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Draft Request for Proposals Incorporates On-Bill Financing Approaches and Other Enhancements to Expand Access to Energy Efficiency for Eversource and UI Customers

(HARTFORD)- As noted in Governor Lamont’s State of the State address in January, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is conducting a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) to invite bids from efficiency suppliers to expand access to electric efficiency for United Illuminating (UI) and Eversource customers.  This week, as part of the RFP process, DEEP released an updated schedule and expanded scope for its electric efficiency and affordability procurement. The initial draft request for proposals (RFP) was focused on energy efficiency measures delivered to residential customers. In response to bidder requests, DEEP is now expanding the RFP scope by clarifying that interested bidders could include energy efficiency measures for commercial and industrial customers, as well as residential customers. In addition, interested bidders would be permitted to use the customer’s electric bill to collect payments from the participating customers to pay for the installed measures over a period of time if those payments are less than the expected savings from the efficiency measures.

Electric efficiency is a powerful tool for lowering energy bills for both households and businesses and is among the lowest cost resources available to meet Connecticut’s growing energy needs. The aim of efficiency is to deliver the same or better energy services to customers while helping avoid the need to build costly new electric generation and distribution infrastructure that would otherwise be required to meet the needs of our electric grid, lowering the cost of electricity for all ratepayers in the state. Efficiency is also key to a clean electric grid because it reduces waste, avoids unnecessary infrastructure, and lowers reliance on imported, price-volatile fossil fuels. 

Last year, DEEP released a draft RFP and sought feedback from interested stakeholders. Based on this feedback, DEEP is amending the scope of the RFP to expand the opportunity and make it easier for participating customers to repay bidders over time. The RFP will now seek proposals for passive demand response measures for commercial and industrial customers, in addition to residential customers, which can include measures installed at the premises of one customer, such as a commercial or industrial customer that meets the minimum size requirements, or a bidder that aggregates more than one residential, commercial, and/or industrial customer, or any combination of those customers. Entities eligible to respond to the RFP include individual building owners interested in installing passive demand response measures, and entities that can aggregate the installation of measures across multiple properties to meet the minimum size requirements.

Further, bidders will now be able to propose a structure for repayment that uses a participating customer’s electric bill to recover the costs of the installed measures through an on-bill charge to the participating customers that is less than the estimated savings from the installed measures to the customer, provided that this on-bill charge to the customer is only used to recover the costs associated with installing the measures at the customer’s premises. This structure was supported by many commenters on the draft request for proposals and has been successfully implemented in other jurisdictions.

“Energy efficiency continues to be the cheapest and most crucial solution to electricity reliability and affordability in our state,” said Governor Ned Lamont.

“DEEP is encouraged by the robust response to our RFI from potential bidders, and is pleased to be incorporating improvements to the RFP to make efficiency a more affordable and convenient option for residents and businesses alike,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “Reliable and affordable electricity is how we continue to attract businesses to our state and how we ensure that hardworking people keep more of what they earn in their own pocket. Increasing energy efficiency will not only lower electricity bills for the residents and businesses who participate, but also keep electricity supply costs down for all ratepayers.”

Since 1998, Connecticut has been investing in energy efficiency through the state’s Conservation & Load Management (C&LM) programs. C&LM program investments in 2025 alone are projected to save Connecticut electric and gas ratepayers over $588 million on their bills over the lifetime of the installed efficiency measures. Individual residents participating in the C&LM programs lower their energy bills by $180 per year on average thanks to air sealing and pipe insulation provided through an initial audit and get customized recommendations for further upgrades that can save them hundreds of dollars more.  

Since 2019, consumer demand for the state’s C&LM programs has grown by 40% and now exceeds the level that can be met within the programs’ budget levels. DEEP is working with Connecticut’s regulated gas and electric utilities, which implement the C&LM programs, and the state’s Energy Efficiency Board to further optimize the C&LM programs to support increasing levels of efficiency demand. DEEP is also coordinating the implementation of nearly $100 million in federal funding for energy efficiency through the Home Energy Rebates (HER) and Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) programs with the C&LM programs, which will deliver further benefits to Connecticut ratepayers.  

