PSC tells Lafourche Council its energy-efficiency program has returned $1.6 million to the parish

A representative from Commissioner Jean-Paul Cuson’s office and program manager Mary Liz Bowyer told the Lafourche Parish Council on Aug. 26 that the Louisiana Public Service Commission’s energy‑efficiency program has supported local projects and can fully fund facility upgrades for public entities.

Mary Liz Bowyer, who runs the energy‑efficiency program for District 2, said the PSC has completed seven projects in Lafourche Parish and "since 2023, we've given back $1,600,000 specifically to Lafourche." She described the program as funded by utilities and able to cover lighting, HVAC and other upgrades at no cost to participating public entities. "It helps to improve infrastructure and then also has an environmental impact because you're able to reduce the energy, which lowers emissions," she said.

The presenter explained that the PSC sets rates and regulates utilities statewide and that the district office helps constituents with billing and outage issues. The representative encouraged parish staff and local public entities to contact the district office to have potential projects evaluated and said team members can help fast‑track projects where neighborhoods experience frequent outages.

Council members asked for clarification about future rate renewals; the presenter said Commissioner Cuson intends to seek parameters in an upcoming renewal to limit large one‑time recoveries and to add "teeth" to the formula rate plan that utilities follow.

Bowyer provided contact information and encouraged municipalities and parish departments to submit facilities for evaluation and potential upgrades.