12th Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange Resources and Archived Presentations (click on Speaker or Session name in gold)
Presented September 19 - 21, 2018 at Aspen Meadows, Aspen, Colorado
Bookmark this page to easily return for presentation downloads, extra materials shared from the conference, links to photo archives and professional portraits, and updated information. Presentations are available below for the 12th RMUE Conference, as they appeared on the agenda. Click on the presenter name or session name in bold green. Please note some sessions were round table discussions without slides, and a few presenters did not have slides for their sessions.
Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange facilitates a networking and professional development conference for staff representatives of energy and water utilities serving Colorado and neighboring states who are responsible for the design and delivery of customer-centric utility programs, including resource efficiency, load management/growth, distributed energy, and customer/member service operations. This event attracts about 150 utility and government staff as well as trade allies that provide products and services to support utility programs. The agenda focuses on utility best practices, case studies, and lessons learned.
Sneak Peek Preview
The theme for the 12th RMUE was "United We Understand" as it relates to the challenges of engaging utility customers/consumers/members. The theme leveraged concepts presented in the recent Shelton Group EcoPulse Report available at CLICK HERE.
Photo Library
Conference photographs were taken throughout the week and may be accessed in the Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange Master Gallery.
- Go to: https://clients.dkeithpictures.com/rmue
- Enter password: rmue (this password is case-sensitive)
- Select the Exchange gallery RMUE 2018
- Click on the photo type you want to view
- To save favorites or download click "Select Photos"
- Favorites: hover over the photo, and click the "heart" in the upper left corner to mark your favorites.
- Download: hover over the photo and Click the "dot" in the bottom left corner (a checkmark will appear). After selecting the photos to download, scroll to the top and and click on "Download", then follow your browser directions.
- If it is your first time accessing photos, you will be asked to enter a name and email address.
- PLEASE BE COURTEOUS: Ask permission before downloading or using any photo other than your own.
In the PLMA photo gallery, you may access and download the following types of photographs:
- Headshots
- Meetings
- Networking
- Poster Session
You can use your photo to benefit the energy efficiency industry! Learn how you can participate in the Faces of EE initiative at this link and fill out the simple form at this link.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018 |
7:30 - 9:00 am |
Breakfast Buffet and First-Timers Orientation in Davis Commons Buffet breakfast with opportunity to network.
Mary Wiener Holy Cross Energy |
Joy Manning High West Energy |
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9:00 am |
Welcoming Remarks
Mary Wiener Holy Cross Energy |
Ron Horstman Western Area Power Administration |
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9:15 am |
Roundtable Discussion with Utility and Government Agency Introductions
Co-Chair Ann Kirkpatrick Xcel Energy |
Co-Chair Bryce Brady Platte River Power Authority |
Utility / Government Representatives Brief introduction by a designated representative from each utility and government agency present on the one topic they would most like to discuss during the roundtable and the one item that they would most like to learn or share during this event (such as new programs being considered or launched, etc.) 1.00 BPI CEUs
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10:30 am |
Refreshment Break |
10:45 am |
Understand Together: A Roundtable Discussion Facilitated discussion of ways utilities and allies can work together to solve problems on topics identified in advance and during the earlier session, such as:
- Engaging Hard-to-Reach/Nonparticipating Customers
- Keeping Pace with Early Adopting Customers (at the Risk of Being Left Behind)
- Balancing Community and Business Commitments to go 100% Renewables; consider Storage, Off-grid, etc.
1.50 BPI CEUs
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12:00 pm |
Lunch Buffet in Davis Commons Buffet lunch with opportunity to network
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General Session 1 Co-Chairs
Co-Chair Mary Weiner Holy Cross Energy |
Co-Chair Ron Horstman Western Area Power Administration |
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2:00 pm |
Opening Keynote Presentation Settling for More: How Your Demands Define the Future of Energy
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Anne Dougherty, Founder, Illume Advising We talk about "energy innovation," which implies that we are moving in new directions, at a pace that keeps up with market changes. Illume’s Anne Dougherty challenges us to think about whether our research is comprehensive enough, and whether our strategy and planning is integrated enough, to be able to innovate. If we set a low bar for research, strategy and planning, then we settle for mediocrity. When we begin with the view of serving the customer first, how does that change the way we procure and buy research to deliver exceptional programming? Utilities, it starts with you, and your approach to procuring the expertise you need to get you through key inflection points on your road to innovation. Excellence begins with utility buyers setting a higher standard for their consultants and pushing them to think beyond the silos of market research, evaluation, and planning.
