This week we have the long awaited answers from the Energy Efficiency Institute (EEI) and EEtility, Inc. (EEtility) on the exclusive licensing of EEI PAYS Intellectual Property for residential and small commercial businesses to EEtility. Plus, an invitation from Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission for comment on the proposed “Tariff On-Bill pilot program, a proposed inclusive utility investment program.
EEI & EEtility Answer Questions on Licensing of EEI's PAYS IP
Officially released on August 31, 2021, EEI and EEtility have posted Q&A regarding EEtility’s permanent, exclusive, national license to use EEI’s PAYS® Intellectual Property (IP) to the EEI website.* EEI and EEtility answer the following questions in their FAQ:
What has happened?
How has this changed things?
What remains the same?
Why are EEI and EEtility doing this now?
Can any program operator, utility, utility commission, or other entity acquire a license to the PAYS system without payment for any other EEtility services?
Who controls what PAYS is and whether a program meets the PAYS Essential Elements and Minimum Program Requirements.? Who decides on changes in PAYS Essential Elements and Minimum Program Requirements?
Previous to this change, EEI never charged for use of its trademark for programs that meet the PAYS minimum program requirements and essential elements and any utility that wished to do so could purchase a license to the PAYS IP from EEI. Is this still true?
How would you make the case to a regulator or legislator that specifying PAYS by name in legislation or commission documents is not directing public funding to two commercial entities (EEI and EEtility)?
How would you make the case to a regulator or legislator that this agreement has not changed the financial incentives for EEI to allow use of the PAYS trademark for residential programs and small commercial programs not run by EEtility?
Will EEI be involved in marketing and sales of EEtility services (including license of PAYS IP) on an ongoing basis? What are the current fees for States or Utilities?
How can we be sure that programs claiming to be PAYS are delivering on the PAYS promise and include strong consumer protections?
Will this agreement change PAYS relationship to open markets? We encourage all of our readers to review the full document!
MN PUC invites Comment on Tariffed On-Bill Pilot Program The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has issued a Notice of Comment Period in the Matter of a Petition by CenterPoint Energy and the City of Minneapolis to Introduce a Tariffed On-Bill Pilot Program.
Initial comment period closes January 14, 2022 at 4:30pm
Reply comment period closes February 14, 2022 at 4:30pm
To subscribe to receive email notification when new documents are filed in this docket at https://mn.gov/puc/edockets/. Docket Number: G-008/M-21-377
