HEM March/April 1994 - Home Energy Magazine Online March/April 1994

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Home Energy Magazine Online March/April 1994

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Capturing Conservation through Community Energy Management

by Paul I. Berkowitz, Sabrina L. Karl, and Judith Ramsay

Paul I. Berkowitz is director of demand-side program analysis and Sabrina L. Karl is a program analyst with Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation in Madison. Judith Ramsay is a senior consultant with Renewable Energy in Canada Limited, in Toronto.

A renewed interest in energy conservation has spawned a revival of community-based energy management projects throughout the United States and Canada.

Responding to the "energy crisis" of the late 1970s, many communities in the United States and Canada turned to energy conservation, renewable energy sources, and alternate transportation policies to reduce energy consumption and costs. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, community-based energy conservation programs were born. Some projects have persisted over time, but in the mid-to-late 1980s, energy prices dropped and the movement toward energy-efficient cities and towns ebbed as "growth" became synonymous with prosperity.

Now, community-based energy conservation programs are staging a comeback. Bolstered by utility least-cost planning, higher energy prices, and environmental concerns, more than 25 community-based programs have emerged in the last five years (see Table 1). Utilities have found conservation can be less expensive than building new power plants, and many of their demand-side management (DSM) programs include a "community" approach.

Government agencies and citizen groups are also involved in designing and implementing community-based energy conservation projects. As utilities discover the community as the centerpiece for demand-side management, cities and towns rediscover the link between energy consumption and other quality-of-life issues such as suburban sprawl, economic uncertainty, environmental degradation, and companion issues such as water and waste management. Projects that address broader resource issues--for instance waste, water, or transportation--can have a great impact on the quality of life and economic health of communities.

This article provides a brief overview of the community energy management concept in North America, discussing the design models they employ, and the selection and transformation of host communities. Building on this foundation, the New London Resource Project in New London, Wisconsin, is presented as a case study in the fast-evolving community energy management field of the 1990s.

Three Community Energy-Management Models

Community energy-management projects can generally be characterized in three ways:

In the marketing model, an organization--usually a utility--initiates, designs, and implements programs to meet its objectives. The utility views the community as a marketing arena or distribution mechanism for its demand-side management programs.

In the partnership model, an outside organization such as a utility or government agency initiates the process but it joins in partnership with the local community to develop conservation objectives and design programs. Partnership programs involve negotiations between the outside organization and the community.

The developmental model is a more diverse approach. Here, community organizations and/or local government design and control the programs, while outside organizations (state or provincial energy departments and/or utilities) act as enablers of community objectives, providing funding and other support. Some projects initially target specific programmatic areas (usually with public education and monetary incentive programs) then develop broader strategic plans after they have gained some direct experience.

Projects with a marketing approach tend to concentrate on capturing demand-side resources as an alternative to new energy supply. The utility focuses on the amount of energy savings achievable in the community. In contrast, diverse objectives are established in the community under the developmental model. For instance, the goal may be to improve the community's economic well-being or environment, with communities viewing energy use changes as a means to this end.

Utility-driven programs concentrate on the tools available to them, such as monetary incentives, public education, or technology development, while municipality-initiated or partnership programs may also rely on fiscal or regulatory measures to achieve their objectives. In addition, utility-led programs stress monitoring and evaluation to quantify energy savings. Programs run by local non-governmental organizations, however, may have diverse objectives that are more difficult to quantify and evaluate. Operating with limited funds, they often focus on low-cost measures such as public education and do not generally expend resources on performing detailed program evaluations.

Access to funding differs greatly among the various types of organizations. Utility-driven programs can provide more incentives and other monetary measures since they have access to funding through the utility's rate base. Government-sponsored programs, however, must rely on general program budgets typically funded by tax revenues. Lastly, municipalities must draw from a combination of local revenues, self-generated funds, and grants.

Launching a Community-Based Energy Management Project

Some communities have specific reasons for pursuing energy efficiency and will initiate their own project. Community objectives, such as improving economics (job creation and mitigating dollar flow from the community), minimizing the rate impacts of changes in energy costs, promoting community growth, or addressing environmental issues, are typically the main catalysts for such projects.

