Understand the Rate Plan Browser

The Rate Plan Browser is a central repository of structured, machine-readable data from participating IEDR utilities that is in a standardized form for populating analytical tools used for rate plan modeling. It is a powerful tool that optimizes rate plan data access for users who gather and utilize electric, gas, and steam rate plan data to make informed recommendations and decisions. Over the life of IEDR development, feature enhancements will be scoped and prioritized to reduce, if not eliminate, manual rate plan data processing currently required for a variety of use cases.

The IEDR Rate Plan Browser allows users to easily filter rate plans by key criteria like rate plan name or rate plan features like service type or location. Each row in the Rate Plan Browser has a unique rate plan code assigned to the rate, and one service class may have multiple rate plan options, each with their own unique rate plan code. Factors determining eligibility are structured, letting users narrow down available customer options.

The IEDR Rate Plan Browser includes a Rate Plan Details View. The Rate Plan Details View provides additional details for a given rate plan, ranging from the associated eligibility criteria, time of use periods and fixed charges. A direct link to download the rate plans Tariff Book PDF is included in this table.

A data download option for structured rate plan data in a spreadsheet format is available for both the Rate Plan Browser and the Rate Plan Details View tables.

For dataset details see the Rate Plan data dictionary (opens in new window)

Rate Plans Included

Rate plan data is currently limited to “priority rate plans” which may not include rate plans with small numbers of customers or rate plans no longer available for customers to newly join.

  • Rate Plan Data is available for the following utilities:
    • Avangrid
      • NYSEG (electric, gas)
      • RG&E (electric, gas)
    • Central Hudson Gas & Electric (electric, gas)
    • ConEd (electric, gas, steam)
    • Orange and Rockland Utilities (electric, gas)
    • Liberty (gas)
    • National Fuel Gas Co. (gas)
    • Long Island Power Authority (gas)
    • National Grid (gas, electric)

Note that while New York State is deregulated and retail supply rate plans are available to commercial and residential customers alike, retail supply providers and rate plans are not included on the IEDR platform.

Use Cases Supported by the Rate Plan Browser

The Rate Plan Browser greatly simplifies a myriad of data processing tasks and analyses, such as:

  • Estimating and comparing possible variations in bill impacts between available rate plans resulting from customer energy generation and/or consumption changes, whether from the purchase of an EV or switching to a heat pump
  • Quantifying the potential benefits of participating in a demand response program
  • Highlighting the benefits of investing in home energy efficiency upgrades
  • Accurately assessing savings payback periods for clean energy investments or comparing home energy efficiency upgrades

To enable the use cases, listed above users will have access to the Rate Plan Browser’s database, a standardized, machine-readable database in one centralized location, through the Integrated Energy Data Resource (IEDR) platform. Current Rate Plan Browser functionality includes:

  • Filtering rate plans by customer and service class, service type, utility, and eligibility criteria
  • Customizable table columns for a streamlined user experience
  • Direct navigation to the specific tariff book PDF for a given rate plan
  • A data download option for structured rate plan data in a spreadsheet format
  • A direct link with an export showing rate plan details including eligibility limits and rate plan periods
  • A link to the most recent tariff book PDF in which a given rate plan is included, updated on a daily basis.
  • Keyword searches and filtering of attributes like service type, eligibility limits, and customer class
  • Filtering and sorting rate plans based on zip code, utility provider, rate plan types, rate plan eligibility limit, and customer class
  • Accessing rate plan parameters that are constantly changing in a structured format easily accessible through export
  • Rate plan parameters are limited to those unlikely to be updated more than twice a year. As utilities expand their capabilities to deliver rate plan data to the IEDR, these parameters will be expanded upon to cover more-dynamic rate plan data. Parameters currently included are:
    • Rate Plan Metadata
    • Eligibility criteria and limits
    • Rate plan time of use periods, holidays, seasons
    • Charges:
      • Minimum and other fixed charges
      • Non-time varying charges
      • Thresholds for tiered block rates

The Agile methodology used by the IEDR team is designed to offer value to users incrementally, focusing first on what can be achieved in the near term, then building on that based on user feedback and data availability. The first priority was to offer a way to find rate plan options in a centralized location and a limited set of parameters that help users establish rate plan eligibility. The first iteration of the rate plan schema will serve as foundation for a more elaborate schema encompassing all parameters needed for cost estimation, such as historical and future versions of rate plans and metered distribution and supply charges.

In contrast to other data flow categories included in the IEDR platform so far, no structured formats for New York State rate plan data prior to the start of the IEDR project in the fall of 2022. The data schema presented here was thus newly created, and utilities were tasked with creating entirely new data pipelines for this data. The complexity of rate plans existing in and envisioned for New York State is such that extensive analysis and quality assurance testing will be required to design a schema that fits both current and future rate plans and enables accurate cost estimation.

Future features will enable a broader set of best practices for rate plan modeling. The widespread adoption of improved rate plan modeling is particularly important for increasing customer enrollment in rate plans intended to support distributed energy resource (DER) participation, such as the Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) Value Stack and other rate plans. These types of rate plans require more complex modeling as they may include charges that vary by (tiered blocks of) usage, billed or measured energy demand, and time-of-use periods.

Data Limitations

The rate plan data that is being provided is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for tariff filings made available on the New York State Department of Public Service Website via its Electronic Tariff System (opens in new window) or those on utility websites.

Current limitations in data made available to the IEDR platform include the following:

  • The IEDR platform will receive updates on a periodic basis, so the Rate Plan Browser and the Rate Plan Details view may show different information over time. Note that inclusion in the portal is not a guarantee that a rate plan is available at any particular time.
  • Unique rate plan codes may be updated in the future as utilities evolve their automated rate plan data extraction processes.
  • Not all rate plan data submitted so far contains all requested values. We expect future data updates to resolve these data completeness issues. Known gaps:
    • Missing rate plan period table entries for 18% of electric time of use rate plans
    • Null values for DPS case numbers to link to DPS dockets
    • Missing entries for low income rate plans that require HEAP enrollment