3^rd Rocky Mountain Utility Efficiency Exchange

Presented by Western Area Power Administration for Western customers only:
Introduction to Western's Online IRP Reporting System
Linda Swails, Energy Services Manager, Western Area Power Administration
All Western customers are required to do IRPs and to report every year. Some customers rely on other utilities to submit an IRP for them but for all that submit their own IRP, this class will be very helpful.

Sponsored by Electric & Gas Industries Association session and open to all attendees:
What Utilities Need to Know About Working with Home Improvement Contractors
Bruce Matulich and David Warren, EGIA
Discover what goes into establishing and maintaining a network of contractors to refer to home and business owners for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements

Lunch Buffet and Meet the Sponsors in Meadows Restaurant
Hot buffet lunch with opportunity to meet in small groups with representatives from the sponsor organizations

Jeffrey Ackermann, Advisor to the Commissioners, Demand-Side Management, Colorado Public Utilities Commission

Carbon dioxide reduction goals, climate action plans, federal and state efficiency standards (to name a few) have promised to deliver a ton of energy savings and reduce our carbon footprint well into the future. As we know, our current and new DSM efforts will be relied upon to help reach these higher goals for our state, region, or utility portfolios. Jeff will help us navigate our way through this new world of DSM and delve into some of the planning and operational issues that are on the horizon. What it will take to push DSM beyond our current levels?

Focus on Utility Program Portfolio session

Session Co-Chairs: Jeff Rice, City of Aspen Utilities and Peter Narog, Xcel Energy

Utility Program Snap Shots

Five-minute highlights of utility program activities with focus on program portfolios for 2009 and 2010, presented by the session co-chairs and other participants

Xcel Energy Overview of 2009/2010 Programs (And Lessons Learned So Far)
Peter Narog, Manager, Consumer Energy Efficiency Marketing, Xcel Energy

Excess is Out 2009/2010 Program Collaborative
Paul Smith, Manager, Demand Side Management, SourceGas
Collaborative between SourceGas, Atmos Energy, Colorado Natural Gas, and Eastern Colorado Utilities

3:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Achieving Aggressive Efficiency Goals
John Phelan, Energy Services/DSM, Fort Collins Utilities

Plans and strategies to achieve The City of Fort Collins' aggressive energy efficiency goals of 1.5% reduction of energy use per year as part of an overall climate action plan to reduce CO2 citywide. Achieving 1.5% reduction in energy use through energy efficiency per year is a huge goal and is well beyond most utility energy efficiency program goals in the country

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Black Hills Energy Program Portfolio Overview
Matt Daunis, Director, Energy Efficiency, Black Hills Energy

Case study on how a customer-focused marketing campaign effectively supports the implementation of a comprehensive and extensive energy efficiency marketing and communications program, capitalizing on the results of benchmarking studies and customer profiles, to effectively reflect customer values and needs and encouraging them to participate in residential energy efficiency programs.

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Roaring Fork Valley Utility Collaborative
Jeff Rice, Utilities Energy Efficiency Manager, City of Aspen

Collaborative between City of Aspen Utilities, Holy Cross Electric Cooperative, City of Glenwood Springs and CORE

Networking Reception and Poster Session hosted by Staples and Associates
Hosted bar and hors d'oeurves among the sponsor displays and posters on topics related to utility-sponsored program design, implementation and design.

Poster Topics

Lowering Costs Through Resource Pooling Between Load Serving Entities
Nils E. Tellier, P.E.; Robertson-Bryan, Inc.

Pooling resources between Load Serving Entities can result in substantial operations savings: Increased availability of energy resources from take-or-pay contracts; Smoother total load envelope and better control of scheduling imbalance; Transition from retail to wholesale position; and Accessibility to larger resources such as generation and long-term contracts. Includes a concrete example of a California POU doing energy resource pooling.