In utility-initiated projects, a community may be selected for the project, or communities may be required to compete for hosting the project in order to find the most suitable community for meeting the utility's objective. These objectives may include selecting a community that is representative of the utility's service territory, the presence of community attributes that could lead to community involvement and the project's success, needing to defer transmission and distribution system upgrades, and/or addressing political issues such as the siting of a new generation facility near the community.

Attributes that influence a utility's selection of a host community or indicate a project's potential for success include

Transforming Communities

A successful community-based energy conservation program must focus on preparing markets (such as manufacturing, distribution, and retail) for energy-efficiency activity and transforming the marketplace to a higher level of energy efficiency in equipment, products, and services. In addition, the project should strive to establish a community conservation ethic among residents and businesses that will outlive the project itself.

To prepare and transform the community's marketplace, as well as to promote a conservation ethic, an infrastructure for distributing energy-efficient equipment and products to trade allies and the community is required. Local contractors must learn about the benefits of energy-efficient technologies and installation/maintenance practices to ensure the persistence and reliability of savings. Retailers will require training and education about new products available for purchase, to ensure that customers make informed choices. Consumers also need education about new technologies, proper equipment operation, and lifestyle modifications. In addition, energy efficiency information should be introduced into school curricula.

Only a long-term integrated strategy targeting every facet of energy consumption in a community will create an environment where energy markets and lifestyles are conditioned to adapt to changes in the efficiency marketplace. Changes should occur in the community infrastructure so that energy planning becomes part of the community's planning and management functions. Energy consumption patterns should be continuously monitored and initiatives undertaken to foster energy efficiency in all sectors of the community. As energy efficiency becomes institutionalized within the community, decisions and actions related to energy consumption will become proactive, rather than reactive to external events such as increases in fuel prices and supply interuptions.

The New London Resource Project

New London, Wisconsin (population 7,500), recently launched a community-based DSM program. New London Utilities (a municipal electric and water utility), Wisconsin Public Power Inc., (WPPI) SYSTEM (which provides power and services to 30 municipal utilities in Wisconsin), and Wisconsin Gas Company are jointly conducting the three-year project. WPPI is interested in developing DSM programs that are transferable to all of its member utilities. Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation is designing and implementing the project with assistance from an advisory committee made up of community residents.

Members of the advisory committee were solicited both at a public meeting and through an additional mail invitation to various community residents. The ten-member committee consists mostly of small business owners and members of the community's school administration and faculty staffs, plus New London's building inspector, an owner of a funeral home, and two industrial representatives. Each member has different experience, expertise, and resources to offer the committee. For instance, the small business owners provide important input into the marketing of the project. One committee member often offers his restaurant for meetings among the various stakeholders in the project. As a whole, the committee reviews program designs, organizes community residents, promotes the project through word-of-mouth, and assigns subcommittees for specific components of the project, such as marketing, industrial programs, and school programs. The subcommittees are composed of advisory committee members and other interested community residents.

The goals of the New London Resource Project are to increase customer participation and to introduce positive cash flow financing as an alternative to rebates. This approach should save more energy without incurring the rate impacts typical of historical DSM programs that offer large rebates and/or incentives The project covers all end uses and customer classes, and also targets water conservation. When appropriate, the program includes fuel switching from electric to natural gas.

In lieu of financial rebates to encourage participation, the project relies on utility financing in which the customer repays the energy efficiency investment out of monthly cash savings on his or her utility bill. Most measure and installation costs are repaid by the customer at 6% interest over 84 months. This mechanism provides for lower utility bills in spite of the monthly service charge for efficiency products and services, resulting in an immediate positive cash flow for the customer.

A "whole facility" approach for residential and commercial customers, enhanced by the cooperation of New London Utilities and Wisconsin Gas Company, aims to minimize lost opportunities. Through energy assessments, low-cost and no-cost measures are targeted along with more significant, major measures. For industrial customers, the project will serve as an integrator/financier in installing energy-efficient equipment and products and providing services.

