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CUEexchange Offers Regional Event Alternative in Aspen
Over 80 attended the first-ever Colorado Utility Efficiency
Exchange in Aspen on Oct. 24-26 titled:
Integrating Carbon Footprint
and Demand Response into Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Programs. The agenda focused on best practices and
lessons learned from Colorado and neighboring utilities
developing and implementing customer programs.
Jeff Rice of City of Aspen Utilities led the agenda planning
efforts with assistance from an Agenda Advisory Committee
comprised of volunteers that met via conference call.
The utility co-hosts were City of Aspen Utilities with Holy
Cross Energy Cooperative. Supporters included: Apogee
Interactive, Applied Proactive Technologies with Energy
Federation, Colorado Energy Science Center, ConvectAir, Marathon
Water Heaters, Platte River Power Authority, Resource Action
Programs, SourceGas, Western Area Power Administration, Wind
Street Energy with event management provided by Market
Development Group.
The event took place in the Doerr-Hosier Conference Center in
the Aspen Meadows Resort. The building is the first in the
Roaring Fork Valley to achieve the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Gold Rating.
This regional conference concept was aimed at mid-level staff
who could "drive in" rather than fly to the national events
typically attended by their bosses. An online survey is
now underway to determined if the event will be presented
again next October at the same location.
CUE Proceedings  
Line Loss Savings Potential Detailed in New White Paper
Electric cooperatives can save millions of dollars annually by
managing distribution line losses, according to a white paper
just released by the Market Development Group. The paper
describes how cooperatives are partnering with ElectSolve
Technology Solutions and Services, Inc. to recover revenue
lost through distribution line inefficiencies.
Distribution line losses of 10 to 15 percent annually can cost
a utility millions of dollars. Bob Saint, Principal Engineer,
Technical Services, for the National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association (NRECA), sums up the issue, noting,
"Improving distribution system energy efficiency and metering
accuracy is an important step in keeping energy costs as low
as possible."
The goal of line loss management projects is to develop a
comprehensive view of the line loss problem by systematically
reconciling the cooperative's wholesale power purchase records
with its power purchase sales down to the substation and
feeder line. The team does this by collecting, tracking and
analyzing meter data from all available data sources. This
strategy quickly reveals where losses are occurring in an
efficient, systematic way.
The most compelling aspect of the project is that a
distribution line loss management program can pay for itself.
ElectSolve is implementing programs for cooperatives using its
Loss Analysis and Reporting System (LARS). The systems
approach quantifies and confirms where line losses occur, as
well as helping to identify specific tasks to recover lost
revenue.
Line Loss Savings White
Paper
CFL Fund Raiser
Launches at Orlando Utilities Commission
This fall, Central Florida charities can raise money for their
organizations while helping OUC-The Reliable One promote
energy conservation through OUC's Compact Fluorescent Light
Bulb (CFL) Fund Raiser. This month, not-for-profit groups are
taking orders for energy-saving CFL bulbs from the community
and earning $2 for each bulb they sell. The CFL fund raiser
provides a great, energy-saving product to customers while
also helping charitable organizations raise money.
OUC-The Reliable One is the second largest municipal utility
in Florida. OUC provides electric and water services to more
than 200,000 customers in Orlando, St. Cloud and parts of
unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties.
CFL Fund Raiser home page
How to Get Homeowners to Embrace Utility DSM Goals
Ed Thomas and Katherine Johnson presented at these
conferences in the past few month on "Developing Marketing
Communications that Motivate Homeowners to Embrace Energy
Efficiency and Demand Response:"
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Energy
Solutions Center Tech. & Market Assessment Forum
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APOGEE Online Solutions Conference
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AESP Technology Symposium
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International Energy Program Evaluation Conference
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Beyond Home Energy Audits With Home Performance with ENERGY
STAR®
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Colorado
Utility Efficiency Exchange
In the presentations, they offered program examples of how
innovative marketing communication tactics should link to the
utility's energy load strategies as they detailed in a white
paper earlier this year.