Resource Action Programs’ result driven school-based Programs provide an increased awareness of residential water use and energy efficiency, while offering practical lessons and tools to lower monthly utility bills for residential customers. A family participating in the LivingWise Program will save on average 9,000 gallons of water, 330 kWh of electricity, and 40 therms of gas per year by retrofitting their home with the devices provided as part of the Program.

Are you getting the most out of your website? See examples of how utilities like Westar and United Power are using their website to promote and drive participation in their energy efficiency programs. Learn how to avoid the trap of websites that are internally focused, versus serving your customers.

In order to increase energy efficiency program participation in the small commercial market (400 kW or less), Xcel Energy is providing a lighting program that includes on-site audits and assistance with incentives and contractor facilitation. Audit data is collected electronically on PDAs, and reports with savings opportunities and incentives are delivered on-site/via e-mail to the customer. The overarching objective is to make it quick and easy for a customer to implement a lighting project. A critical component includes proactive customer assistance to collect bids – via a network of pre-qualified lighting allies -- through project completion and incentive paperwork submittal.

United Power’s early-October “Energy Expo 2009” featured SWEEP’s 4-hour CEDAR Workshop (Conservation > Efficiency > Demand > Ancillary > Renewables). This poster highlights content/skills sessions and follow-up Member goals: 1) saving 25% with “low-cost/no-cost;” 2) defining investments to save 25% more; 3) dropping peak demand; and 4) assessing five renewables.

A geospatial and building performance platform with a social awareness component - is eligible for the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. GainesvilleGreen.com is the version sponsored by Gainesville Regional Utilities and can easily become a part of any utility’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy.

Appliances account for about 17 percent of household energy consumption, and refrigerators are among the top three users. Using tools Western Area Power Administration customers can borrow from the Equipment Loan Program, we investigate three refrigerators and discover that one of them is stealing its owner blind.

This “poster” would focus on a successful member education program, which includes establishing an identifiable contact – “Gary the Energy Guy” – who is ready to address member energy use concerns; practical use of quality auditing options/techniques (infrared, blower door, common-sense approaches, etc.); and follow-up efforts that identify successes and provide insight.

Rather than go it alone, 4 natural gas utilities serving Colorado jointly plan and manage the "Excess is out" marketing campaign which includes an innovative rebate processing approach.

Utility program and research has identified high-impact opportunities via retro-commissioning of golf course irrigation central control systems, irrigation pump staging and clubhouse cart charging that significantly reduces kWh consumption and kW demand. All results have been packaged in order to present energy reductions, carbon footprint reductions and total costs savings.

Innovative energy savings products (KVAR and Green Switch) that Aspen City Utilities is testing on some pumps and motor drives.

Breakfast Buffet in Meadows Restaurant

8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Two Concurrent Session Tracks will be presenter throughout Thursday morning and afternoon

Focus on Residential Energy Efficiency
Session Chairs: Linda Swails, Western Area Power Administration and Steve Casey, Holy Cross Energy

Focus on Commercial Energy Efficiency
Session Chairs: Adam Perry, Platte River Power Authority and Matt Daunis, Black Hills Energy 

8:30 am - 9:00 am

Utility Residential Program Snap Shots
Five-minute highlights of utility program activities presented by the session co-chairs and other participants

Utility Commercial Program Snap Shots
Five-minute highlights of utility program activities presented by the session co-chairs and other participants

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 am

Home Energy Audit Program Implementation Strategies
• Paul Kriescher, Lightly Treading Energy & Design with Peter Narog, Xcel Energy
• Steve Byers, EnergyLogic, with Paul Smith, SourceGas
• Tom Dubos, Apogee Interactive

Panel discussion with program implementation companies delivering comprehensive in-home energy analysis with improvement installations in the service territories of Xcel Energy, SourceGas, and elsewhere.

Business Energy Audit Program Implementation Strategies
• Kevin Afflerbaugh, City of Boulder (City of Bolder ClimateSmart)
• Susannah Pedigo, Xcel Energy
• Julie Sieving, The Brendle Group

Panel discussion with program implementation companies delivering commercial energy analysis with improvement installations.

