Res. No. 425

Resolution calling upon the Public Service Commission to allow individual apartments to access real-time energy pricing through the use of smart meters.

By Council Members Brewer, Comrie, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Palma, Seabrook, Mark-Viverito, Gennaro, Garodnick, de Blasio, Liu, Weprin and Barron

Whereas, The Public Service Commission is responsible for ensuring that New Yorkers have access to a “competitive market” from which to choose an electricity supplier by regulating the State’s energy utility companies; and

Whereas, Current PSC regulations do not allow real-time energy pricing through smart meters; and

Whereas, Allowing real-time energy pricing through smart meters to be utilized for individual apartments may help residents of those apartments conserve energy by informing them of the time of day when the price of electricity is lowest; and

Whereas, By shifting their energy consumption to times where energy costs are lower, consumers may be better able to manage energy use; and

Whereas, By shifting energy consumption to time periods when costs are lower, residents may see a reduction in utility costs as well as a reduction in energy consumption since real time pricing will help them structure their energy usage; and

Whereas, By reducing energy consumption New Yorkers will reduce the need to generate electricity, thereby reducing the amount of energy used to generate electricity; and

Whereas, Reducing energy consumption will decrease pollution, and the greenhouse effect which leads to global warming and which is expected to negatively impact New York City in a number of ways, including droughts, severe heat waves, dirtier air and water; and

Whereas, Reducing energy consumption will also help reduce other pollutants such as carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and ground level ozone which can result in many adverse public health impacts; and

Whereas, New York City currently does not have enough load pockets to handle demand in the summer peak energy period; and

Whereas, The option of building more power plants within the City to satisfy demand may be limited due in part to the availability of siting locations, the cost of constructing such plants and the ability to obtain financing, and due to concerns by communities that living near a power plant may have adverse health consequences; and

Whereas, Real time pricing may allow New Yorkers to consume less energy by allowing for fluctuations in energy use at certain times of the day, thereby permitting consumers to reduce energy use and the need for more power plants; and

Whereas, The mission of the Public Service Commission is to provide New Yorkers with a competitive marketplace in which to choose utility companies; and

Whereas, By not allowing residential electricity users to have more time-of-use options that are measurable by utilizing smart meters, the Public Service Commission is not providing a competitive marketplace for residential consumers who in turn are not offered an opportunity to receive the lowest energy price; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Public Service Commission to allow individual apartments to access real-time energy pricing through the use of smart meters.

BJG

LS 408/2006

7/14/2006 revised