Anne is a looked-to expert and sought-after speaker on the human dimensions of energy technologies and resource management. Drawing on social science informed methods, Anne is known for her rigorous yet empathetic research approaches to research that creatively meld multiple empirical methods to answer our client's most vexing questions. She has led multimillion dollar research studies that leverage big data analytics and rich ethnographic research to create people-centric strategies to improve energy technology, program, and marketing strategies. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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2:30 pm |
Strategic Opportunities for Beneficial Electrification Keith Dennis, National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association with Kent Singer, Executive Director, Colorado Rural Electric Association This roundtable conversation will explore the concept of "environmentally beneficial electrification," or the electrification of energy end uses such as space heating, water heating, agricultural pumping, and transportation (electric vehicles) to create environmental and economic benefits. Beneficial electrification provides the opportunity to displace the direct combustion of fossil fuels such as diesel, gasoline, propane, fuel oil, and natural gas and to reduce green house gas emissions. With a focus on emissions efficiency, rather than just on conventional energy conservation, promoting beneficial electrification can help meet green house gas reduction goals while providing a wide variety of other economic and environmental benefits to local communities and the nation.
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3:00 pm |
The State of Energy Consumers Today Nathan Shannon, Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative What are the needs and wants of energy consumers today? And how can electric utilities and their partners effectively reach them and engage them in programs and services? Distilling insights from all of Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative's 2017 consumer research projects, this session will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of how U.S. consumers think about and engage with smart energy, their energy providers and the various products and services this broader energy ecosystem enables. Attendees will also hear actionable takeaways on what today's consumers want and real-life examples of consumer engagement successes. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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3:30 pm |
Refreshment Break |
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General Session 2 Co-Chairs
Co-Chair Ron Horstman Western Area Power Administration |
Co-Chair Robert Love Longmont Power & Communications |
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3:45 pm |
A Resource Guide for Utility-Led Distributed Solar Programs John Powers, Extensible Energy; Jill Cliburn, Cliburn and Associates; with Odette Mucha, US Department of Energy The Community Solar Value Project, co-funded by the US DOE SunShot program, has produced a first-of-its-kind guide to developing solar-plus-storage programs – either as community solar or as other utility-led distributed solar projects. This presentation will review recent relevant case studies from utilities in multiple areas including the Rocky Mountain West. Fort Collins Utilities and the Platte River Power Authority both served on the project’s Utility Forum, which oversaw the project’s progress in addressing issues of specific interest to utility program designers and implementers. The Guide will be made available to Utility Exchange members, and the presenters will walk attendees through a simple checklist in order to make the most of this valuable resource.
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4:15 pm |
Front Range Utilities Unite to Reach More Customers and Reduce Costs Brian Tholl, Fort Collins Utilities with Rob O'Connell, Xcel Energy Xcel Energy and Fort Collins Utilities have formed a collaboration to streamline our common customer’s participation in several incentive programs. With the two utilities sharing customers within a service territory, both utilities recognize the that leveraging each other’s brands and resources could increase participation to programs at a reduced cost. This presentation will summarize the efforts to align program deliveries in the residential, commercial, and multifamily segments using common vendors to deliver programs and services. Examples include an aligned midstream cooling program, multifamily program collaboration, commercial audit programs, and new eCommerce marketplace with shared costs. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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4:45 pm |
Plugging into Community Climate Action: Defining and Advancing Emerging Priorities Chris Menges, City of Aspen with Laura Armstrong, City of Aspen Communities are setting ambitious carbon reduction goals and developing climate action plans for achieving them. Program managers from utilities and local governments are being asked to lead or participate in these efforts. Aspen updated its climate action plan (CAP) through an extensive stakeholder process that leveraged energy data, program insights and regional expertise. The new CAP prioritizes 45 actions across 6 sectors for implementation over 3 years. This session will discuss developing the CAP and explore prioritized actions related to energy supply, efficiency in residential and commercial buildings, and electrification. Aspen’s CAP shows what’s possible at the community scale, and quantifies the potential impacts of each objective. Session attendees will discover tools available to advance their own climate action planning processes, gain an understanding of what it takes to develop a CAP, and examine how utilities, NGO, and private-sector partners can expect to play a role. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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5:15 pm |
Sponsor Showcase Lightning Round Lightning-fast round of introductions to companies that offer leading-edge technology and service innovations.In this 15-minute session you will hear from several of our sponsors about the essence of their solutions. The presentations are vetted and help the sponsors get their key messages compressed down to 3 minutes. Sponsors will offer specific examples of how they provide value.
