House Bill 79 - which would restore energy savings programs that were eliminated in HB 6 - passed out of the House Public Utilities Committee almost a year ago, on June 21, 2023. The legislation amends state policy for competitive retail electric service to encourage electric distribution utilities (EDUs) to develop voluntary portfolios of energy savings programs.
Ohio businesses and residents would benefit significantly from the energy efficiency savings and peak demand reduction savings programs. Saving energy means saving money, and reduced demand assists in the transition to clean energy generation. Like HB 197, the Committee hearings on HB 79 were dominated by proponents, and both bills have bipartisan sponsors and co-sponsors. The delay in getting a floor vote seems to reflect disagreement within the House Republican caucus, whose members have been receiving negative and misleading information from the right-wing Americans for Prosperity lobbying group.
At the same time, demand for energy is growing in Ohio and is being met by imported power. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that Ohio typically imports between about one-fifth and one-fourth of the electricity it needs each year from other states and Canada by way of the regional grid. HB 79 alone can't reverse that situation, but it can put Ohio on a path of reducing demand and using energy more efficiently.
