The average Midwesterner pays 65% more for electricity than they did at the turn of the millennium. Saving energy is a key way to help lower customer bills even with rising rates. Utility Consumer Advocates (UCAs) represent residential customers before regulators and legislatures, and they use their expertise to help ensure ratepayer dollars are spent prudently and cost-effectively.
What Utility Consumer Advocates Do
UCAs in the Midwest are a mixture of government offices and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The type of UCA in a state is particular to the policies, history and needs of that state. In some states, UCAs play a very active role in energy efficiency proceedings, while in others do not. For those engaged in energy efficiency, their activities can be categorized in three ways:
- As a party in docketed proceedings before the state regulator,
- Through participation in statewide or utility stakeholder collaboratives, and
- Through public comments in regulatory or legislative proceedings
Our New Guide
MEEA's Guide to Utility Consumer Advocates in the Midwest provides an overview of the active UCAs in the region. Along with descriptive information, it details the role the UCA takes and recent public positions in EE proceedings. We hope this guide will help our members and stakeholders better understand the UCAs in their states.