Jamie Mascarin AM Conservation Group, Inc. |
Francois Lebrasseur A.O. Smith |
Tiffany McCann EFI |
Charlie Bicknell Nexant |
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5:30 - 7:00 pm |
Networking Reception with Poster Session and Family-friendly Activities
Co-Chair Christmas Wharton Grand Valley Power |
Co-Chair Tracey Hewson City of Loveland |
- Connecting Benchmarking with DSM Participation
Patrick Schmitz, XCEL Energy with Kirk Longstein, Fort Collins Utilities
- Increasing Hispanic Participation in Energy Efficiency Programs
Michelle Beaudoin, Xcel Energy; Rob O'Connell, Xcel Energy and Tyler Kesler, Boulder County; and Paola Trejo, CLEAResult
- Customer Empathy Mapping
Ann Kirkpatrick, Xcel Energy with Melanie Wemple, E Source
- Beyond the Audit: Nurturing Customers to Deeper Savings
Meghann Goddard, Franklin Energy
- Cross-promoting Programs to Drive Customer Engagement and Value
Rob O’Connell, Xcel Energy
- HERS to Homes: Taking the Report to the Customer
Katie Parkinson, Apex Analytics
- Energy Rated and Added Comfort: Energy Efficient Window Attachments
Emily Phan-Gruber, The Attachments Energy Rating Council; Katherine Cort, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Stacy Lambright, Hunter Douglas
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Wi-Fi Hosted by Franklin Energy
Thursday, September 20, 2018 |
7:30 - 9:00 am |
Breakfast Buffet in Davis Commons Buffet breakfast with opportunity to network
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General Session 3 Co-Chairs
Co-Chair Megan Moore-Kemp Yampa Valley Electric Association |
Co-Chair Alantha Garrison Gunnison County Electric Association |
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9:00 am |
Energy Efficiency as a Distributed Energy Resource Carmen Best, Open Energy Efficiency Carmen explains how a new approach to metering and calculating energy savings can transform the industry and turn efficiency into a true grid resource. This presentation is designed to address fundamental barriers to the scaling of efficiency by deploying a platform that encourages consumer-facing innovation through competitive energy efficiency aggregation markets, while allowing energy savings to be fully valued as a grid and carbon resource. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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9:30 am |
Consumer-Centric Program Design David White, Poudre Valley REA What would your utility learn if you could do a deep dive with a few of your members about their motivations, goals -- and frustrations -- and use it to develop products and services for your members? Poudre Valley REA in Colorado is piloting an approach to help every department at the co-op design programs that offer the greatest value to its members. Get an overview of a method that has been used successfully in other industries and that is now being tested at utilities. Hear the results from the co-ops' ethnographic research.
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10:00 am |
Enabling New Rate Structures with Grid Edge Applications Joey Alexander, Landis+Gyr As utilities introduce more time of use and residential demand rates, it is critical to offer simple, affordable, and convenient tools to help consumers better manage their energy consumption. Utilities are meeting this challenge by utilizing a distributed application running on consumers’ billing meters, continuously monitoring instantaneous demand and forecasting future demand. As forecasted demand approaches a pre-set customer configured demand threshold, the application autonomously manages—in-real-time—the load on high consuming devices such as HVAC, electric water heaters, or pool pumps. Load shedding is achieved using a priority order defined by the consumer via web portal or mobile app. With 30-second waiting periods to evaluate the impact of the initial shed, shedding commands are sent to additional devices until the forecasted demand is below the threshold. As power consumption drops, the loads are brought back on to the system without exceeding the demand target. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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10:30 am |
Refreshment Break |
10:45 am |
The Compact of Colorado Communities: Building Organizational Capacity for Effective Climate Action Steve Skadron, City of Aspen, Mayor and Founder of the Compact; Dan Kreeger, Compact of Colorado Communities; Ashley Perl, City of Aspen with Representatives from Compact Communities and Utility Partners The Compact of Colorado Communities focuses on building capacity in local governments to rapidly scale up and advance climate action planning. In doing so, Colorado communities can accelerate the implementation of solutions related to preparedness and resiliency; clean energy; transportation and mobility; job creation and economic development; and, public awareness and engagement. Currently, 28 local governments in Colorado are Compact members. Several of those members are also historic attendees of RMUE. This session will provide current members with an update on Compact activities while providing prospective members with an overview of the organization and its value. The session will focus heavily on where current members are (geographically), which utilities serve them, what goals those members are setting vis-à-vis energy and efficiency, and the implications for members and utilities. Specific examples from the RMUE community will be highlighted. For example, Breckenridge's recent commitment to 100% renewable energy and their work coordinating with both a cooperative and investor-owned utility.
