Greg Palast The Observer - Britain's Premier Sunday Newspaper - Guardian Media Group
Low-income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN)
G.L. c. 25, sec. 19 (St. 1997, c. 164, sec. 37)
Sunday, March 1, 1998
 

Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN)


 


            G.L. c. 25, sec. 19 (St. 1997, c. 164, sec. 37) provides that “The low-income residential demand-side management and education programs shall be implemented through the low-income weatherization and fuel assistance program network and shall be coordinated with all gas distribution companies in the commonwealth with the objective of standardizing implementation.”  The Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN) was established among the member agencies of the low-income weatherization and fuel assistance program network to provide the services required for implementing the coordination requirements of the statute.  This approach retains advantages of central coordination while avoiding creation of a new or central entity at this time.


 


The services provided by LEAN include:


 


·Coordination among electric and gas utilities and their Collaboratives with the objective of standardizing implementation.


·Coordination between electric utilities and gas utilities with the objectives of standardizing implementation.


· Coordination among electric utilities, gas utilities, and the low-income weatherization and fuel assistance program network.


·Coordination within the low-income weatherization and fuel assistance program network, including among lead vendors and between lead vendors and sub-vendors.


·Coordination with potential vendors outside the low-income weatherization and fuel assistance program network for certain segments of the low-income residential market, e.g., large multi-family buildings.


·Assistance in the development of the comprehensive low-income residential demand-side management and education programs required by statute.


·Assistance in monitoring and evaluating existing programs to improve cost-effectiveness and develop new program features.  This includes development of evaluation strategies, coordination with evaluators, and synthesizing statewide lessons from program evaluations.


·Support for the training of the low-income weatherization and fuel assistance program network with the objectives of quality, cost-effectiveness, and consistency.


·Regulatory support in negotiations with and proceedings before the Department of Telecommunications and Energy and the Division of Energy Resources.


 


Performing these functions in a consistent, statewide manner eliminates duplication of effort and makes the administration and coordination of utilities’ low-income programs both more efficient and more effective.  Among the benefits achieved from the approach advocated by LEAN are the following:


 


·The statutory goal of standardizing implementation is achieved, while retaining individual electric and gas distribution utility flexibility.


·Repetitive functions are more efficiently performed.


·Problem-solving is administratively simplified and benefits from experience elsewhere in the state.


·Lessons are synthesized for statewide application, where appropriate.


·Statewide issues need only be addressed once.


·Electric and gas utility service territories partially overlap in many places.  Electric and gas territories partially overlap with low-income agency territories.  Thus one agency can be working in the territories of several utilities.  Coordination among overlapping service territories is simplified.


·Representation in proceedings before the Department of Telecommunications and Energy and the Division of Energy Resources are simplified.


 


 




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