Developing and Adopting Inverted Tiered Utility (Electric, Water, etc.) Rates
Todd Cristiano, Redoak Consulting

One Size Doesn't Fit All
Greg Stiles, Senior Business Sector Manager, Energy Trust of Oregon

Learn about the Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc approach to electric and natural gas energy efficiency and renewable energy demand side programs. Discover how instead of "one size fits all programs" Energy Trust provides target specific programs to meet the needs of dry cleaners, auto services, foodservice, lodging, data centers and more. The targeted approach has allowed Energy Trust commercial programs to double energy savings year over year in 2007 and 2008. Energy Trust's foodservice program has been awarded an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award in 2007 and 2008. Energy Trust's lodging program was recognized by the Oregon Lodging Association as the Industry Partner of Year for 2008. As of 2008, the annual utility bill savings to customers stemming from participation in Energy Trust programs is estimated at $144 million per year.

How to Plan and Implement a Successful Water Heater Efficiency Promotion
John Richards, Northwest Region Manager, Rheem/Special Products Division

Insight from programs by two Oregon utilities, one private (Portland General Electric) and one public, (Eugene Water & Electric Board). Discover what they did and how they did it.

Extreme Office Makeover
Mira Vowles, Bonneville Power Administration

Learn how a program initiated by the New York Research and Development Authority was applied by Bonneville Power Authority in two private office buildings with multiple tenants, using student interns. Also, discover what's new in rooftop unit retro-commissioning.

Electric Space Heating Innovations
Jean-Marie Falquet, Convectair

What happens when you replace baseboards with better electric heaters ? Learn the results of a case study from a pilot program at Wright-Hennepin co-operative in Minnesota. Also, learn about a residential energy management solution that can be used to shed load during critical peak demand events.

Multi-family Housing Efficiency Programs
Lynn Stein and Kelsie Bell, Research Associate, E Source

Participation in energy-efficiency programs by multifamily properties is low due to split incentives between the property manager and tenant. To further complicate things, utilities often have a hard time deciding whether to treat these properties as commercial accounts or residential. There are effective ways to get around these and other barriers to engage this hard-to-reach community. We will cover barriers such as education and lack of capital, marketing to property managers, leveraging partners, and lessons learned from successful utility programs.

Focus on Customer Service and Marketing Energy Efficiency
Session Chairs: Joani Matranga, Colorado Governor's Energy Office

Focus on Renewable Energy and Carbon Reduction Initiatives
Session Chairs: Ron Horstman, Western Area Power Administration

Utility Customer Service and Marketing Program Snap Shots
Five-minute highlights of utility program activities presented by the session co-chairs and other participants

Environmental Program Snap Shots
Five-minute highlights of utility program activities presented by the session co-chairs and other participants

Integrating Social Marketing with Energy Efficiency
Michael Volker, Director of Regulatory and Energy Services with Midwest Energy, Inc with Nancy Jackson, Executive Director of the Climate and Energy Project

Insight on how the Climate and Energy Project's Take Charge Challenge - a friendly competition in six Kansas communities to determine which community can conserve the most energy - leveraged Midwest Energy's How$mart program to win the challenge in two Midwest Energy communities. Kinsley, Kansas (pop 1,500), one of Midwest's Take Charge communities, has 50 How$mart Conservation Plans completed in homes or commercial buildings already. This is before the year-long Challenge has even officially kicked off!

How to Leverage Utility DSM Efforts with Cities' Climate Goals
Susan Pascoe, Assistant Manager, Efficiency and Business Market Services, E Source

The U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement states that 944 mayors from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have voluntarily agreed to meet or exceed the targets for reducing the pollutants that contribute to global warming set in the Kyoto Protocol. The list of actions includes making energy efficiency a priority. Utilities have conducted energy efficiency programs for many years. This experience can be an asset that may assist a city in meeting the reductions outlined in Kyoto. Fort Collins and Aspen have made specific efforts to integrate their cities' climate goals with carbon reduction efforts through energy efficiency and conservation programs at their municipal utilities. For instance, Fort Collins City Council passed a ìLocal Action Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.î In turn, Fort Collins Utilities (FCU) created the Climate Wise program specifically to help meet some of the greenhouse gas reduction goals. The strategies employed by FCU, as well as Aspen, may point a way forward that may benefit us all. This presentation will contain case studies of the efforts at these utilities. It will also illustrate key lessons learned and it will highlight coordination tips that may be used by other utilities to help the municipalities they service meet their climate targets while extending their own energy efficiency and conservation efforts.