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11:15 am |
Opportunities for a Customer-centric Energy Transition in the West
The landscape for Western utilities is changing quickly and dramatically. Increasing wholesale market access, low-cost renewable energy, and battery energy storage are changing the calculus around utility resource planning, while distributed energy resources (e.g., rooftop solar, behind-the-meter batteries, electric vehicles) present new opportunities for customers and utilities alike. Utilities that fail to adapt to this changing landscape risk being left behind as customer-led resource adoption and third-party service providers threaten to erode energy sales; however, recent examples from Colorado of renewable procurement (e.g., Public Service Company of Colorado), long-term low-carbon planning (e.g., Platte River Power Authority), and customer-focused distributed energy business models (e.g., Fort Collins Utilities) suggest a way forward for utilities to leverage emerging trends. This presentation will lay out some of the fundamental risks and opportunities facing Western utilities today, and offer recommendations for no-regrets, near-term actions that utilities can take to meet customer needs and sustain their business in the coming decades.
Bryan Hannegan is President and CEO of Holy Cross Energy, a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative utility providing electricity and energy products and services to more than 55,000 customers in Western Colorado. Prior to joining Holy Cross in July 2017, Bryan was the Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Systems Integration at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where he co-founded the US Department of Energy's Grid Modernization Initiative and started up the successful Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF), a unique "distribution grid in a box" enabling utilities, entrepreneurs and consumers to work together on cleaner, more affordable and more reliable energy systems. Earlier in his career, Bryan served in multiple executive roles over seven years at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), leading power sector industry R&D programs in environmental science, energy analysis, fossil generation and renewable energy. From 1999-2006 Bryan was an active high-level contributor to U.S. and global energy and environmental policy, first as Staff Scientist to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, then as Associate Director for Energy and Transportation (and later Chief of Staff) for the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). He also served as acting Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, helping to formulate the Advanced Energy Initiative and to implement the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Bryan holds a Doctorate in earth system science and a Master of Science in engineering, both from the University of California, Irvine; and a Bachelor of Science in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma.
Mark is a principal with the Electricity Practice at Rocky Mountain Institute, where he has worked since 2008 and currently leads RMI research and collaboration efforts around the roles that distributed energy resources can play in grid planning and investment. At RMI, Mark has led cutting-edge research projects on the value that renewable energy, demand flexibility, and storage offer customers and the grid, and has advised clients including large utilities, regulatory commissions, oil majors, and clean-tech companies on distributed energy topics. 0.75 BPI CEUs
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12:00 pm |
Lunch Buffet in Davis Commons Buffet lunch with opportunity to network
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Breakout Sessions |
Track A – IoT/Technology
Co-Chair Brian Tholl City of Fort Collins |
Co-Chair Gary Myers Tri-State |
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2:00 pm |
Put a Meter on it! Connected, Low-cost Submetering Amy Jiron, U.S. Department of Energy with Dylan Cutler, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Despite documented widespread market demand, technology for submetering has been cost-prohibitive at approximately $1,000/point, keeping many building loads out of reach for both building operators and utility programs. Recently, however, DOE announced the launch of a wireless submeter at $100/point. This session will summarize initial results from field study of this low-cost wireless submeter as well as two other connected submetering field studies at GSA’s Denver Cesar Chavez Building and Salt Lake City Courthouse. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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2:30 pm |
Smart Energy Management Circuit Breakers, Grid of the Future? Gary Myers, Tri-State G&T with Joseph Childs, Eaton Managing the load is becoming just as important as managing energy at the source. To keep costs down and service levels up, consumers become a critical piece of the energy puzzle. Demand response programs, in order to better manage energy usage, require actively engaged consumers and highly connected homes. Early advances in smart home technology have done a lot to open our members minds to new ways to increase their comfort while saving them money and energy. Inspired by the success of companies like Nest, the smart home market has been surging in recent years. The Pilot project Tri-State has been involved in over the past 1+ year, with EPRI and Eaton has further opened our eyes individual device data collection with 18 devices currently deployed on many different devices within Colorado/ New Mexico. Our Wi-Fi devices are collecting data from solar gardens, electric automobile charging stations, heating, cooling, and plug load. The Dashboard provides voltage, amperage, power factor, and wave form of connected devices in real time educating our members! Interested, see what all of us have learned??? 0.50 BPI CEUs
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3:00 pm |
