June 2020

Why Wait Until Fall When We Can Connect Online Now?

Our May 19 launch of the Utility Exchange Web Series went great.  Over 80 people registered for the Driving Transportation Electrification Initiatives snapshot panel followed by discussion among the presenters and audience.  You can view the recording at  www.utilityexchange.org/driving-transportation-electrification-initiatives but the recording doesn't include the last 30 minutes of candid utility-only roundtable about EV initiatives. It was terrific to have utility staff join the discussion from as far away as Jacksonville Electric Authority. 

On the webcast, it was reassuring to see the faces of the snapshot panelists as they offered a glimpse of what they plan to talk more about when we all get to Aspen.  And the discussion clearly demonstrated the level of interest in the topic as well as the eagerness to stay connected online and share experience and expertise during these challenging times.  

We hope you'll make time to join us online June 16 for a similarly-styled discussion about Retail Customer Pricing Initiatives.  We are looking forward to seeing you all in Aspen or connecting online this fall.

Ed Thomas & Tiger Adolf, UtilityExchange.org

Learn Online About Retail Customer Pricing Initiatives on June 16

Learn how utilities, government agencies, and solution providers are developing and implementing programs and activities to achieve innovations in traditional retail energy utility customer pricing.  This webinar/podcast will offer insight on what has already been accomplished, offer an overview of planning underway with a focus on the role of utilities, and take a shallow dive into topics and challenges utilities continue to face in transportation electrification.  Several panelists will offer a snapshot of what they plan to present in greater detail at the 14^th Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange this fall. The free webinar/podcast on June 16 will follow this 90-minute format:

• Snapshot Panel. Up to 6 presentations of up to 5 minutes each on this topic (up to 30 minutes)
• Industry Discussion. Questions and comments between presenters and all webinar registration (up to 30 minutes)
• Utility Exchange. Candid roundtable discussion among only those webinar registrants who are with a private, public or cooperative-owner utility. All other attendees will be dismissed before this portion of the agenda begins. (up to 30 minutes)

Recordings of the Snapshot Panel and Industry Discussion will be made available to anyone at no charge via the UtilityExchange.org website and all podcast platforms. The utility-only portion of the agenda will not be recorded or transcribed to respect the confidentiality of the participants.

Learn More and Register

Organizations in the News

Grand Valley Power Earns NRECA Award NRECA announced the winner of the Edgar F. Chesnutt award for the Best Total Communication program - Grand Valley Power!  The award-winning initiative was led by Christmas Wharton, Communications Manager at Grand Valley Power and Rocky Mt. Utility Exchange Utility Advisory Committee Member. Learn more HERE.
Xcel Energy Files Transportation Electrification Plan  Xcel Energy recently filed its Transportation Electrification Plan with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.  The plan launches 20 new programs such as home, multi-family, commercial fleet and community-based charging, rebate programs and an EV school bus program to expand EV opportunities for all.  Learn more HERE.
Franklin Energy Featured by Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative The Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative recently featured Franklin Energy in its Member Spotlight!  Read the profile to learn how their flexible, scalable offerings empower utilities to effectively engage customers. Learn more HERE.

Archive Presentations Are Free to Everyone

Whether you attended last year's Exchange or not, the UtilityExchange.org archives are available to you. If you attended, we can't think of a better way to allow you to share what you learned with others. If you weren't there, this is the place to learn what you missed. Please bookmark this page and if it asks for a username and password please know that you can create a free user profile if you don't already have one. 2019 workshop topics included.  Full agenda with presentation links for the 2019 event are available at www.utilityexchange.org/13th-rmue-resources

May 2020

Will We See You in Aspen This Fall?

Every fall since 2007, the Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange has been presented in-person at Aspen Meadows. Welcome to the new normal. This year's Exchange will offer a first-ever online pass so that participants may choose to meet in-person or online.

We will let all presenters and attendees know by no later than August 28 (30 days before) if this year’s event will be a mix of in-person and online presentations, or if the Exchange will only be online. Regardless, there WILL be a 14th Rocky Mt. Utility Exchange and PREFERABLY with most of us there in-person and others having the option to “listen in” to see what they are missing. But if we can’t meet in-person due to circumstances beyond our control, we all will AT LEAST meet online from our home offices.

