The vote marked a significant setback for Louisiana residents and businesses struggling with unaffordable energy bills and seeking long-term solutions to reduce energy waste and lower costs.
There are a lot of options on the table for how to proceed. The Alliance believes the best path forward is the one that saves residents and businesses the most money. We don’t have to start over and lose the past decade of work.
Commissioner Francis introduced the motion to end the program through a last-minute supplemental agenda item, giving the public less than 48 hours’ notice. The meeting took place at a remote golf resort in Many, Louisiana, limiting public access and media coverage.
After nearly an hour of discussion—during which it became clear there was confusion among Commissioners themselves about what they were voting on—the Commission voted 3–2 to terminate the contract with APTIM, the independent contractor they had previously hired to run the statewide program. APTIM was hired by the LPSC seven months ago, and awarded a $24.5 million contract, to design and roll out the new statewide program, over the next 4 years. They were scheduled to submit their implementation plan on May 1 to the Commission.
Commissioner Campbell, representing north Louisiana, and Commissioner Lewis, covering the river parishes into Baton Rouge, opposed the vote. Commissioner Campbell expressed concern that his colleagues didn’t fully grasp what they were voting to eliminate and asked to “put this off until next month,” adding, “I don’t want to vote for something I don’t fully understand.” Even the LPSC Staff had trouble clarifying what was decided, and Commissioner Coussan requested time to consider language about extending the Public Entities program, which has been a controversial program for government buildings.
What we do know is that the Commission’s April decision effectively ended Louisiana’s only statewide energy efficiency program, and reverts the state back to an outdated and limited program known as Quick Start, which is set to expire at the end of 2025. The Quick Start program was only designed to last for two years and was never intended to be permanent. However, it has taken the LPSC 14 years to approve a new program — which they have now scrapped. Under the old Quick Start program, each utility was in charge of managing energy efficiency programs for their customers — as a result the whole Quick Start program was costly and piecemeal, and focused largely on lighting for many years.
Currently Quick Start is set to continue through the end of 2025, after which the Commission will need to decide whether to renew it. The Alliance is calling on the Commission to make sure Louisiana ratepayers are getting what they paid for, which is an efficiency program that benefits everyone and could save Louisianans millions.
APTIM was hired by the LPSC seven months ago, and awarded a ~$24.5 million contract, to design and roll out a new statewide energy efficiency program, over the next 4 years. APTIM was scheduled to submit their implementation plan to the Commission on May 1 — before their contract was terminated. Which begs the question, why doesn’t the LPSC want the public to see that report? How much money could we be saving? We want to see the report we paid for.
The program that was canceled in April was based on a nationally successful Third-Party Administrator (TPA) model—a structure used in states like Vermont, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Hawaii. Under this model, an independent organization (not a utility) is hired to design and implement the state’s energy efficiency program. For Louisiana, this means that more customers would benefit from energy efficiency as a statewide program that would serve all LPSC jurisdictional customers, including electric co-op members, not just customers of investor-owned utilities.
Lower energy use means lower costs for everyone—even for those who don’t directly participate in efficiency programs—because it reduces the need for expensive new power plants, which all ratepayers ultimately help fund.
An independent program not run by our utilities ensures accountability, removes profit-based conflicts of interest, and streamlines delivery to maximize savings for residents and businesses. “This program was about giving everyone access to tools to reduce energy waste and save money,” said Logan Burke, Executive Director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy. “It wasn’t a mandate—it was a resource.”
Under Louisiana’s current program, if a utility company sells less energy because customers are using less (thanks to efficient appliances, weatherizing, etc.), the utility is reimbursed for that “lost revenue”—a cost that is passed on to customers! The now scrapped TPA model would have ended this practice, saving customers approximately $6 million per year.
Louisiana residents pay higher electricity bills than most of the country, largely due to historically charming but leaky homes and buildings. Energy efficiency programs are one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy bills and waste. Basic upgrades like insulation, sealing cracks and leaks, and upgrading old inefficient appliances can cut monthly bills and energy waste dramatically—especially for low-income households who are more likely to live in inefficient housing.
Just last year, Entergy disconnected power to over 150,000 Louisiana households. With rising fuel, infrastructure and storm costs driving bills even higher, energy efficiency is not just a long-term investment—it’s an immediate lifeline. Without the TPA program, Louisiana ratepayers are left with patchwork, utility-run programs that historically have failed to deliver deep, equitable savings. Louisianans deserve better.
Commissioner Lewis has asked for a re-hearing on the action the Commission took in April at the May 19 LPSC meeting. APTIM may still have an opportunity to present the work they’ve already done—and to show exactly how the program would deliver savings to Louisianans statewide. The May meeting represents a chance for the Commission to get back on the right course and act in the public interest.
Ask why your energy bills are going up while the one program proven to lower them has been canceled. “Residential utility bills are unaffordable for hundreds of thousands of people in our state,” said Logan Burke, AAE’s Executive Director. “So why would the Commission eliminate the only tool we had to fix that?”
What: Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) May Business & Executive Meeting
When: Monday, May 19, 2025 at 10am
Where: Lafayette Consolidated Government, 705 W. University Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70506
Livestream: tinyurl.com/lpscyoutube
Agenda: https://lpsc.louisiana.gov/docs/agenda/May%2019%202025%20B&E%20Agenda2.pdf
We’ll be sharing updates in advance of the May 19 meeting. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and Facebook, or sign up for our newsletter to stay informed.
Contact your Commissioner and tell them to ensure Louisiana has energy efficiency programs that benefit everyone. Let’s make sure the LPSC continues to value people over profit.
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