Even with C&LM optimization and this federal funding, however, DEEP anticipates there will continue to be opportunities to scale up investment in cost-effective energy efficiency beyond the levels that the C&LM programs will be able to support. In addition, New England’s independent regional grid operator, ISO New England, projects that over the next 10 years regional demand for electricity will grow by 17 percent, including a 32 percent increase in winter peak demand, due to economic growth and increased adoption of electric vehicles and heat pumps. This growth will necessitate investments in energy resources that can affordably and reliably meet demand. Energy efficiency is among the lowest cost, cleanest, and quickest options to deploy resources available to help meet these needs. 

As the next step in the Expanded Electric Efficiency and Affordability RFP, DEEP will hold a technical meeting for potential bidders in advance of releasing the final RFP, on February 11, 2025 at 1:00 pm ET, to ensure there is a shared understanding of the flow of payments contemplated in this RFP and to ensure the RFP language is consistent with the shared understanding. Registration is available here.

Further, DEEP is seeking additional written comments from stakeholders, due by February 18, 2025 by 4:00pm ET, regarding the draft RFP and the revised scope discussed above. Given that this expansion of the draft RFP newly includes eligibility for commercial and industrial passive electric demand response, DEEP is particularly interested in hearing from potential bidders, and potential commercial and industrial customers who may receive efficiency measures through this RFP, with respect to questions and feedback about how to ensure that this RFP can effectively enable demand reduction and bill savings for the commercial and industrial sector, as well as the residential customer classes that were originally the exclusive focus of this RFP. 

Comments received from stakeholders in response to the draft RFP will inform development of a final RFP, which DEEP anticipates releasing in March 2025, with bids due in May 2025. DEEP anticipates announcing a decision on the selection of energy efficiency proposals submitted in response to the RFP in July 2025. 

The Expanded Electric Efficiency and Affordability RFP is being conducted pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. §16a-3j, which provides DEEP with authority to procure electric energy efficiency measures that either singly or through aggregation reduce electric demand by one megawatt or more. The maximum estimated procurement authority remaining under Conn. Gen. Stat. §16a-3j is approximately 2 million megawatt-hours per year. 

Original article found at the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

The upcoming Big Connecticut Food Event will take place on Saturday 3/1/25 at the Yale School of Management in New Haven.

The Big Connecticut Food Event is an annual one-day event that gathers CPG/wholesale-focused food & beverage brands and other key stakeholders spanning the Connecticut food entrepreneurship ecosystem to network, share ideas, and showcase products and services.

Our goal is to support the development of the state’s entrepreneurship pipeline so it produces multiple food and beverage brands each year that exceed $2mil in annual sales.

Event content

• 💰 $50k+ pitch competition for 5 finalist emerging Connecticut brands
• 🥫 Sampling and tabling from 30+ emerging Connecticut brands and solutions providers
• 🤝 One-on-one coaching sessions between brands and industry experts
• 🎤 Panel discussions with industry leaders

Participation opportunities

• Food & bev brands (based in CT) — Pitch competition, tabling & sampling, expert coaching participant, attendee, sponsor
• Food & bev brands (based outside CT) — Expert coaching participant, attendee, sponsor
• Solutions providers to food & bev brands (co-manufacturers, packaging designers, legal and financial service providers, etc.) — Expert coaching coach, sponsor, attendee
• Grocery and foodservice procurement leaders — Pitch competition judge, panelist, sponsor
• Not-for-profit organizations (mission-aligned, regionally-based) — Tabling
• Industry leaders and policymakers — Panelist, pitch competition judge
• The food-curious public — Attendee

Save the date! The third annual Big Connecticut Food Event is returning on Saturday 3/1/25 at the Yale School of Management in New Haven. Get an attendee ticket here.

More information about this event can be found here.

Less than two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office, Connecticut’s General Assembly reconvened for its 2025 legislative session. For nearly five months, the part-time legislature will discuss bills, hear public testimony and vote on legislation in committee and on the House and Senate floor. Lawmakers will also decide on the state’s next two-year budget.

The session began Wednesday with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s State of the State address at the Capitol in Hartford.

The two-term Democratic governor will present lawmakers with a budget proposal in the coming weeks.

“And always, our north stars will be affordability and opportunity, holding down costs of energy and education, allowing you to keep more of what you earn and providing you the tools you need to earn more, to buy a home, start a business,” Lamont said during his address.

Lawmakers must end the regular session business by midnight on June 4.