We understand your organization's travel plans may be in flux due to current industry challenges. But go ahead and register anyway. Our cancellation and refund policy remains the friendliest in the industry. Any attendee may cancel registration with full refund and no penalty fees if you notify us by Friday, Sept. 25 (i.e., the business day before the conference starts) and any sponsor may cancel their registration by Friday, Aug. 28.

We are looking forward to seeing you all in Aspen this fall.

Ed Thomas & Tiger Adolf, UtilityExchange.org

Learn Online What's Driving Transportation Electrification Initiatives on May 19

Learn how utilities, government agencies, and solution providers are developing and implementing programs and activities to achieve the State of Colorado's ambitious goal of 940,000 EVs on the road by 2030. This webinar/podcast will offer insight on what has already been accomplished, offer an overview of planning underway with a focus on the role of utilities, and take a shallow dive into topics and challenges utilities continue to face in transportation electrification.

Several panelists will offer a snapshot of what they plan to present in greater detail at the 14^th Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange this fall. The free webinar/podcast on May 19 will follow this 90-minute format:

• Snapshot Panel. Up to 6 presentations of up to 5 minutes each on this “hot topic” (up to 30 minutes)
• Industry Discussion. Questions and comments between presenters and all webinar registration (up to 30 minutes)
• Utility Exchange. Candid roundtable discussion among only those webinar registrants who are with a private, public or cooperative-owner utility. All other attendees will be dismissed before this portion of the agenda begins. (up to 30 minutes)

Recordings of the Snapshot Panel and Industry Discussion will be made available to anyone at no charge via the UtilityExchange.org website and all podcast platforms. The utility-only portion of the agenda will not be recorded or transcribed to respect the confidentiality of the participants.

Learn More and Register

Organizations in the News

Power Plant of the Future is Right in Your Home Bryan Hannegan, CEO of Holy Cross Energy is quoted in a Wired magazine story that talks about the Basalt Vista affordable housing project that can act as a microgrid was the subject of a workshop at last year's Exchange. Read the full article in Wired HERE.
Rich Philip Named Executive Director of PLMA Rich Philip became Peak Load Management Alliance's Executive Director on May 1. In addition, Judy Knight became PLMA’s Chief Development Officer. Ed Thomas continues as Operations Director, and Tiger Adolf as Member Services Director. Learn more HERE.
CLEAResult Launches Virtual Assessment CLEAResult is the first to bring a fully-featured Virtual Assessment and Assurance offering to market.The offering goes beyond a simple video call with an energy advisor. Virtual Assessment and Assurance is a live, augmented reality remote-support platform with built-in tools that enable professional energy assessments and post-assessment quality checks to be conducted from a distance. Read the full article HERE.

Archive Presentations Are Free to Everyone

Whether you attended last year's Exchange or not, the UtilityExchange.org archives are available to you. If you attended, we can't think of a better way to allow you to share what you learned with others. If you weren't there, this is the place to learn what you missed. Please bookmark this page and if it asks for a username and password please know that you can create a free user profile if you don't already have one. 2019 workshop topics included:

• Residential Customer Engagement Tactics
• Combining Healthy Homes with Energy Efficiency
• Holy Cross Energy's 70/70/30 Initiative
• Electrification of Transportation
• Transitioning to Renewable Energy
• Energy Resilience in the Face of Fire
• Low-Income Access to Local Renewables

Full agenda with presentation links for the 2019 event are available at www.utilityexchange.org/13th-rmue-resources

Visit the Archives Here

February 2020

Do you have a program idea worth stealing.... er, sharing?

“Progress Through Plagiarism” is a phrase we jokingly say at the annual Aspen event as shorthand for how much we all gain by “stealing” utility customer-centric program practices from one another. If you have something worth sharing, please consider responding to the Call for Presenters for the 14th Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange before Feb. 13. Our agenda planning process is very transparent: anyone can propose a session; the Utility Advisory Committee ranks submissions they most want to hear, and staff builds the agenda accordingly. You can propose to speak for as little as 5 minutes or as much as 2 hours... or offer to present a poster during the Wednesday reception. Hint: The Committee REALLY likes to hear utility case study experiences so having a utility presenter or co-presenter is the best way to get highly-ranked. Solution providers who propose sessions that read like shameless sales pitches generally get lower marks. We plan to publish the agenda in early March.

