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Summer Edition 2014
 Welcome to the Red Hot Days of  Summer!

 

Whatever happened to the lazy days of summer? I remember as a kid summertime meant relaxing on a quiet lake in Minnesota or cruising the Florida coastline with my family.

 

But those good old summertime days are long gone for our busy little firm. For the last few months, we have been working on finalizing a variety of evaluation reports for utilities and Public Service Commissions in Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia. And the next few months promise even more excitement as we travel to California (twice) for conferences, and finish up some critical evaluation work in Arkansas and Missouri, before heading off to Berlin in early September.

 

Wherever your travels take you this summer, I hope you can find time to relax and enjoy some summertime fun with your friends and family.

 

 

                                          Dr. Katherine Johnson, President  

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Arkansas Energy Efficiency Programs Gain Momentum

As the Independent Evaluation Monitor (IEM), our team filed its annual review of the EM&V reports filed on programs operated by the seven investor-owned gas and electric utilities. This report, filed on June 1, summarizes the remarkable progress that these energy organizations have made in achieving the goals set forth by the Arkansas Public Service Commission (APSC).

 

While the residential programs continue to struggle to meet goals, these energy efficiency programs are well designed and implemented, and leverage industry standards and best practices.

 

The independent evaluations, completed by The Cadmus Group and ADM Associates, were thorough and comprehensive. While there are still areas for improvement for both Arkansas' overall energy efficiency program portfolio, as well as in the evaluations, the overall progress made in developing a comprehensive approach to energy efficiency across the state is improving.

 

Much of this progress is attributed to the hard work and dedication of the Parties Working Collaboratively (PWC), who include representatives from the seven investor-owned electric and gas utilities and from key stakeholder groups. The PWC members are active and engaged participants and are clearly committed to achieve the energy savings goals established by the Commission.

 

On behalf of the Johnson Consulting Group, I want to personally thank my team members from Apex Analytics, Eisenberg Energy, Mesa Point Energy, Michael's Energy, and Rouleau Consulting Group for their hard work in reviewing and commenting on the PY2013 evaluation reports. 

Show me the Savings: Key Takeaways from the EM&V Auditor's Report for Ameren Missouri  

 

Several members of the Johnson Consulting Group team are also serving as the EM&V Auditor on behalf of the Missouri Public Service Commission.  Our responsibilities include reviewing and commenting on overall quality, scope and accuracy of the third-party independent evaluations completed by ADM Associates and The Cadmus Group.

Overall, these program evaluation reports conformed to industry best practices and provided a comprehensive review of all aspects of the program.  However, we did provide some guidance regarding ways in which savings estimates should be revised to better reflect market effects in the impact evaluation, as well as provide some additional guidance on ways to streamline and enhance process evaluations going forward.  Our report was filed on July 2, 2014.

We are currently conducting a similar review of the EM&V Reports for KCP&L prepared by Navigant.  Our final report will be filed later this summer with the Missouri Public Service Commission.

Moving on Up!

  

In June, Katherine was unanimously elected Chair of the Utility Advisory Board (UAB) for the City of Winter Park. For the past four years, Katherine has served as a volunteer on this community board to help guide this new municipal utility into the 21st century.

 

The Electric Utility Department began serving retail electric customers on June 1, 2005, as the City of Winter Park established its own municipal electric utility.

 

In a referendum election of September 9, 2003, the citizens of Winter Park voted overwhelmingly to exercise the buy-out option in the city's franchise agreement with Progress Energy Florida and to have the city own and operate its own utility.

 

Since becoming a municipal utility, the City has built two electric substations and purchased Progress Energy Florida's electric distribution facilities within the city.

 

The UAB advises the Mayor and City Commission on matters regarding the capital needs, rate structures and policies related to the operation of the city's electric and water utilities.

 

While it is a great honor to serve, Katherine also loves to spend time in her home town as it is a wonderful place to visit. Read all about it in the March 2014 Issue of US Airways.

Where in the World is Dr. KJ?

*  July 8  Utility Advisory Board Meeting, City of
       Winter Park Utilities, FL
*  Aug. 4-8 AESP Summer Conference, Moderator
       for Big Data Session, San Francisco, CA
*  Aug. 12-14  Arkansas PWC Technical Forum,
       Weatherization Collaborative & Potential
       Study Update, Little Rock, AR
*  Aug. 17-22  ACEEE, Summer Study
       Conference, "A Modern Twist on an Old
       Classic: New Program Designs for Low and
       Middle Income Residential Weatherization
       Programs
," Pacific Grove, CA
*  Sept. 9-11  IEPEC Conference, "All Together
      Now!  How Collaboration Works in Arkansas
",
      Berlin, Germany

Late Breaking News ...
Johnson Consulting Group has qualified for WBENC certification as a Women's Business Enterprise for another year.

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Best Wishes and Godspeed

Two of our favorite clients have recently accepted new jobs and new opportunities in the energy efficiency community.

 

Michael Volker is now the new Vice President of Utility Services for Corn Belt Energy in Bloomington, Illinois. We first started working together when Michael was at Midwest Energy starting up a new financing program called How$mart. Nearly six years later, How$mart is a true success story that has been used as a model for successful financing programs in several other states including South Carolina and Hawaii. Michael's innovative thinking and vision are truly transforming the energy efficiency market and we wish him the very best in his new adventures at Corn Belt Energy.

 

Another dear friend and colleague, Chris Griffin, will be taking a new job within NiCor. Chris was the program manager and a key reason that Columbia Gas of Virginia's energy efficiency program was so successful in the first three years of its program launch. Chris was an enthusiastic supporter of EM&V work in Virginia, and we wish him all the best in his new role.

Fun Stuff    

 

Welcome Back, Benjamin! 

Benjamin, a part time member of our staff, returned in May after spending almost four months studying in Israel. While a student at Jerusalem, University - Institute for Holy Land Studies, Benjamin was immersed in learning about both the physical and geographical settings of the Bible. He also studied the History of the Church in the East, and traveled throughout Israel and Jordan.

We were thrilled to hear of his adventures, especially those involving camel rides in the desert and eating goat with the Bedouins.


We hope this new level of understanding will pay off in his upcoming seminary studies of Hebrew and Greek at Gordon-Conwell in Boston, MA. Shalom!

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