To eliminate barriers to customer participation, the project involves virtually no up-front costs. There is also less hassle for participants because the utility arranges the energy assessment, directly installs low-cost measures, and provides contractor arranging for major measures. Post-installation quality control is performed on a cross section of the installations, adding further confidence to the reliable capture of persistent energy savings. In addition, residential customers are offered conservation coupons redeemable for up to $100 in financing for the purchase of energy-efficient goods and services from local retailers.

The program also includes a public school education component as well as a strong trade ally component (see "Trade Allies: Long Haul Partners," HE Sept/Oct '93 p.17.). An important initial element of the project was market preparation to ensure the availability of high-efficiency products and equipment from local retailers and contractors.

Residential Resource Partners

Through the Residential Resource Partners component of the New London project, trained technicians perform energy assessments in customer homes, including blower-door testing. Information is provided to educate customers on individual technologies and on behavioral changes that can provide comfort and reduce energy consumption. The following low cost measures are installed and services performed during the residential energy assessment

Customers with gas or electric heating pay $35 for these services either at the time of delivery or in monthly installments on their utility bills. If the home has propane or oil heat (with gas or electric water heating), the assessment excludes blower-door testing and a space heating energy assessment, so customers pay only $19.

Efficient Lighting

During the energy assessment, opportunities for high-efficiency lighting are also identified. Retrofits are based on a minimum three-hour burn time of existing bulbs. Customers can lease compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) through a monthly charge on their bill. Bulbs are paid for over seven years, and monthly savings are greater than the leasing charge. For example, the installation of five CFLs results in monthly payments of $1.75, while estimated savings approach $2.00 per month.

Major Efficiency Improvements

Based on utility cost-effectiveness criteria, approved major measures include

All measures except high-efficiency furnaces/boilers and water heaters can be financed via the customer's utility bill. In 1993, Wisconsin Gas Company provided rebates for high-efficiency gas furnaces/boilers, high-efficiency gas water heaters, and fuel switching. Utility financing will displace the rebates in 1994.

Water Conservation

By integrating water and energy conservation activities, New London Utilities aims to reduce leak-repair service calls and eliminate the need for future freshwater and wastewater treatment capacity additions. The impacts of a water conservation program can be researched while seizing opportunities afforded through the synergies of a joint program (see "Pulling Utilities Together: Water-Energy Partnerships," HE July/Aug '93, p.17).

In designing the project's water conservation component, a variety of residential water-saving measures were tested in the first 200 participating homes. Customers were offered the choice of three flush-adapter devices--the Frugal Flush, the Magic Flush, and the Select-A-Flush--for primary high-use toilets, and a combination of toilet dams and a new flapper for secondary toilets and other high-use toilets where flush adapter installation was not possible. For toilets with excessive water use or in serious need of repair, ultra-low-volume (ULV) units were recommended (see "Changing the Way Southern Californians Flush," HE July/Aug '92, p.29). Based on savings estimates obtained during field testing, measure and installation costs, and customer and installation crew acceptance, the Frugal Flush was chosen for the full-scale Residential Resource Partners program (see Table 2).

Because one goal of the project is to research the potential for water conservation programs, the Frugal Flush, toilet dams, and replacement flappers are distributed and installed free of charge for customers participating in Residential Resource Partners. While ULV toilet installations are not free, customers can pay for them through the positive cash flow financing option.

Results to Date

First offered to customers in July 1993, Residential Resource Partners has been marketed through direct mail, door hangers, and word-of-mouth. A two-person crew from CAP Services, Incorporated, a state weatherization grantee, is delivering the services. The goal is to visit at least 2,000 of New London's 2,750 households over three years. As of December 1993, approximately 300 homes had participated.

The Retail Promotion

The retail promotion component of the project ensures the availability of energy- and water-saving products in New London's retail outlets. It involves seven retailers, including hardware, grocery, discount, and building supply stores, and focuses primarily on efficient lighting. Water conservation products will be targeted in the retail outlets beginning this year. Retailers were encouraged to stock a group of eight CFLs, chosen to provide variety in wattage, application, and retrofit capability. To spur CFL purchases, several marketing activities were planned and implemented. Demonstrations of CFLs and high-efficiency light fixtures were conducted in two participating hardware stores. Cooperative advertising by manufacturers, distributors, participating retailers, and New London Utilities featured the eight bulbs in the local newspaper and shopper's guide over a two-month period.

