FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC) Application for a Certificate of Public ...

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Response:
FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC or the Company)
Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure Project
Response to British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC or the Commission)
Information Request (IR) No. 1
Submission Date:
October 5, 2012
Page 274
111.3.1 If yes, please describe the network savings that could result from
such an approach and the potential impacts on low income and
vulnerable customers.
As a method to reduce system peak demand, Direct Load Control (DLC) could result in the
system impacts and savings discussed in the responses to BCUC IR1 Q111.2 – Q111.2.3.
CPP/TOU rates with higher pricing differentials will benefit or disadvantage all customers
depending on their consumption patterns and their ability/willingness to change those
consumption patterns. This would include low income and vulnerable customers.
Without analyzing AMI interval usage data in conjunction with an appropriately designed enduse
survey, it is not possible to know how low income and vulnerable customers that do not
change their consumption patterns will benefit or be disadvantaged by higher CPP/TOU pricing
differentials.
More difficult to assess is which customer groups may be best able to adjust consumption
patterns in response to a CPP/TOU rate.
Response:
111.4 Does FortisBC consider that customer investment in electric cars could result in a
significant increase in network investment costs resulting from load growth
compared to that forecasted under the status quo?
Yes, FortisBC considers that a significant uptake of electric vehicles could result in additional
supply infrastructure necessary to support this un-forecast load growth. The potential impact is
highly dependent on a number of factors:
• The rate of customer uptake of electric vehicles;
• The geographic distribution of customer adoption (i.e. are the vehicles clustered in
specific areas of the FortisBC service area); and
• Whether the vehicles are charged during on-peak or off-peak times.
While FortisBC has little control over the first two unknowns, it does have potential influence as
to when the charging of electric vehicles takes place. The installation of an AMI system is
generally considered a fundamental building block that would support the wide-scale integration
of electric vehicles. For example, the following graphic excerpted from the Canadian Electricity