1. Partnering with Weatherization: How a dual-fuel utility partners with non-profit agency to deliver whole house improvements to homeowners at all income levels. Mutch Usera, Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power and Black Hills Power with Tiger Adolf, Wyoming Energy Council for the Four Corners Utility Efficiency Exchange, Durango, Colorado, August 15, 2008

2. Overview: Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power has served the area since 1900.
Acquired by Black Hills Corporation in January 2005.
38,000 electric and 33,000 natural gas customers.
163 MW electric peak; ~4.4 Bcf (billion cubic feet) residential and commercial gas delivery plus ~8.3Bcf gas transportation service.
Own Wygen II, Gillette, WY – 95 MW Electric Generation Plant.
Renewable - Happy Jack Wind Farm MW.
98 employees at your service.
Customer Bill Payment Solutions
Energy Efficiency Rebate Programs
Energy Technologies Workshops
Energy Hog Educational Tour
Key Customer Account Program
Wyoming Home Performance Alliance Founding Partner at Underwriter Level
Energy Efficiency Awareness Day
Energy Share Program
Home Energy Suite Calculator Website
ENERGY STAR Partner

3. Overview:
Black Hills Power has served the Black Hills area since 1883.
A subsidiary of Black Hills Corporation.
65,400 electric customers.
435 MW of Power Generation plus 50 MW of Purchased Power.
Wygen III – 100 MW Power Plant under construction.
Renewable – Happy Jack Wind Farm.
District offices located in 10 communities in the Black Hills.
338 employees at your service.
Customer Bill Payment Solutions
Energy Efficiency Rebate Programs
Electro Technology Expo
Energy Efficiency Training for Realtors
Heat Loss/Gain Training for HVAC
Key Customer Account Program
Wyoming Home Performance Alliance Founding Partner at Underwriter Level
Energy Efficiency Awareness Day
Energy Share Program
SDPUC Wind for Schools Partner
ENERGY STAR Partner
SDPUC Energy Smart Initiative Partner
Home Energy Suite Calculator Website

4. Advancing Energy Efficiency in Housing
Overview:
Wyoming Energy Council has served Wyoming since 1980.
501(c)(3) private nonprofit corporation
Mission: To promote and further the conservation of non-renewable energy resources and the development of renewable energy resources. 
Over 3,500 homes improved.
Five programs for improving energy efficiency and client education.
40 employees at your service (by September 1, 2008).
ENERGY STAR Partner
Wyoming Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Sponsor
Wyoming Home Performance Alliance
Building Performance Institute Affiliate
Southeast Wyoming Utility Efficiency Exchange
Home Energy Makeover Workshop
CLFP Energy Efficiency Awareness Day partner
Weatherization Assistance Program: Laramie, Albany, Carbon Counties, Wyoming
Low-Income Energy Assistance Program Provider
Wyoming Learns Energy

5. In the Beginning…. Started partnering in 2005
Started with Weatherization references and sharing good utility data for weatherization low-income clients - - particularly important for energy analysis to meet Department of Energy requirements
Both saw a need to provide cost-effective energy efficiency services and education to those people in low- to middle-income who do not qualify for energy assistance

6. Past Activities
Continued to share usage information with weatherization
Train CSRs to answers questions about wx and HPwES
BHP/CLFP sits on WHP Advisory Group
Shared space at Home and Garden Show
Display information in Customer Service area at storefront
Articles in bill inserts
Links on websites
Allowed in-kind support for outreach activities (also cash contributions)
Discuss what usage data and why it’s available

7. Present Activities – Utility
BHP/CLFP becomes WHP Alliance Founding Partner
Wyoming GEOSmart financing for energy efficient improvements
Reportable metrics of installed improvements can be obtained for use in plans from rebate and consumer loan information
CLFP Residential Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Incentive Program (not tied to rate plan; developed before Alliance was formed)
Home Energy Suite recommends a Comprehensive Home Assessment and points to WHP website

8. Present Activities – Nonprofit
BPI Affiliate to ensure standardized training, testing, monitoring
WHP training expansion focused in Black Hills territory
WHP Alliance allows utility technicians and customer service to participate in contractor training
CLFP Residential Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Incentive Program cash-back rebates tied to Home Performance certificates of completion encourages reporting
Home Energy Suite referral points to WHP website drives customers to act
Wyoming GEOSmart financing for energy efficient improvements made possible by WHP Alliance
CLFP Energy Awareness Day expands into Southeast Wyoming Utility Exchange and Home Energy Makeover Workshop: broad-based utility forum and consumer outreach effort

9. Keys to Successful Partnering
Determine mutual goals
Find opportunities to collaborate and cooperate
Communicate with the rest of your organization—person answering the phone needs to know what you are doing!
Treat each other as a leveraging resource—that means putting a value on noncash contributions, especially for grant purposes
Understand limitations of low-income weatherization—federal rules restrict what agency can do
Encourage non-weatherization activities to diversify revenue stream and create discretionary funds
Mission of your local nonprofit…they aren’t all the same.
Goals of the utility…Behavior modification, delinquency reduction, shut-off reduction

10. What’s in it for Utility?
WHP provides BHP/CLFP with confidence:
Quality recommendation when referring customers to weatherization or to a Preferred Contractor in Wyoming Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program.
Building Performance Institute- (BPI-) certified (current) Building Analyst Professionals available in community
Access to training so utility technicians and CSRs can understand and explain the process
On-going quality assurance agreement (minimum 15%)
Reporting—can be tailored to gather information important to the partner about actual customer results
Bottom line: Reduced number of delinquencies/shut-offs

11. What’s in it for Nonprofit?
Marketing and outreach support
Rebates to support the contractors
Hand out applications and make referrals for wx or private jobs
Quality information on usage data to help wx perform good jobs
Good will obtained (and given) through cooperative events
Encouragement
Financial Assistance—noncash or cash (Wx always needs vehicles!)
Reportable Leveraging
Doesn’t have to be cash. If you want your weatherization agency to do more private work, help them make it possible—donate used fleet vehicles.

12. Cool Things
Discuss different program impacts/options as time allows…

13. Wyoming Energy Council
More Information This presentation will be available on the Home Energy Makeover website:
Questions Now?
Questions Later:
Mutch Usera
Tiger Adolf
Black Hills Power
Wyoming Energy Council