The IIJA 2021 requires non-regulated utilities such as UEC to consider adopting standards on utility demand response and promoting greater transportation electrification.
For demand response, the standard requires a utility to “promote the use of demand-response and demand flexibility practices by commercial, residential, and industrial customers to reduce electricity consumption during periods of unusually high demand.” The standard would allow a non-regulated utility to establish rate mechanisms to timely recover the costs of promoting such demand response practices.
For transportation electrification, the standard requires a utility to consider measures, including the establishment of rates that:
- Promote affordable and equitable electric vehicle charging options for residential, commercial, and public electric vehicle charging infrastructure;
- Improve the customer experience associated with electric vehicle charging, including by reducing charging times for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles;
- Accelerate third-party investment in electric vehicle charging for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles; and
- Appropriately recover the marginal costs of delivering electricity to electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.