Click on the Calendar tab at the link below to see past
presentations and where we'll present next.
Presentation Calendar
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Greetings!
Here's a snapshot of what we've been up to in the last few
months. It's - no doubt - a very, very exciting time to be
in the energy efficiency business.
Hope this newsletter finds you just as "energized" as us.
Please take a moment to let us know what you're doing these
days and how we might help you.
Sincerely,
Katherine Johnson,
(301) 461-4865,
kjohnson@marketdevelop.com
Ed Thomas
(970) 209-8347,
ethomas@marketdevelop.com
PLMA, Marathon, Steffes Co-Host Demand Response Webinar
on November 8
Peak load constraints and dramatic wholesale market price
spikes are encouraging electric utilities to reevaluate the
value and benefits of promoting residential demand response
and "off peak" water and space heating programs. Three
utilities will offer their perspectives in a webinar titled
"Residential Demand Response Program Design and
Implementation" to be presented on Thursday, November 8,
2007 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
This Market Development Group webinar is co-hosted by the
Peak Load Management Alliance with Marathon Water Heaters
and Steffes Corporation.
These three utility presenters will explain how they develop
and implement programs that aggressively promote electric
space and water heating in ways that help manage residential
energy demand through direct load control or innovative rate
design:
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"How
Demand Response Activities Reduce Wholesale Power Costs"
by Ed West, Director, Telecommunications and Control,
Dairyland Power Cooperative
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"Marketing Space and Water Heating with Energy Control"
by Theresa Drexler, Senior Market Planning Specialist,
Otter Tail Power Company
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"WattWatcher® Time-of-Use Program Guarantees First-Year
Savings"
by Mark Schwantes, Director of Corporate Services, with
Suzy Bynum, Energy Management Advisor, LaPlata Electric
Association
This webinar will help other electric utilities better
understand how demand response and "off peak" marketing
programs are increasing net revenue margins while reducing
wholesale power costs and supply constraints. The webinar
is intended for senior and mid-level staff at private,
public and cooperative utilities interested in developing
and implementing off-peak and demand response programs.
This agenda will have something of interest to introductory
as well as advanced audiences.
Demand Response Webinar details
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Industry Compendium now
Online
The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®
Industry Compendium is a free online overview of key home
performance industry programs, allies and resources for
prospective program sponsors. Learn how program sponsors in
20+ states are beginning to transform the home improvement
marketplace beyond free "clipboard" home energy audits and
single-measure rebates with a whole-house approach to energy
efficiency, demand response, renewable energy and "carbon
"footprint" issues.
The Compendium is designed for program designers with energy
utilities, state energy offices and regional alliances
looking for a comprehensive, integrated market
transformation program platform for the improvement of
existing homes in their community. It includes: Program
Overview, National Sponsor profiles on U. S. Department of
Energy and U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 Program
Partner Profiles, 8 Industry Ally Profiles and a
Bibliography of published papers, presentations and research
studies.
In addition, the Compendium includes proceedings from the
"Beyond Home Energy Audits with Home Performance with ENERGY
STAR®" Workshop held in Long Island in September 2007 as
well as National Symposium presented in Cleveland in April
2007. The Long Island workshop was co-sponsored by Building
Performance Institute, Conservation Services Group, U.S.
Department of Energy, Edison Electric Institute, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, ICF International, Long
Island Power Authority and New York State Research and
Development Authority with Energy Finance Solutions,
Electric & Gas Industries Association, Market Development
Group and Performance Systems Development.
HPwES Industry Compendium details
Great Lakes Co-op Sells Marathon Water Heaters Through
Certified Plumbers
A new case study details an innovative residential
electric water heating program developed and implemented
by Great Lakes Energy Cooperative (Great Lakes) with
Marathon Water Heaters. Great Lakes offers rebates to
members who purchase and have installed a Marathon water
heater from the cooperative's list of approved
contractors. Under the "point of sale" program, Great
Lakes supplies the water heaters to local plumbers, along
with an incentive for contractors to provide floor space
and process rebates.