High cost of power dominates early parts of Lamont’s speech

Affordability and the high cost of electricity in Connecticut dominated the early parts of Lamont’s speech to lawmakers, with the governor saying expensive power impacts everyone from families to small business owners.

“They’re asking me about the reliability and affordability of electricity, as everything we do gets more energy intensive,” Lamont said.

Lamont said the state needs to increase its supplyof low-carbon energy, but Connecticut continues to rely on two major staples for its electircal supply: natural gas and nuclear energy, the latter of which accounts for about one-third of in-state electricity.

Nuclear energy raises concern among environmentalists

Lamont hinted during his speech Wednesday that nuclear power could grow in Connecticut.

“Nuclear power that provides most of our carbon-free power,” he said. “Right now, we’re working with the federal government to find ways to expand nuclear capacity in Connecticut.”

But environmental groups immediately voiced that the state needs to focus more on renewable energy options, not more nuclear power.

“Offshore wind is, was and will continue to be a huge part of getting us to our emissions goals that both the Governor and the legislature and the public have adopted,” Lori Brown, executive director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, said at the Capitol. “And we cannot afford to slide back from that.”

Last month, the state officially opted out of buying into a new offshore wind project with Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Lamont told Connecticut Public’s “The Wheelhouse” in December that the project ended from concern over cost to ratepayers.

Charles Rothenberger, a climate and energy attorney at Save the Sound, also expressed concern about the state depending more on more nuclear energy.

“I don’t believe it is a cheaper alternative to actual clean renewable energy,” Rothenberger said, citing offshore wind and solar as alternatives. “And those are projects that could come online much more quickly to help serve our needs, improving the resilience of the grid and lowering costs for customers.”

State lawmakers decry federal ‘chaos’

Democrats hold an overwhelming majority in both houses of the General Assembly.

During remarks Wednesday, Democratic House Speaker Matt Ritter urged legislators to work in a bipartisan fashion, in contrast to what he said happens in Washington D.C., as well as in many other state governments.

“People get elected and they have new majorities,” Ritter said. “There’s a new majority in D.C.; there’s a new majority here … and the first thing that they plan to do is find ways to eliminate all of the opposition’s power.”

Everyone is frustrated by federal lawmakers who risk chaos, said Vincent Candelora, Connecticut House Republican Minority Leader. He said he watched the recent election of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson when the election of the speaker was in question.

“It struck me that either party would stand and allow potentially an institution to be put into chaos and jeopardy for political gain,” Candelora said. “And I think time and again we see that on the federal level.”

A ‘cheeky’ touch of CT showmanship

Name-checking Connecticut showman P.T. Barnum during his address, Lamont acknowledged a touch of hyperbole in the state’s recent rollout of road signs declaring Connecticut the “pizza” and “basketball” capital of the world.

Lamont said those signs attracted a lot of attention.

“Some people thought the signs were a little cheeky. Italy questioned our claim to be the pizza capital. The Boston Celtics wondered about the basketball capital,” Lamont joked. “But as a great showman, and Connecticut state representative, P.T. Barnum famously said, ‘I don’t care what they say about me, as long as they spell my name right.’ And they’re talking about Connecticut.”

Lamont says he wants to continue efforts to raise the state’s profile.

Over the holidays, Connecticut leaned into its role as a Hallmark movie backdrop, launching a Christmas Movie Trail to highlight spots from movies filmed in the state.

This session is fundamentally different from last year’s

This session is a “long” one, as outlined by the state’s Constitution. In odd-numbered years, the governor’s office and state lawmakers must agree on a new two-year budget.

That means this year, Lamont must present his proposed state budget and bond package to lawmakers by Feb. 5. That sets off a month-long process to negotiate and finalize, which in the end requires a simple majority in both chambers, where Democrats hold a majority, along with the governor’s signature for approval.

The 2025 session will be nearly two months longer than the “short” session in even-numbered years, when lawmakers usually adjust the budget. Last year, things turned out a little differently when Lamont and other Democratic lawmakers assigned expiring American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to help programs, rather than formally adjusting the budget.

Expect some debate on state’s fiscal guardrails

These constraints, first enacted in 2017, are a complex set of rules for how much lawmakers can spend. Connecticut has been able to pay down pension debt and has seen state budget surpluses under the guardrails, but there has also been considerable debate among some lawmakers about the need to change these policies. Advocates and lawmakers who want to see the guardrails loosened say they want to see more state money for health care, child care and education.

