Summer Edition

2011

Welcome to the Hot Days of Summer!

While most of the country is experiencing record breaking heat, we're breaking a few records of our own at Johnson Consulting Group.  We're busier than ever and have expanded our staff to keep up with the demand.  Johnson Consulting Group now includes a new part-time employee - Diane Mahon, Project Coordinator, as well as working with terrific subcontractors like Afroz Khan from Rouleau                 Another busy bee
Consulting and Gregg Eisenberg from Iron Mountain Consulting.

We've also been keeping a pretty busy schedule burning up the airline routes coast to coast and overseas for various projects and conferences.  Check out the highlights and pictures in the following stories.

Dr. Katherine Johnson, President

Process Evaluation is "Hot!"

Evaluation, Measurement & Verification (EM&V) continues to be one of the hottest topics in the energy efficiency industry.  At Johnson Consulting Group, we've been fortunate enough to continue our work in developing EM&V plans and evaluations for our current clients.

*  For Columbia Gas of Virginia: We filed the first year results from the process and impact evaluations for Columbia Gas of Virginia in April 2011 and will be presenting the highlights of those findings in an interactive session at the AESP National Conference.  The focus of this evaluation was on Columbia Gas' successful Home Savings Programs. Next year, we will focus on fine tuning the commercial and industrial program offerings.

*  For the Partners in Energy Savings (PIES): Working with Navigant Consulting, we completed an evaluation of this innovative statewide energy efficiency program.  Four natural gas utilities in Colorado are collaborating to deliver a suite of energy efficiency programs for their customers.  Overall, the evaluation provided insights on how this collaboration has benefited both customers
and trade allies.

*  For Washington Gas: We just completed the EM&V plans for Washington Gas' residential energy efficiency program portfolio.

EM&V Team Work

As the old saying goes, "two heads are better than one." During the past few months, we have been working with EM&V Collaboratives to develop statewide protocols in both Arkansas and New York based on literature reviews of industry "best practices." The results include:

*  Developed EM&V Protocols to support Arkansas' EM&V Collaborative: Working with the EM&V Collaborative members, Johnson Consulting Group drafted Arkansas' EM&V Protocols. These protocols were based on a review of EM&V "best practices" and have been modified to meet the specific needs for Arkansas energy efficiency programs. The final protocols will be adopted in September 2011.

*  Developing Process Evaluation Protocols for New York State: Working with the Evaluation Advisory Group and NYSERDA, our staff is also developing a comprehensive set of evaluation protocols specifically designed to guide process evaluations. We just completed a literature review of best practices for process evaluations and will using these findings to guide the development of these protocols in the next few months.

International Adventures

*  eceee Summer Study: Presque d'illes, France:  Katherine and Emily traveled to the South of France in June for the eceee. See photos by clicking "highlights" later in this article.  Also, Katherine presented her poster on innovative on-bill financing programs called "Show Me the Money."

*  Cruising the Venetian Lagoon! To celebrate Emily's graduation,
the Johnson family and dear friends rented a houseboat and cruised through the Venetian lagoons for a week. There is absolutely no better way to see Venice than by boat, and we had a truly memorable week enjoying the good life- Italian style. Click here for highlights of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Class of 2011 Katherine's daughter, Emily, graduated from the Forman School in Litchfield, CT in May. As her proud family looked on, Emily graduated with highest honors and received the Julia Forman Award as the outstanding female student.  She is looking forward to attending McDaniel College in Westminster, MD where she'll study Special Education and Art. Quick Link Johnson Consulting Group Website Click on the link above to view a list of our other publications, services, and clients.

Where in the World is Dr. KJ? 8/2  AESP Board Meeting, Chicago, IL 8/3  Utility Advisory Meeting, Winter Park, FL 8/15-18 IEPEC, Boston, MA "Getting out of the Starting Blocks: Challenges with PY1 Portfolio Evaluations 10/3-6 AESP Fall Conference, Dallas, TX 2/6-10/2012 AESP National Conference, San Diego, CA *Co-presenting with Columbia Gas of Virginia an update of EM&V activities in an interactive session In This Issue Process Evaluation is "Hot!" EM&V Team Work. International Adventures Class of 2011 Where in the World is Dr. KJ?