide for proper verification of service delivery; and
(4) cooperate fully in an evaluation of such service provider's services through an objective third-party review, which may include an on-site evaluation, collection and analysis of pre- and post-service energy usage, and an analysis of bill payment behavior. The director may modify the standards for authorized service providers from time to time, and the current standards for authorized service providers shall be made available upon request to the office of community assistance and posted on the website of the development services agency.
(E) Evaluation of program effectiveness. The director shall periodically review and analyze data collected from authorized service providers and otherwise in connection with low-income customer assistance programs to evaluate the results of energy efficiency and weatherization services. In particular, the director shall determine whether such data provides evidence of reduced energy consumption by households receiving such services and reduced costs of electric service provided to PIPP plus customers.
(F) Consumer education. To the extent practicable within the resources available from the fund for consumer education, the director will establish and maintain a consumer education program covering energy efficiency, energy conservation, demand reduction, and such other subject matter as the director determines relevant and useful for customers eligible to participate in low-income customer assistance programs, including such materials as electric distribution utilities may provide for distribution to their respective customers about energy efficiency, energy conservation, and demand reduction programs the electric distribution utility offers.