Lamont said he wanted to keep the guardrails during a December appearance on Connecticut Public’s “The Wheelhouse.” Some Republicans have also echoed a desire to keep the guardrails in place.

Top leaders are the same

Democrats still hold a comfortable majority in both state legislative chambers.

Ritter will return to lead the chamber alongside Majority Leader Jason Rojas. Candelora will return as House Minority Leader. Martin Looney and Bob Duff return as Senate Pro Tem and Majority Leader, respectively. And State Sen. Stephen Harding will return for his second year as Republican Minority Leader.

Bills, bills, bills

Over half a dozen of the nearly 30 committees have new House leaders. Legislative committees drive policy debate among lawmakers and engage the public on specific issues like education, health care and the environment. This year, there is a new committee on government oversight and a select committee on special education.

While many bills are proposed each year by lawmakers, comparatively few become law. That’s because there is a specific process for how most bills become a law, which the Connecticut General Assembly learning center explains. (Think: ”Schoolhouse Rock’s” “I’m Just a Bill” sans music).

There are also a number of different types of bills. Some come out of committees or are introduced by individual lawmakers or groups of lawmakers, or the governor. Among the many topics that will likely come up this session:

• Addressing the housing crisis, such as passing “Work, Live, Ride,” which would have created incentives for municipalities to increase housing near transportation hubs, but died in the 2024 legislative session. 
• Crafting rules to make absentee ballots available for all Connecticut voters. Voters approved so-called “no excuse” absentee balloting in a November 2024 ballot referendum. 
• Re-examining the number of required early voting days in Connecticut. Last year was the state’s first foray into early voting. Turnout was high during the general election in November, but there were concerns about early voting during the primaries earlier in the year. Some town officials cited low turnout and long, state-mandated staffing hours. 
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state, and building resiliency to the climate crisis. The issue of energy and the economy has been on the mind of many voters and the governor, who recently pulled out of a multi-state deal to procure offshore wind.
• Discussing enhancements to the state’s aging electrical grid, and high utility rates.
• Tackling medical costs, from a task force on high prescription prices to potentially expanding “HUSKY for immigrants” eligibility for people ages 16-18.

Ways to get involved

Committees will hold public hearings, where people can make their voices heard in a few ways. That can be through written testimony on the CGA website – or speaking at the public hearing, Public hearings are also often broadcast online.

There’s also a bill tracking system – that’s not just for reporters and stakeholders! Anyone can sign up to see how a bill is progressing.

Original article found at CT Public Radio.

Washington, D.C. –  The National Grocers Association (NGA) today applauds members of Congress forsafeguarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the FY 2025 agriculture appropriations bill by removing a provision that would have led to widespread disruptions and undermined SNAP’s effectiveness.

A proposal dropped from the final bill would have created a five-state pilot to significantly limit the types of foods covered under SNAP, forcing grocers to examine hundreds of thousands of food items to determine which qualify and which don’t. The proposed pilot program would have allowed five state governments to pick winners and losers in the grocery sector, harming the 42 million SNAP participants who have diverse nutritional needs.

“Fortunately, members of Congress realized that a proposal that looked simple on paper would have created confusion for program participants and resulted in a costly bureaucratic nightmare for small businesses around this country,” said Stephanie Johnson, RDN, NGA vice president of government relations. “The strength of SNAP lies in its efficient and flexible design. We are proud to support the continuation of an effective and impactful program for families and local economies.”

The successful amendment, offered by Congressman Sanford Bishop, removed a pilot project that would have restricted SNAP purchases  of “non-nutritious food or beverage items” in five states, a potentially disastrous policy that would have turned grocers into the food police. Members Bishop, DeLauro, Espaillat, and Watson-Coleman spoke in favor of keeping SNAP Choice, the current policy providing participants the freedom to purchase what is right for their families. The amendment passed via voice vote after a robust lobbying effort from NGA.

NGA is also pleased to see that the Senate passed an agriculture appropriations bill without any new restrictions on SNAP purchases.

This victory follows NGA’s commitment to making SNAP choice a key issue during our Fly-In for Fair Competition. Credit also goes to the NGA Grocery Guard, who, at a moment’s notice, reached out to House Appropriators urging support for the amendment.

