Energy Services Bulletin - Customers applaud first DSM technology workshop series

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Customers applaud first DSM technology workshop series

Group of people wearing red plaid blazers, showing off CFLs

Members of the Spencer Ambassadors, a chamber-of-commerce group, join the Spencer Municipal Utilities staff for their "Green Day" light bulb giveaway. (Photo by Spencer Municipal Utilities)

Like a traveling road show, the Demand-side Management (DSM) Technology workshop on commercial lighting moved from town to town this summer, bringing ideas and information to enthusiastic audiences in Western's Upper Great Plains (UGP) region.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) and NMPP Energy hosted workshops in Bismarck, N.D.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Grand Island, Neb. respectively. About 74 representatives from large and small, municipal and cooperative utilities attended the three events.

Finding right light for customer

Organized by Market Development Group, the workshops all presented the same basic information, but tailored to the region and location through case studies. Lighting vendors Orion Energy Systems, Paragon Lighting, Inc. and Lee-Noonan Company presented examples of local commercial retrofit projects, such as office buildings, grocery stores and warehouses.

For NMPP Member Development Manager Corrinne Pedersen, the case studies illustrated the importance of utility energy specialists being aware of the differences in lighting technology. "Not all lighting is the same, but there are vendors in the business that will push whatever sells," she observed. "It's up to the consumers to understand their own lighting needs, and their power providers should be able to help them."

That is why Basin hosted the Bismarck workshop, agreed key accounts coordinator Chad Reisenauer. "We want our member cooperatives to be a resource for those consumers—to be the energy experts," he said. "That is central to Basin's conservation program."

Something for veterans, newcomers

Most of the attendees were familiar with efficient lighting, whether or not they had formal customer programs. MRES Energy Services Manager Joni Livingston noted that the majority of the 34 municipal MRES members at the Sioux Falls workshop offered some form of the Bright Energy Solutions program. "Several members have offered lighting programs for years," she pointed out.

However, some MRES members, like Rock Rapids, Iowa Municipal Utilities, have only recently begun to push lighting retrofits in their community. Rock Rapids Billing Clerk Karen Parkinson said that the workshop helped her to start sorting through the tremendous amount of information she's found on lighting.

What most of the attendees were looking for, Livingston said, was information on the latest technology. "That, and answers for their customers' questions."

Parkinson agreed, adding, "The better we understand lighting, the better we can explain the incentives to our customers."

The focus on technology and local projects made the workshop especially valuable to utilities that are too small to implement their own lighting programs. "Most of our customers already offer rebates for efficiency upgrades," said Reisenauer. "They came to the workshop to see what's new in the field—to make sure they are providing their commercial accounts with all the options."

Induction lighting was a hot topic at the Bismarck workshop, said Reisenauer. "The subject really resonated with the audience. Every farmstead around here has a pole-mounted, mercury-vapor light, so utilities are very interested in any technology that might provide more light at less cost."

Focus on the practical

Curtis Dean from Spencer, Iowa, Municipal Utilities (SMU) attended the Sioux Falls workshop with an eye on new technologies. As marketing and community relations director, Dean has run SMU's lighting rebate program for the last 10 years. But, he said, he wanted to learn more about the ins and outs of lighting. "I've used the Internet to educate myself, but it was good to hear from the experts, and to be able to put questions to an expert in the room," admitted Dean.

There were lots of questions for the lighting vendors at the Sioux Falls workshop, recalled Livingston. The presentations by Ryan Holl of Orion and Dan Anderson of Paragon Lighting were the best received, she said. "They provided very practical, specific information attendees could use in their communities. Their presentations included a number of actual case studies of the results of lighting retrofits."

For Dean, the workshop helped to clarify the advantages of T-8 ballast lights versus T-5s, and gave him new ideas for applications. "I was surprised to learn that there were so many places T-5s could replace high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps," he said.

That may have implications for SMU's lighting program, Dean added. "We still give rebates for HPS and metal halide lights," he explained. "Shifting some rebates to T-5 technology could mean more savings for our customers and for SMU."

Ideas into action

Since the workshop, Dean has been talking to more business customers about the benefits of replacing old, inefficient lighting. "I was taking notes like crazy during the workshop on everything that sounded like something our customers could use," he recalled.

SMU is also developing case studies on local businesses that upgrade to more efficient lighting. The reports compare dollar costs and kilowatt-hour use before and after the retrofits, and calculate the savings. "We'll use the case studies to show other customers how much difference new lighting can make," said Dean.

Community events are another way to spread the word to consumers about efficient lighting technology. To encourage Spencer residents to conserve energy, SMU gave away more than 500 compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) on the city's first "Green Day" Oct. 7. As part of the celebration, Dean shared plans for a citywide recycling push and promotional effort. Proper recycling of CFLs and old fixtures is a critical part of any lighting program—another lesson from the workshop, Pedersen noted.

Western looks forward to hearing how our customers put those lessons to work saving money and energy. Of course, we also appreciate the occasional rave review. "This was the best $50 and gas money my boss has spent," declared Dean.

If you would like to suggest a topic for the next series of DSM Technology workshops, contact UGP Energy Services Representative Mike Radecki.

November 2008

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