The next step in the retail promotion involves distributing conservation coupons to New London residents. Customers can redeem four "Up to $25" coupons that allow financing on purchases of energy- or water-saving products. Again, the conservation coupons allow positive cash flow financing through customers' utility bills.

Targeting Small Commercial Customers

The small commercial program also includes energy assessments, contractor arranging, and installation quality control. Again, positive cash flow financing is offered to customers, with monthly dollar savings exceeding the monthly payments. To kick off this program, an effort was made to locate customers who would be willing to participate in a demonstration. Nineteen commercial customers volunteered to participate, with audits and energy-efficient equipment installations beginning in June 1993. The commercial program will be expanded in 1994 to include all of New London's 300 small commercial customers.

Osage Endures

Some community energy-conservation efforts have persisted over time. For instance, in 1974, the Osage (Iowa) Municipal Utility initiated an energy efficiency program to reduce the demand for electricity in all customer sectors. The goal was to delay the need for additional generation capacity. Wes Birdsall, the utility manager, was the driving force behind the ongoing project, which also sought to reduce customer's utility bills to improve the economic well being of the 3,500-resident community.

The project has focused on energy education, with minimal financial incentives for measure installation. All of the community's households have participated in some facet of the project since its inception. The following are some of the accomplishments of the project for the 1974-1992 period:

In addition, a compact fluorescent lighting rebate program and a tree planting program have operated for the last few years. Efficiency standards for new construction have also been implemented in the community.

The success of Osage can be traced to the relationship and trust that has been built between the utility and its customers. The utility estimates that the project has prevented $1.2 million a year from leaving the community and $800,000 a year from leaving Iowa. In addition, customers have enjoyed three rate reductions and has needed no new capacity additions for the community. This has been accomplished with a $500,000 investment over 18 years.

Table 1.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                            UNITED STATES
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PROJECT                              MODEL TYPE                 OBJECTIVES                           ACTIVITIES                         STATUS
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pacific Gas and Electric Model       Marketing      Utility peak load reduction,                 Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Energy Communities Program, CA                      targeting the transmission and               public education and 
                                                    distribution system                          technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rock Valley Energy Efficiency        Marketing      Reduce demand for all energy                 Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Research Project, Iowa Public                       sources through efficiency                   public education and 
Service Company                                     improvements                                 technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hood River Conservation Project,     Marketing      Building a conservation                      Monetary incentives,               Complete
OR. Natural Resources Defense                       power plant, research and                    residential weatherization, 
Council, Pacific Power, Bonneville Power            evaluation                                   targeting electric space heating
Administration, Hood River Electric 
Cooperative, Northwest Power Planning 
Council, Northwest Public Power 
Association, and Pacific Northwest 
Utilities Conference Committee          
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Viroqua, WI,                          Marketing     Determine achievable potential               Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Northern States Power                               of  DSM by innovative program                public education and
                                                    design, reduce demand and energy             technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mayville/Horicon, WI,                 Marketing     Reduce demand and energy,                    Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Wisconsin Power and Light                           market transformation and                    public education and
                                                    conservation ethic                           technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Iola and Mauston, WI, State of       Partnership    Economic development                         Monetary incentives                Complete
Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin,                 through energy-efficiency                    and public education
and Wisconsin Power and Light                       improvements
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
North Carolina Alternative           Partnership    Moderate energy and                          Public education                   Ongoing
Energy Corporation                                  demand through efficiency 
                                                    and conservation
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New London, WI, Wisconsin            Partnership    Reduce demand and energy,                    Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Public Power SYSTEM                                 market transformation and                    public education and
                                                    conservation ethic                           technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Osage, IA Municipal Utility          Partnership    Reduce energy demand                         Monetary incentives                Ongoing          
                                                    through efficiency improvements              and public education    
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Urban Consortium Sustainable         Partnership    Improve energy efficiency                    Monetary incentives, public        Ongoing
Cities Project (Portland, OR;                       of buildings, transportation                 education and
technology 
San Jose, CA; San Francisco, CA)                    systems and waste/water                      development in
partnership      with utilities
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Colorado Office of Energy            Developmental  Economic development                         Monetary incentives,               Ongoing
Conservation, Western Area                          through energy efficiency                    public education and
Power Administration                                technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Davis, CA                            Developmental  Manage growth and                            Public education and               Complete          
                                                    reduce energy demand                         regulatory measures
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Fremont, NE                          Developmental  Economic development                         Monetary incentives and            Complete
                                                    through energy efficiency                    public education


