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Western seminars take training resources to customers

Derek Hengveld, of South Dakota State University, speaks at the Commercial Building-Science Seminar in Sioux Falls, S.D. The university was one of the Western customers that partnered to present the workshop. (Photo by East River Power Cooperative)

Training may be the best kind of help people can get because it gives them the tools to do a better job, whether that means learning about a new technology, increasing efficiency, solving a problem, improving customer relations or all of the above.

That’s why training seminars are such an important and popular part of Western's Energy Services’ technical assistance. Western regularly offers hands-on workshops and other training, usually in collaboration with customers and other organizations.

The range of topics is as diverse as our customer base. Recent workshops Western has sponsored include:

• Lighting 101 with DOE’s Rebuild America program
• Expanding the Role of Renewables in an Energy Supply Portfolio with American Public Power Association’s DEED program, U.S. Department of Energy's GeoPowering the West Program and DOE's Wind Powering America Program
• The Sun is Rising on Energy Opportunities with the General Administration
• Your Compressed Air System

“With our information resources and DOE support, Western has access to expert speakers,” said Energy Services Representative Peggy Plate of Western’s Rocky Mountain Region. DOE, APPA and other industry organizations often contribute funding to sponsor workshops, as well.

 

Customer need determines topics, location

Customers can suggest topics, or, “Workshops can grow out of a conversation, like the commercial auditing session Western is sponsoring in Cheyenne, Wyo.,” Plate said.

She is currently working with TriState Generation and Transmission to set up a training session for its members’ key accounts. The workshop is scheduled for May 31 to June 2.

Hosting utilities usually choose the workshop’s location and make arrangements for the meeting room. Seminars have taken place in big cities and small towns, in hotels, schools, grange halls, churches and customers’ conference rooms. Convenience is the key to attendance, Plate observed. “Western workshops bring the training into the community,” she said, “so the participants don’t have far to travel.”

Western also initiates workshops when our staff identifies a need or wishes to raise awareness about a useful program. The Desert Southwest Regional Office has scheduled a training session on integrated resource planning for April 12. “The workshop will center on IRPs—why Western requires them, what the plans need to cover and how to do one,” said DSW Energy Services Representative Dewey McLean.

“Once we get customers into the room, we can remind them about other Energy Services resources,” he added.

Conferences offer wider scope

While intensive training sessions are good for learning about new technologies and strategies, conferences with broad agendas can be just as valuable. Western is co-sponsoring a number of events this spring and summer that will help customers stay current with industry trends.

DSW will exhibit at two events on April 7—the 2005 Energy Management Conference hosted by the Arizona Department of Commerce and at Tribal Energy Southwest in Las Vegas, Nev. “Exhibiting at meetings gives us the chance to talk with customers one on one,” McLean said. “We can also create awareness about our resources among groups outside the utility industry, like the energy efficiency community.”

The 25th Annual Utility Energy Forum, May 4 through 6 at the Granlibakken Conference Center in Tahoe City, Calif., will focus on renewable and energy efficiency technologies and applications in the utility and power industry. “It’s a great place to learn about the latest developments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and customer service,” said Energy Services Representative David Christy of the Sierra Nevada Region. “There’s also plenty of opportunity to network with other utilities.”

Plate is facilitating a small hydro session at the Colorado Renewable Energy Conference, June 9 through 11, in Ft. Collins, Colo. The theme of the conference is “Renewable Energy: Power for Sustainable Communities.”

Ideas come from many sources

Training can help utilities get the most out of its resources and build stronger customer relationships, but how do you decide what kind of workshop would be most useful to staff, customers or members?

Maybe one of the events mentioned above rings a bell, or scan the Energy Services calendar to see what other organizations are doing. Member service representatives may be hearing the same question over and over. A workshop could keep a recurring problem from turning into an issue.

Plate suggests talking to your Energy Services representative. “We have lots of ideas,” she said, “and we know what workshops have gone over well for other customers.”

Think about teaming up with other utilities for training on topics with broad applications, like marketing or IRPs. For example, East River Power Cooperative, Rushmore Power Cooperative, West River Electric Power Cooperative, Black Hills Power and Light and the South Dakota Public Utility Commission teamed up with the Upper Great Plains office to host two one-day Commercial Building-Science seminars and the Electro-Technology Expo in January. Such partnerships also help stretch Western’s limited funding to reach more customers.

Ideas for workshops can be submitted online, or ask your Energy Services representative. Western cannot guarantee that it will be able to fund or facilitate every suggestion. “But we rarely say no to a good idea,” admitted Plate.