Lessons Learned from Connected Home Utility Programs Sarah Colvin, ecobee; Brad Davids, Google (Nest); and Keith Canfield, CLEAResult The proliferation of connected home devices provides a brand-new avenue for utilities to engage with customers. But in what way? How? Where do you start? With a platform of voice-connected smart home products, ecobee and Nest have led the way and been collecting a wealth of information about how customers think and interact with their devices. This data is incredibly useful in understanding not only how customers live in their homes, but in how the home itself performs. In this session, hear about utility case studies, and learn what’s gone well, what hasn’t and some unexpected surprises in program implementation examples along the way. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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Track B – Customer Engagement
Co-Chair Joy Manning High West Energy |
Co-Chair Alan Stoinski Cheyenne Fuel, Light and Power |
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2:00 pm |
Customer Centricity: Prioritizing Customer Experience in Innovative Program Design Lee Hamilton, Xcel Energy with Jeana Swedenburg, Cadmus With the future of lighting savings in question, utilities across the country are looking for previously untapped savings opportunities through customer-focused program concepts. During this presentation, we will explore case studies of new and innovative programs that reach across departmental lines (e.g., corporate marketing, billing, information technology) to prioritize customer engagement while capturing energy savings and driving market transformation. A sampling of the customer-centric programs discussed during the presentation include: utility loyalty programs, proactive energy alerts, and demand-shifting electric vehicle pricing options. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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2:30 pm |
Longmont Power & Communications' NextLight, Colorado's First Municipal-owned Broadband Utility Anne Lutz, Longmont Power & Communications; Chuck Finleon, Longmont Power & Communications; and Robert Love, Longmont Power & Communications Learn about how a small energy services group at a municipal electric utility unified their energy efficiency programs and renewable portfolio by adding broadband and phone services. By using our expertise and community connections as well as our key account program, we added on a call center to serve our residential customers’ needs. Our key account managers have learned to perform site surveys for commercial customers and sell the broadband services we offer. We have learned the world of MDUs (multifamily) and have thousands of apartment units and condos connected as well, as well as incorporating specialized sales and billing software into our processes.
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3:00 pm |
Giving Customers Control via Education and Gamification Dave Hatchimonji, Boulder County with Matt Wilmoth, CLEAResult Customers want to be in control of their comfort, expenses, and impact on the world. Utilities and communities are in a position to empower their customers to have this control when it comes to energy use and sustainability. However, this can be challenging due to the limited amount of time and attention that many customers are able to dedicate to these topics. By putting additional emphasis on customer education, our industry can empower more customers to actually join the conversation. More and more customers are using websites and mobile devices to stay informed and connected. This presentation will focus on an online platform that serves to educate, guide, and reward customers as they strive to understand energy efficiency, improve their homes, control their comfort/expenses, and ultimately thrive. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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3:30 pm |
Refreshment Break |
Track A – Energy as a Service, Not a Product
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3:45 pm |
Targeting Individual Homes for Beneficial Electrification Adam Stenftenagel, Radiant Labs Utilities as well as State and City governments are faced with the need to dramatically reduce fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions. As electric utilities switch to renewables, the need to electrify space heating and transportation becomes increasingly important. The City of Boulder, National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), and Radiant Labs have partnered to develop a sophisticated targeting tool that harnesses the power of publicly available data and combines it with NREL's ResStock platform. The tool unlocks extremely useful information that cities and utilities have previously not utilized to perform an hourly energy model on each individual home in a community, effectively pinpointing individual homes that are the best candidates for all forms of beneficial electrification as well as traditional energy efficiency improvements. The City of Boulder is deploying this platform to power a series of pilot programs focused on beneficial electrification that range from air source heat pump adoption to microgrid implementation and electric vehicles. Adam will present lessons learned from the Boulder pilots as well as detail how Radiant Labs' platform is helping target the ideal candidates for this effort. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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4:15 pm |
Electric Vehicles: Customer & Employee Input on Program Planning Allie Marshall, Cadmus With the electric vehicles (EV) on the rise, utilities across the country are looking to develop EV programs that increase customer adoption of EVs and promote the use of EVs in the workplace, thus setting the foundation for market transformation. During this presentation, we will explore recent California utility research results using focus groups and conjoint analysis to investigate the influence of charging station locations and charging pricing strategies on the purchase and use of EVs.
