What is an IRP?
What is an irp?
Integrated Resource Plans, or IRPs, explain how a utility plans to meet its customers’ electricity needs in the most affordable way over the next 10-15 years. In West Virginia, investor-owned utilities must file these plans with the Public Service Commission every five years. By law, IRPs have to serve the public interest and align with the state’s energy and environmental goals.
The IRP process is long, technical, and often hard for the average person to follow. But when customers are organized and able to push past those barriers to get involved, their coordinated comments, questions, and feedback can strongly influence the final plan and the investments the utility decides to make.
WHY SHOULD I, A RATEPAYER, CARE?
Integrated Resource Plans matter because they shape the choices your utility makes with your money. The IRP influences what you will pay on your monthly bill, how reliable your power will be during storms or extreme weather, and whether your community gets access to cheaper, modern energy options. A strong plan can prioritize cost-saving efficiency programs, home weatherization, grid upgrades, and modern technologies that improve air quality and support local jobs. A weak plan can lock families into paying for aging, expensive infrastructure without improving reliability. Paying attention to an IRP helps ensure the utility’s long-term spending actually benefits the customers funding it.
Your voice in the IRP process matters because utilities will not include more affordable, flexible resources unless customers push for them. Demand for electricity is growing, and ratepayers have the power to advocate for smarter, lower-cost solutions that meet that demand without driving bills higher. Many customers are even ready to invest their own private capital in these technologies, but without utility programs or planning that makes space for them, everyone loses out. When ratepayers speak up with coordinated, consistent feedback, utilities are far more likely to incorporate strategies that keep costs down, improve reliability, and build an energy system that truly works for the people who depend on it every day.
Okay, i get it! now… what can i do?
We are so glad you asked! We are currently in the middle of an IRP in West Virginia! You can take action by submitting a comment to the PSC, demanding more from the utility in your area.
If your utility is a FirstEnergy subsidiary (Mon Power or Potomac Edison), click here to learn what’s in their IRP, what’s at stake for customers, and what you can call for when submitting a comment.