Ramping Up Your Rebate Programs: Key Success Factors
Lauren Casentini, Resource Solutions Group and Bruce Matulich, EGIA

Paying utility customers a modest sum to upgrade their energy efficient equipment is often the most direct way to nudge folks toward higher efficiency systems while closely tracking program effectiveness. Discover how innovative utilities are partnering to jointly promote and administer residential energy efficiency rebate programs in Colorado and elsewhere.

Green Collar Workforce Development
Larry Zarker, Building Performance Institute

The U.S. Department of Labor, labor organizations, and others realize the career-building potential and economic impact of a green collar workforce. However, enforcement of industry and program standards is vital to ensure the potential to deliver true energy savings. EPA, DOE and HUD provided initial funding to form the Building Performance Institute to minimize program sponsor liability with independent, third-party quality assurance. Learn how BPI benchmarks standards and raises the performance bar for technicians and the companies that employ them.

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Innovative Marketing Tactics of Leading Home Performance Contractors
Ed Thomas, UtilityExchange.org

Results from a survey of the marketing tactics of 15 home performance contractors nationwide. Learn low-cost, innovative marketing tactics from HVAC, insulation, and solar installation companies that have repositioned themselves to become leading-edge home performance contractors. Selling ìwhole house solutionsî that address energy savings, comfort and health/safety is more complex than selling furnace replacements. But the result is larger jobs with higher profit margins that significantly set companies apart from traditional home improvement contractor competition.

REEP and Its Impact on Utilities
Stephen Michael Self, Sustainable Interiors on behalf of Efficiency First

Efficiency First is working on key federal incentives through the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) legislation and bridge funding that will help spur demand for home performance upgrades. Learn how REEP will significantly alter consumer demand, spurring utilities to re-examine their own programs and look deeper into contractor qualifications, quality assurance on the work that the utilities perform, and require verification of energy savings achieved.

Marketing Property Tax Bill Financing
Ann Livingston, Sustainability Coordinator, Boulder County

This year Boulder County launched its nationally groundbreaking ClimateSmart Loan Program establishing $40 million in loans for residential energy efficiency and renewable energy measures. The ClimateSmart Loan Program provides a voluntary mechanism for commercial and residential property owners to obtain financing for renewable energy and/or energy efficiency improvements to properties in Boulder County. This innovative program is the first countywide financing mechanism for renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United States with multi-jurisdictional support from ten municipalities. The ClimateSmart Loan Program not only offers affordable financing for county residents and business owners wishing to implement energy improvements to their properties, but it will also help reduce Boulder County's overall greenhouse gas emissions, a major goal of Boulder County's Sustainable Energy Plan and long-term goal of carbon neutrality."

Solar Water Heating Impacts for Colorado Utilities
Joe Bourg, President, Millennium Energy

Learn about solar water heating projects conducted for National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Colorado Governor's Energy Office, and United Power with Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association.

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm

How Energy Efficiency Improves Customer Satisfaction
Kim Gaddy, Product Strategy Manager, Vertex Business Services

Understand the linkage between energy efficiency programs and customer satisfaction. Perception of energy efficiency programs, or lack thereof, will impact customer satisfaction. Customers expect their utility to provide actionable information to help them manage energy usage and reduce utility costs. Regulators also look to utilities to encourage alignment of consumption and supply. They are becoming more pro-active and seek to enable energy efficiency. Effective programs that satisfy customers and regulators include three primary components: - Awareness; - Actionable information; - Appropriate incentives. The benefits energy efficiency programs deliver go well beyond the expected economic and environmental benefits and extend to stakeholder satisfaction. These programs create the opportunity to redefine relationships with regulators and customers.