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4:45 pm |
Connecting with Customers Through the eCommerce Experience Colin Lamb, Xcel Energy During just the first 6 months of operation, nearly 200,000 customers visited the Xcel Energy Store. Xcel Energy will discuss how it has used its marketplace to successfully increase customer participation in programs, improve program cost effectiveness and overcome barriers to delivering downstream instant rebates to customers through both on-line and brick-and-mortar channels. Highlights will include lessons-learned from the groundbreaking in-store rebate launch with Lowe’s, current store offerings, retail partnerships, impacts of various marketing strategies on driving customer conversions, overall customer satisfaction results and future strategies. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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Track B – Reaching Hard to Reach Customers
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3:45 pm |
The Country’s First Cannabis Cultivator Engagement, Energy Use & Management Program Mary Wiener, Holy Cross Energy with Eric Stern, Cultivate Energy Optimization Currently permitted in 30 states, cannabis cultivation is one of the country’s most energy intensive industries, accounting for an estimated 1% of all U.S. energy use and 4% in Colorado. Thousands of indoor cannabis businesses must manage the significant monthly energy costs of 24-hour lighting, constant HVAC operation, humidification management, irrigation needs, and other varying energy demands – presenting unique challenges to both owners and the utilities that serve them. In the spring of 2018, Holy Cross Energy, in partnership with Cultivate Energy Optimization, created the country’s first and most significant cannabis cultivation energy use and management program – offering its indoor cannabis growers resources and tools to better understand and manage their energy costs. This session will present the unique approach created by Holy Cross to not only engage with their cannabis customers but to also provide them with specialized on-site technical assistance and guidance. Please join us for a fascinating look at how cannabis growers use and manage energy in Colorado, and how one local utility responded with action.
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4:15 pm |
AOG/OG&E Weatherization Program and the Arkansas Consistent Weatherization Approach John Ware, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp. (Summit Utilities/Colorado Natural Gas) with Ryan Lee, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company The AOG/OG&E Weatherization Program was launched in 2011 and is jointly implemented by Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation (a natural gas utility) and Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (an electric utility) to weatherize severely energy inefficient homes in their overlapping service territories in western Arkansas. This highly successful program improves comfort and reduces energy costs by upgrading the thermal envelope of qualified homes and installing other common energy efficiency measures - all AT NO COST to the customer. The customer-centric program exhibits cross-fuel cooperation that results in a comprehensive weatherization program with lower administrative costs. Through the efforts of the Arkansas Parties Working Collaboratively (PWC), the Arkansas Public Service Commission ultimately adopted the AOG/OG&E Weatherization Program model in its quest for a statewide consistent weatherization approach, which is currently utilized by all investor-owned utilities in Arkansas. 0.50 BPI CEUs
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4:45 pm |
Water Panel:
I’ll Head Your Way: Meeting Customers in the Middle Dr. Liesel Hans, Fort Collins Utilities Last year we told the story of a web portal and how some customers were using it (and how the majority were not). The takeaway? It’s not surprising that customers aren’t coming to a utility website to understand their use and what actions to take. This story continues with how we’re trying engage and educate customers: we’re finding out where customers are, working to meet them in the middle, rather than asking them to come to us. This talk will showcase examples where we used customer feedback to adapt our approach. Examples include co-piloting different communication tactics, giving customers what they want, making utility events fun… plus a few things that didn’t work. Conservation and efficiency goals and customers both benefit when we take time to solicit input and try new approaches. 0.50 BPI CEUs
Postcards: The Ultimate Conversation Starter Abbye Neel, Fort Collins Utilities A leaking toilet can waste over 3,000 gallons in a few days. Irrigation leaks can add up even faster. In the fall of 2017 Fort Collins Utilities began exploring methods to communicate abnormally high-water use, which can be indicative of a leak, to commercial customers. While phone calls were initially made, man-power and volume limited the number of customers that could be reached. To contact more customers Fort Collins Utilities began sending postcards to customers identified as having continuous water consumption for over 24 hours. Customers with odd-numbered accounts received postcards that discussed the impacts continuous water use had on natural resources. Customers with even-numbered accounts received postcards that discussed the impacts continuous water use had on monthly bills. This presentation will explore lessons learned, the postcard campaign’s ability to reduce the number of customers with wasteful use, and which message was most likely to elicit a reaction.