Original article found at National Grocers Association.

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If theft and loss were among the big retail stories of 2023, this year is already shaping up to have asset protection top of mind among grocers.

On Jan. 4, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced felony charges in the case of stolen mPerks rewards from Meijer customers. A 22-year-old from Grand Haven, Mich., Nicholas Mui, was arrested for the theft and sale of shoppers’ account access information.

Nessel and her team contend that Mui got login credentials from a separate data breach and subsequently sold logins on the internet. Users used that account information to steal mPerks points for their own purchases. According to the AG’s office, Meijer’s infrastructure was not directly breached.

Meijer tipped off authorities to the potential crime following a series of customer complaints in spring 2023. The retailer’s corporate investigators worked with the Michigan State Policy Fraud group and the AG’s team to discover the culprit; in September, officers acting on an authorized search warrant seized more than $400,000 in cash and cryptocurrency.

A Meijer spokesperson told Progressive Grocer that that the identification and arrest of the suspect was a collaborative effort. In a written statement, the spokesperson declared, “We appreciate the efforts of the Michigan State Police and the Attorney General’s FORCE Team, in partnership with our Asset Protection team, to bring this individual to justice. This situation highlights the importance of changing passwords often and not using the same password for multiple platforms. We encourage any customer who believes they were a victim of this individual’s actions to contact Meijer customer care at 1-877-363-4537.”

Meijer took early action to deal with the effects of the alleged crime, reinstating the full balance of accrued points to affected customers. The incident was not without cost, as Nessel pointed out.

“This theft operation affected hundreds of Meijer customers and mPerks account holders, and cost the grocery chain over one million dollars,” added Nessel. “It is our belief we apprehended the main operative and driver of this sophisticated, wide-spread criminal enterprise, and I’m grateful for the partnership between my FORCE Team, the Michigan State Police, and Meijer,” she said.

In related news, credit card skimmers are also causing headaches for retailers around the country as 2024 unfolds. Recently, skimmers were found at self-checkout areas at Roche Bros. Supermarkets locations in the Boston area, including a Sudbury Farms in Needham, a Brothers Marketplace in Weston and two Roche Bros. stores in Wellesley and Natick.

This week, police in Germantown, Wis., announced that a skimming device was found at a Sendik’s store in that town near Milwaukee. Additionally, Giant Eagle confirmed that skimmers were discovered at a store in Powell, Ohio. After a thorough review, additional devices were found at four other Giant Eagle locations in Ohio.

In a news release, Giant Eagle clarified some of the security issues. “Because most customers either insert or tap their chipped cards, the vast majority of customers visiting these stores are not affected. Importantly, the only information at risk includes the payment card number and service codes,” a spokesperson wrote. Still, the grocer advised customers who patronized the stores to monitor their accounts.

Privately owned Meijer is based in Grand Rapids, Mich., and is No. 23 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Top 10 Most Sustainable Grocers and Best Regional Grocery Chains in America. Mansfield, Mass.-based Roche Bros. operates 20 locations in the state. Established by the Balistreri family in 1926, Sendik’s operates 19 stores in the Milwaukee metro area, including Sendik’s Food Markets and convenience-oriented Fresh2 Go banners. Giant Eagle operates approximately 480 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. The company is No. 40 on The PG 100.

Original article found at Progressive Grocer.

After several failed attempts, a new push to explore a city-owned grocery store aims to someday bring fresh produce to a food desert in Hartford.

“Getting a full-service grocery store in the North End has been a challenge for literally our whole lives,” councilman Josh Michtom said. “I think it’s a very common sense idea to at least study its feasibility and get some parameters around it.”

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CTown Supermarkets has opened a new location in New Haven, Conn., under the collaborative banner The Meat King by CTown. Located at 664 Grand Avenue in New Haven, the more than 16,000-square-foot supermarket is already open, but the store will host its official grand opening on Saturday, June 10, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.

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Jersey City, New Jersey-based Goya Foods and its foundation are sending ready-to-serve food and beverages to the people of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas in response to a train derailment. (more…)

In Connecticut, more than 400,000 people struggle to put food on the table. The issue of food insecurity is exacerbated by inflation, increasing the cost of groceries and putting a strain on food banks nationwide. (more…)