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                                   CANADA
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PROJECT                              MODEL TYPE                 OBJECTIVES                           ACTIVITIES                         STATUS
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Remote Communities Program,          Marketing      Avoid expansion of                           Monetary incentives and            Implementation
BC Hydro                                            diesel plants                                technology development          
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Espanola Power Savers Project,       Marketing      Avoided capacity, conservation               Monetary incentives,               Complete
Ontario Hydro                                       ethic, research and development              public education and
                                                                                                 technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jasper Energy Efficiency Project,    Marketing      Reduce energy demand,                        Monetary incentives and            Implementation
Alberta Power                                       avoid expansion of generating                public education
                                                    plants or building of transmission 
                                                    link to Jasper
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Atikokan Energy Efficient            Partnership    Energy reduction and                         Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Community Program,                                  economic development                         public education and
Ontario Ministry of Energy                          technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cornwall Energy Efficient            Partnership    Energy reduction and                         Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Community Program,                                  economic development, heating                public education and
Ontario Ministry of Energy                          and cogeneration                             technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Enviro Towns, The Clean              Partnership    Energy reduction through                     Monetary incentives and            Implementation
Nova Scotia Foundation                              conservation and efficiency                  public education
and Nova Scotia Power          
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sarnia Energy Efficient              Partnership    Energy reduction and                         Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Community Program,                                  economic development                         public education and
Ontario Ministry of Energy                                                                       technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Peterborough Green-Up                Partnership    Conservation of water, energy                Monetary incentives and            Implementation
                                                    and reduction of waste                       public education
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City of Toronto                      Partnership    20% reduction in CO2                         Fiscal, monetary, regulatory       Implementation
                                                    by 2005 across all sectors                   measures, public education and     of Stage 1
                                                                                                 technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Guelph Green Team, Guelph            Developmental  Conservation of energy                       Monetary incentives,               Implementation
Round Table on the Economy                          and water                                    public education, and
and the Environment                                                                              technology development
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City of Ottawa                       Developmental  20% reduction in CO2                         NA                                 Planning
                                                    by 2005 across all sectors          
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City of Regina                       Developmental  20% reduction in CO2                         NA                                 Planning
                                                    by 2005 across all sectors                    
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City of Vancouver                    Developmental  20% reduction in CO2                         Fiscal, monetary, regulatory       Planning
                                                    by 2005 across all sectors                   measures, public education 
                                                                                                 and technology development






Wisconsin Power and Light Company: 

Energy Conservation 2000

The goal of the Energy Conservation 2000 project is to demonstrate that
a demand-side management (DSM) project evolving from a targeted community can
achieve more conservation over a longer term and at lower costs than historical
utility DSM programs (rebates, information, and so on). Energy Conservation
2000 was launched by Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WP&L) in
conjunction with the adjoining communities of Horicon and Mayville, Wisconsin,
and Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation. The project includes both gas
and electric demand-side measures, in a comprehensive package with financing on
customer utility bills. A community advisory group and subcommittees have
provided input into all components of the project.

Both the residential and small commercial portions of the project entail a free
energy assessment, direct installation of low-cost measures,
contractor-arranging for major efficiency measures, financing of major measures
on a customer's utility bill, and quality control of a portion of work
performed. A unique feature of both the residential and commercial programs is
a community reward or incentive. For major measures installed by a homeowner or
business owner, Wisconsin Power and Light Company will donate $10-$30 for
designated community projects. In the residential sector, close to 500
households participated in the the program from June to December 1993.

