Texas PUC Staff Report Cumulative Smart Energy Devices Provided To Low-Income Customers Under Nearly Exhausted REP Reimbursement Programs

The program under which Texas retail electric providers are reimbursed for providing no-cost programmable communicating thermostats (PCT) and in-home displays (IHD) to eligible low-income customers resulted in the provision of 57,000 devices to low-income customers, Texas PUC Staff said in a report

As previously reported, funds for the programs at all of the TDUs which implemented the program (the five TDUs with AMI) have been exhausted, except at AEP Texas North, where funds are nearly exhausted. Only $16,000 remained available for REP reimbursements at AEP Texas North as of February 14

Under the program launched in January 2015, for providing an eligible low-income customer with an eligible programmable communicating thermostat (PCT) or in-home display (IHD) at no cost to the customer, a TDU reimburses the REP for the cost of a device up to a cap of $250, with an additional 25% for administrative costs, for a total reimbursement cap of $300 per device. For PCTs only, an additional $125 is reimbursed to cover the cost of installation.

Staff reported that 36,067 PCTs were installed and 21,045 IHDs were deployed by 18 REPs under the program through February 14, 2017