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6:00 - 7:00 pm |
Networking Reception at Aspen Tap |
Wi-Fi Hosted by Franklin Energy
Friday, September 21, 2018 |
7:30 - 9:00 am |
Breakfast Buffet in Davis Commons Buffet breakfast with opportunity to network
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Workshop 1
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9:00 am Electrifying Transportation: Developing Integrated Charging Networks for Electric Vehicles
Speakers:
The Colorado Electric Vehicle (EV) Plan establishes a goal of nearly 1,000,000 EVs in Colorado by 2030. Achieving this goal will require thousands of new Level II and DC fast-charging stations. This session will explore the role of utilities and government in electrifying the transportation sector, including planning, policy, grant programs, utility rates, and ownership models.
CEO will present policy and program updates including the Colorado EV Plan, REV West MOU, VW Beneficiary Mitigation Plan, and CEO grant programs to electrify highways and communities. CEO will share updates about its DC Fast-Charging Transportation Corridor grant program, and partnerships with cooperatives, municipal utilities, and investor-owned utilities in developing and continuing to refine program and policy offerings will be highlighted.
Rocky Mountain Institute will present a market update that provides a snapshot of the most recent EV research, papers, and publications. Following this, representatives from three different types of Colorado electric utilities will present on their approaches to EV infrastructure, rates and outreach: Xcel Energy, Holy Cross Energy, and Colorado Springs Utilities.
Workshop participants will be asked to share proposed strategies, programs, and experiences that expand on the presentations. A facilitated discussion among IOUs, Coops, and Municipal utilities on current and planned efforts will highlight opportunities and challenges facing Colorado utilities and identify areas for future collaboration at state and local levels.
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Workshop 2
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9:00 am Customer Experiences Workshop: Journey Mapping
Ann Kirkpatrick Xcel Energy |
Melanie Wemple E Source |
Customer journey mapping provides a framework that can break down departmental barriers that limit us and our programs’ potential, resulting in increased internal collaboration, program participation and higher customer satisfaction. What is it like to be Craig, a 39-year-old customer, interacting with your utility? What pain points become apparent? We will identify Craig’s pain points, attitudes and emotions; brainstorm possible ways to improve Craig’s experience with us; get “real” and then do some planning. You’ll hear one utility’s experience with the process, and some of the CX improvements that have resulted. You’ll have some fresh ideas about how to improve CX in your own company – with less resistance - when the workshop ends.
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Workshop 3
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9:00 am Community Goals Meet Utility Realities: Developing Best Practices for an Evolving Landscape
Chris Menges City of Aspen |
Kristen Taddonio Compact of Colorado Communities |
Kevin Brehm Rocky Mountain Institute |
This facilitated discussion hosted by the Compact of Colorado Communities 'Utilities Working Group', is an opportunity for local government and utility leaders to communicate directly about understanding and advancing community renewable & energy efficiency goals. We’ll highlight examples of where utilities and communities are working together effectively and cooperatively, discuss what's happening in places where cooperation is less than ideal, and explore what it would take to replicate the successes. Through a series of charrettes, activities and collective brainstorms, workshop participants will shape these answers and assist the Compact working group in its quest to develop a series of best practices for effective community-to-utility (and vice-versa) communication.
More than ever, citizens are asking their elected officials to influence decisions related to energy. Often, these decisions are made by utilities rather than by local government staff. This has created a new dynamic where government staff are reaching out to utilities to represent their constituents. How can both parties effectively communicate so that the relationship is collaborative and so that goals can be pursued in a way that aligns with the utility’s constraints? This workshop seeks to begin answering that question.
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Wi-Fi Hosted by Franklin Energy
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