The case study available online details the program's
design strategy, implementation tactics, results and
lessons learned. Shari Joles, Marketing Manager, Great
Lakes Energy, offers the following observations to
utilities considering implementing such a program:
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Setting up a rebate program should be a deliberate
process
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Members can be motivated to replace water heaters
BEFORE their old one bursts
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Ads should carry the equipment price
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Offer rebates on 40-galllon units
Great Lakes Water Heating Case Study
Geo Heat Pump Report's 3rd Edition Published
 "Geo
Heat Pumps: Leading Energy Utility Marketing Programs" is now in
its Third Edition, thanks to a partnership between Western Area
Power Administration, APPA and GeoPowering the West.
Authored by Katherine Johnson of Market Development Group, the
report was first released in 2001. "The industry needed a
collection of best practices, vendors and strategies for
marketing the benefits to customers," explained Johnson.
Changes in the third, current edition reflect the
continuing evolution of the market and the technology.
The report, available on CD, covers basic information
about the equipment and costs and examines successful
utility heat pump marketing programs. Profiles of system
manufacturers, architects, engineers and non-profit
associations dedicated to promoting the technology
describe history, products, markets served and competitive
strengths and weakness of each organization.
In addition to the Geothermal Heat Pump Report, the CD
also includes two MS Excel-based spreadsheet calculators.
One helps utilities calculate the effects of residential
geothermal heat pump installations in their territory. The
other helps residential customers compare geothermal heat
pumps to a variety of alternative heating and cooling
systems. "The spreadsheets will help utilities explain and
quantify the benefits of geothermal heat pumps to
customers," explained Johnson. "They will be an
indispensable marketing tool for utilities and a great
educational tool for consumers. The spreadsheets are a
valuable addition to the report."
To obtain one of the limited number of free copies of the
CD, utility representatives should contact Randy Manion of
Western Area Power Administration at
MANION@wapa.gov.
All others may purchase a copy at the Market Development
Group web site.
(reprinted from Western Area Power Administration's Energy
Services Bulletin, August 2007).
Geo Heat Pump Report details
Eastern Illini Co-op Aggressively Markets Electric Heating
Without Rebates 
Another new case study explores how Eastern Illini Electric
Cooperative (EIEC) partners with heating system manufacturer
Convectair and others to promote electric heating options as
part of a comprehensive residential utility marketing
program. And the co-op does it without rebates.
Bob Dickey, EIEC's Manager of Marketing and Economic
Development, explains, "The problem with a rebate is that it
is a one-time occurrence and soon forgotten. Our cooperative
can involve many more members with the same investment and
educate them on the benefits of proper insulation, building
envelope sealing, CFL's, geothermal and air source heat
pumps, and auxiliary heat options. We also increased the
size of the marketing department to meet with our members in
the field and provide more timely information through our
database tracking. Since we have implemented this approach,
heat pump installations have doubled and our off-peak
kilowatt sales have increased substantially."
For example, EIEC offers direct sales of the full line of
Convectair products. Bob Dickey explains, "We sell
Convectair because it's 20% - 30% more efficient that other
electric space heaters available through retailers in our
service territory. I've been to their factories and seen
their extensive testing procedure as well as studies funded
by other utilities. EIEC staff is available to go to
members' homes at no cost to help calculate their heating
requirements to determine proper equipment selection using
an online calculator available at Convectair's web site (www.convectair.net/calcul/calcule).
EIEC ended all rebates in 2001, yet the number of EIEC
members with electric heat has continued to grow on a
consistent trajectory. Bob Dickey offers these observations
for other cooperatives that are looking to enhance their
electric heating marketing efforts:
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Rebates
aren't as important as you might think
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Track
all member contact and inquiries
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Recommend
only those contractors who recommend you
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Offer members a range of electric heating options that are
properly sized
Electric Heating Case Study
Quick Links...
Market Development Group
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Compendium
Convectair
ElectSolve Technology Solutions and Services
Marathon Water Heaters
Electric & Gas Industries Association
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