The project also features an energy education effort in the local schools, a
retail component aimed at ensuring the availability of efficiency equipment,
products, and services, and an industrial program that focuses on shared
savings.  Energy Conservation 2000, in combination with past community
efficiency activities, has delayed upgrading the transmission and distribution
system serving the area. The three-year project ends at the end of 1994.






Table 2. Savings and Costs of Toilet Retrofit Measures Installed in The New
London Resource Project



                      Estimated Savings  Estimated Average  Average  Estimated   Installed  Estimated Annual 
                         Per Measure       Annual Savings   Measure Installation Cost per     Water Bill
Water Saving Measure     (gal/flush)         (gal/year)       Cost      Cost      Measure      Savings

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ultra-low volume toilet     2.1                13,031         $90        $40      $130         $44.44     
Select-A-Flush              1.55                9,618         $20        $15      $35          $32.78
Frugal Flush                1.3                 8,067          $5        $12.50   $17.50       $27.51     
Magic Flush                 1.55                9,618          $8        $12.50   $20.50       $32.78     
Toilet dams and flapper     0.85                5,274          $3.50     $9.25    $12.75       $17.99
replacement
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________


The toilet retrofit measures, including installations, were offered free of
charge to the program's first 200 participants. The three flush adapter devices
(Select-A-Flush, Frugal Flush, and Magic Flush) were field tested for technical
performance and customer and crew acceptance. The estimated savings were based
on retrofitting a 3.7-gallon toilet (an approximate average of existing
toilets). Average annual savings were calculated assuming 17 flushes per
high-use toilet per day. WECC field testing and independent laboratory testing
results for each flush adapter were included in the savings estimates.

The measure costs reported in the table are wholesale costs, with bulk
discounts in some cases. Installation costs for the flush adapters and the
dams/flappers are based on the actual time crew members spent installing each
device (at an an hourly rate of $37.50). Annual water bill savings were
calculated using the estimated average annual savings for each measure and New
London Utilities' rates of $1.14 per 1,000 gallons of water and $2.27 per 1,000
gallons for wastewater ($3.41 total per 1,000 gallons).

The Frugal Flush was chosen for inclusion in the full-scale Residential
Resource Partners Program. Although, the Magic Flush offered a benefit/cost
ratio comparable to the Frugal Flush, absolute installed cost was a critical
consideration for New London Utilities because this measure is distributed and
installed free of charge. In addition, customer and crew acceptance were
considered in the choice. Toilet dams and replacement flappers are also offered
for free to participants for lower-use toilets or units which cannot be
retrofitted with a Frugal Flush. The Select-A-Flush and the Magic Flush will be
included with the Frugal Flush in the 1994 retail promotion for purchase by New
London residents.






The Jasper Energy Efficiency Project

The goal of Alberta Power's Jasper Energy Efficiency Project is to lower
the community's power demand by 20%. Jasper, a tourist town of 4,500 residents
(and 150 businesses), has experienced a near doubling of electricity demand
over ten years. In 1992, the town faced a critical decision: build another
electric plant, expand an existing diesel plant, extend a power line and hook
up with the provincial utility grid, or pursue energy efficiency. Choosing
efficiency paid off, with the town meeting its 20% goal within eight months. 

Jasper's program targeted commercial, industrial, and residential customers.
The goal was to reduce demand by 400 kW in the residential sector, 1,500 kW in
the commercial sector, and 1,000 kW in the industrial sector. To date, Alberta
Power has spent over $1.5 million (Canadian) on the project. 

Residential measures consisted of household audits, sales of efficiency devices
at reduced prices, and cash incentives for converting hot-water heaters from
electricity to propane. Customer response was excellent, with 891 of 1,100
households (81%) requesting audits and 75% of businesses signing up for audits.
The residential portion of the project has saved an estimated 420 kW, with an
additional 71 kW from street lighting conversion to high- pressure sodium
lighting. 

One of the lessons learned is that the project benefited greatly from the input
it received from a local advisory committee made up of the Jasper Chamber of
Commerce, environmental groups, the school board, the local hospital, the
Canadian Park Service, and Alberta Power.








Related Articles

"Can We Transform the Market without Transforming the Customer?" (Harrigan)
"Perry Bigelow: Energy Efficiency Maestro" (Andrews)



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