Ed Thomas & Tiger Adolf, UtilityExchange.org

Call for Presenters Closes Thursday, Feb. 13

If your organization has success collaborating with other utilities and/or other departments in your own utility to take a customer-oriented approach to achieve greater impacts in residential, commercial, and industrial end-use applications, take this opportunity to demonstrate your achievement and pass the knowledge on to others by submitting a presentation proposal.

The Utility Advisory Committee Exchange give preferential consideration to sessions that explore utility case study best practices and lessons learned about programs related to energy (gas and electricity) efficiency, and integration with renewable energy, flexible load management, strategic load growth, and other customer-facing initiatives.

Learn More and Submit Your Presentation

Organizations in the News

Aspen Skiing Co. Celebrates Energy Upgrades Black Hills Energy, in partnership with Franklin Energy and Holy Cross Energy, awarded Aspen Skiing Co with $60,000 in rebates in January. Aspen Sking Company Energy Manager Ryland French, past Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange co-chair, discussed the energy upgrades which included retrofit to two restaurants. Kitchen exhaust and air-intake systems were updated so that instead of both fans operating at full capacity continually during work hours, they now have hood sensors that react to the amount of heat and smoke build-up. Read the full article in the Aspen Daily News HERE.	Ryland French, Aspen Skiing Company
Tri-State G&T Helps Launch Beneficial Electrification League Chapter in Colorado Led by Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Colorado is home to the first state chapter of the national Beneficial Electrification League (BEL). NRECA and Natural Resources Defense Council created the League to broaden understanding of what beneficial electrification is and how it can save money for electricity providers and consumers while also reducing environmental impacts. Learn more HERE
Xcel Energy Assesses Non-Wires Alternatives Xcel Energy is entering into distribution planning regulatory proceedings in Colorado and Minnesota, and teamed up with EPRI to conduct a non-wires alternative analysis to verify some of the assumptions it was making regarding the potential need for upgrades relative to the cost of DSM related options. The wires alternative Xcel Energy and EPRI examined was to add a new substation transformer base at a cost of about $10 million. There's no more capability to add another feeder to this existing transformer. Read the full UtilityDive article HERE.

Archive Presentations Are Free to Everyone

Whether you attended last year's Exchange or not, the UtilityExchange.org archives are available to you. If you attended, we can't think of a better way to allow you to share what you learned with others. If you weren't there, this is the place to learn what you missed. Please bookmark this page and if it asks for a username and password please know that you can create a free user profile if you don't already have one. 2019 workshop topics included:

• Residential Customer Engagement Tactics
• Combining Healthy Homes with Energy Efficiency
• Holy Cross Energy's 70/70/30 Initiative
• Electrification of Transportation
• Transitioning to Renewable Energy
• Energy Resilience in the Face of Fire
• Low-Income Access to Local Renewables

Full agenda with presentation links for the 2019 event are available at www.utilityexchange.org/13th-rmue-resources

Visit the Archives Here

November 2019

Flexibility is the newest buzzword. You may know flexible load management as a term used to describe how utilities are bending energy demand profiles to meet power supplies rather than the traditional other way around. Our annual Aspen event has proven to be flexible as well... bending to meet attendee needs. For 2020, we're keeping the 2-hour Tuesday workshops we started this year, and we're creating a new Friday morning closing session to share key takeways over breakfast. We hope there will be flexibility in your calendar to join us from Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, 2020.

Ed Thomas & Tiger Adolf

People in the News

Kelly Murphy After nearly 8 years, Kelly Murphy left Steffes where he was Business Development Specialist to continue his career as a Consultant with Boulder Natural Solutions. In one of Kelly’s last submittals (as an individual) to California’s most important Regulatory proceedings, he shared some thoughts on lessons learned in both California and Hawaii. California Energy Commission Docket #: 19-IEPR-06 “Energy Efficiency and Building Decarbonization”. You can download the pdf of Kelly's comments directly from: https://efiling.energy.ca.gov/GetDocument.aspx?tn=229372&DocumentContentId=60783
Lon Huber Following his keynote presentation at the 13th Rocky Mountain Utility Exchange, Lon Huber accepted a new role as Vice President, Rate Design and Strategic Solutions at Duke Energy, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lon is handling pricing/rate design and strategic customer solutions across their service territories.
Cynthia Adams Congratulations to Pearl National Home Certification's CEO and co-founder, Cynthia Adams, for winning the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council Founders' Award for Outstanding Service at the Fall 2019 Forum & Awards Luncheon.

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