Eversource flags technical limits: Connected Solutions pays savings, DERMS not yet in place

Eversource representatives told the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on May 6 that some recommendations from Green Bank and others will require technical or procurement steps before utilities can act.

Mark Lisonbee, Eversource’s manager for regulatory planning on energy efficiency programs, said Connected Solutions pays incentives tied to measured savings, which is distinct from subscription or monitoring‑style offers such as some pilot designs. “Connected Solutions pays incentives for actual measures that produce savings, whereas Ito’s structure within their pilot was comparable to a monitoring based commissioning,” Lisonbee said.

Lisonbee also said Eversource does not yet have an ADMS or grid DERMS provider and that if the company pursues DERMS functionality it would issue a competitive RFP to select a vendor rather than automatically assign integration work to a pilot vendor such as Piccolo. On AMP UP specifically, he said the company has been in discussions with the project team but “we don't know at this time if they're gonna file or not” to seek approval for scaled deployment; the company intends to wait for the final decision and any directions from PURA.

Eversource noted stakeholders can review the program administrator’s benefit‑cost analyses and modeling in the docket compliance filings (public as of April 30). Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about how pilot learnings could be directed into rate cases or other dockets and whether a separate program review docket would be the appropriate vehicle for those changes.