Ohio lawmaker wants utilities to give customers rebates for reducing power use

The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published on News5Cleveland.com under a content-sharing agreement.

Ohioans could soon be able to sign up for programs that reduce their energy bills in exchange for allowing the utility to dial back their consumption. These demand response programs already exist for big energy consumers like factories, but state Rep. Roy Klopfenstein, R-Haviland, thinks residential consumers should have the opportunity as well.

“This is one more tool in the toolbox that gives the distribution folks, the ability to manage the power so those that need it the most — and you can put whatever you want in there — that they are never without power,” he said.

In a press release describing the measure, House Bill 427 , Klopf