Assessing Energy Affordability Alongside BCAs

Conducting Distributional Analyses of Affordability, Reliability and Other Metrics

Jurisdictions are increasingly centering energy affordability and reliability as an overarching policy goal, identifying key metrics to be considered when making decisions about utility distributed energy resource (DER) investments. This requires analyzing how the costs and benefits of DER investments will be distributed to different customers in terms of metrics such as bill and rate impacts, participation rates, reliability of services, health impacts and other metrics, and considering the results of this distribution analysis alongside benefit-cost analysis (BCA) results to inform a broader decision framework. A guide for conducting such a distributional analysis, developed by US DOE with support from E4TheFuture, is available for state energy regulators and key stakeholders to help inform implications of DER investment decisions. Download the guide below.

Jointly funded by NESP (a project of E4TheFuture) and LBNL (via US DOE EERE), creation of this Guide was informed by an advisory committee with a broad representation of stakeholders.

Summary Framework. A useful 20-page companion document to the Guide, this summary also provides an overview of key steps. Download the Framework Summary

Case Studies

In 2025 E4TheFuture is working with the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) and Synapse Energy Economics to conduct distributional analyses in Illinois, due to be completed in July 2025.

Questions about this project? Contact NSPM@nationalenergyscreeningproject.org.