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Happy Spring!!
 After one of the worst winters in
history, spring has finally arrived. This time of year is filled with
promising opportunities for Johnson Consulting Group. Katherine will be
presenting a series of technology-oriented workshops for several
clients around the U.S. during the next few weeks before a quick trip
to France for the IEPEC conference in June. She will be updating attendees
on advances in on-the-bill (OTB) financing programs -- a topic on which
she will continue to focus in several more utility evaluations later
this year.
This
spring promises to be especially busy for several of our clients as
they launch both new programs as well as program evaluations. Much of
our recent work is focused on incorporating the new advances in energy
technologies- including energy efficient appliances, water heaters, and
heat pumps, into these new utility programs. It is an exciting time to
be in the energy business - and we can't wait to see what happens next.
Katherine
Johnson, President
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Advances in Energy Efficient Technologies Workshop
Series
As customers look for more ways to reduce energy costs, utilities are
exploring the new technologies that are gaining traction in the market.
We have been developing several technology-oriented workshops focusing
on advances in water heating, heat pumps, motors and VFDs (variable
speed drives).
Each one-day workshop explores a specific type of technology and
features product demonstrations from the manufacturers, case studies,
as well as an overview of the technologies. For Western Area Power Administration (Western)
we'll will be holding a workshop in Bismarck, ND on May 26th focusing
on advances in water heating technologies. This will include
presentations by both Rheem/Marathon and General Electric on their new
heat pump water heaters. This technology also has a renewable energy
application as well -- a topic that will be explored more fully by Steffes
Corporation.
 We will be presenting several more workshops for Buckeye Power in Columbus, OH
during the next few months. In addition to the water heating
workshop held in March,
we are developing presentations on "Heat Pumps: Air
Source, Dual Fuel,
Geothermal and Solar" on May 19th. Joining us will
be representatives from
Lennox, Trane, and ClimateMaster to provide attendees with
up-to-date information
regarding these new technologies. In May, we will focus on
helping attendees learn
more about motors and VFDs. This one-day workshop will include an
on-site demonstration by Precise Power of its new Written Pole Motor
technology.
To learn more about these workshops, click here.
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Columbia
Gas of Virginia Launches
Energy
Efficiency Program Portfolio
Columbia Gas
launc hed its multi-year energy efficiency program for both
residential and small commercial customers on April 7. The utility will
offer a variety of programs under its new brand WarmWise - targeting
both home owners and small businesses. The program portfolio includes online
energy audits, energy education and outreach, and rebates for gas and
water heating measures and even free measures for qualifying customers.
Johnson Consulting Group is developing and managing the EM&V
activities. This approach, regarded as a "Best Practice",
will be featured in an upcoming article in Chartwell focusing on natural gas
programs.
We've also started the initial EM&V work-conducting a baseline
study of residential and small commercial customers' attitudes and
awareness of energy conservation. Ward Research is fielding the
surveys that will help us track the overall effectiveness of program
operations during the next few years. Check out the WarmWise website for more details.
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Fun Stuff: Reunion and Sidewalk Art
Festival
 Katherine spent a wonderful weekend
in Winter Park, FL - home to one of the satellite offices for Johnson
Consulting Group - enjoying two special events. First, it was an
All-Class Reunion for the Crummer School Graduates from Rollins
College. The Crummer School of Business is recognized as the best MBA
program in FL and one of the leading programs in the U.S. Katherine,
Crummer Grad 1990, enjoyed catching up with her professors and
classmates. As an added bonus, the reunion was held during the 51st
Annual Sidewalk Arts Festival another reason that makes Winter Park,
FL such a special place.
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Water
Heating - No Longer
the Forgotten Appliance
Katherine will be developing a new book that focuses on one of the
least understood but most important home appliances - water
heaters. Drawing on her reviews of utility water heating programs,
case studies and white papers, this book will explain the role of
water heating as a critical residential end-use. It will also
provide a summary of water heating technologies - including heat
pump and solar water heaters, water heating's role as a
renewable energy resource, snapshots of leading water heating
manufacturers, and resources for utility staff.
This fuel-neutral guide will follow the format of Katherine's
previous books on Geothermal Heat Pumps - now in its 4th
edition. It will be published later this summer and
include insights from industry leaders like Rheem/Marathon and
GE. Watch the JCG website for details.
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Where in the World is KJ?
* 4/11 AGA-EEI Customer Service Conference,
Milwaukee, WI
* 4/26 "All About Heat Pumps" Workshop,
Buckeye Power, Columbus, OH
 * 5/2 AESP
Spring Conference, Boston, MA. Katherine moderates during the
Program Design & Implementation Track
 * 5/10 Touchstone's
CONNECT Conference -
Presentation: "Best Practices in Energy
Efficiency Marketing", Kansas City, MO
* 5/19 Commercial and Industrial Technology Workshop,
" Motors and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)" - Buckeye
Power, Columbus, OH
* 5/26 "Advances in Water Heating"
Workshop, Western Area Power, Bismarck, ND
 * 6/9 IEPEC Conference
- Presentation: "Lessons Learned from the Field: Key
Strategies for Implementing Successful On-Bill Financing
Programs," Paris, France
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