Energy Planning: The New Role For Utilities To Help America Achieve Energy Independence
Herb Rubenstein, President, Sustainable Business Group

There are multiple obstacles facing utilities today that affect how they do business. Utilities are being asked to play a larger and more consistent role in helping develop, implement, evaluate, and improve energy policy and energy related programs in America to help achieve energy independence. There is a need to focus on both short-term and long-term planning. This approach will help ensure that the steps taken today and in the future are properly coordinated and tracked to promote citizen involvement, energy conservation and efficiency, diversification of energy resource availability, proper support for research and development in new energy technologies, coordination of energy investment so economic development activities, and city, county, state, and national activities, our educational activities and the average citizen are all doing what is necessary to achieve energy independence.

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Home Energy Use Display Monitors
Lynn Stein, Senior Advisor, E Source

Finally, people are interested how much energy they're using and what it costs! In this session, learn about the new products for getting that information in front of your customers. Many utilities are running pilot programs. Find out what their results are, as well as lessons they've learned along the way. We'll also discuss considerations when launching your own program, including goals, participant and technology selection, and integration with AMI or SmartGrid.

The Importance of Integrating Demand Response with Smart Meters
Tom Van Denover, Vice President of Sales, Comverge, Inc.

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is being investigated by all sizes of utilities as the modern way to communicate and service the utility customer. The AMI network itself has many cost-saving benefits, but for many, it is the integration of AMI with Demand Response (DR) and those added DR benefits that pave the way for a positive, compelling business case for AMI. And on the technology side, the Smart Energy Profile is changing the way many utilities think about serving the customer in the home.

Hosted Bar at Double Dog Pub
305 E. Hopkins Ave. in downtown Aspen
Show your name badge and get free drinks in this notable hotspot with a dog theme.

Focus on Program Integration
Sessions Co-Chairs: Paul Smith, SourceGas and Bill Ewer, City of Longmont

Closing Keynote: The Colorado Governor's Energy Office Planning Horizon
Matt Futch, Utilities Program Manager, Colorado Governor's Energy Office

Insight on where the GEO's planning efforts are focused in regards to energy efficiency and demand-side management initiatives over the next few years.

Utility Program Snap Shots
Five-minute highlights of utility program activities with a focus on changes on the horizon

Emerging Technology Update: The Carbon City Sustainability Information Management System - New Opportunities for DSM Targeting and Tracking
Tim Hillman, Symbiotic Engineering

Learn how utilities and local governments in Colorado are using the Carbon City Sustainability Information Management System to expand their ability to analyze, micro-target and evaluate their energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction strategies and to increase the effectiveness of their demand side management programs. in order to:
- Produce a map that shows the energy use or energy use intensity patterns of any subset of residential or commercial customers, and then generate a list of properties that meet some threshold of consumption or use intensity
- Get assistance tracking the weather normalized energy use changes for any customers who have participated in one of your DSM programs
- Give customers access to a web portal where they can not only access their utility billing data, but also compare their energy use to similar homes or businesses, and even join a group of their peers to compete against others to see who can achieve the greatest savings

Best Practices for Cost-Effective Program Evaluations
Katherine Johnson, President, Johnson Consulting Group

Best practices and lessons learned from program evaluations conducted for 12 small municipal as well as rural electric utilities in California, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. This presentation will provide attendees with other cost-effective evaluation strategies used by Midwest Energy, Delta-Montrose Electric Association, Missouri Gas Energy and 12 California utilities including City of Palo Alto, City of Lodi, and Silicon Valley Power. The utilities participating in these evaluations were diverse: some had 500 customers, while others served communities of 300,000. However, the strategies used are flexible enough to meet these diverse needs without causing undue financial hardships.

Late-Breaking News
Larry Zarker, CEO, Building Performance Institute

Closing Remarks
Jeff Rice, City of Aspen Utilities