Welcome – Shawn White, Manager, Product Policy & Strategy, Xcel Energy

Mr. White will start off the conference with a warm welcome from Xcel Energy, our host utility for 2019. He’ll quickly transition to remarks on the evolution of energy efficiency that he sees from the perspective of the investor-owned utility and its interactions with stakeholders and regulators. These parties are often grappling with the same ultimate goal of offering consumers a broader array of impactful energy solutions—managing bills, providing cleaner energy, and using technology to make tasks simpler—built on the solid foundation of decades of successful energy efficiency programs.

Keynote Speaker – L. Hunter Lovins

L. Hunter Lovins is the President and Founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS), a non-profit formed in 2002 in Longmont, CO. A renowned author and champion of sustainable development for over 35 years, Hunter has consulted on business, economic development, sustainable agriculture, energy, water, security, and climate policies for scores of governments, communities, and companies worldwide. Within the United States, she has consulted for heads of state, departments of defense, energy agencies and hundreds of state and local agencies.

EMERGING METHODS IN TIME DEPENDENT VALUATION
Moderator: Carmen Best, Recurve

• Changing Objectives of Energy Efficiency Evaluation in a Renewable Energy Driven Grid – Justin Hagler, California Public Utilities Commission
• Time Is Money: Leveraging EM&V to Value Peak Savings for Customers, Programs, and the Grid – Miles Ingram, Eversource Energy
• How Much Is That Worth?  An In-Depth Analysis of Electric Energy Avoided Costs in the World of Time Varying Low Carbon Generation – Jeremy Petersen, Xcel Energy

SHAPESHIFTING EVALUATIONS: INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR NEW AND OLD PROBLEMS
Moderator: Lauren Gage, Apex Analytics

• Evaluation’s Role in Reducing GHG: Yes, it matters…A Lot – Mike Rufo, Itron Inc. 
• Portfolio Net Savings at the Meter: A Review of Top-Down Analysis Methods – Miriam Goldberg, DNV GL
• Evaluation for Innovation: Shifting our Evaluation Paradigm to Secure Our Future – Eileen Hannigan, ILLUME Advising

TOSS THE CRYSTAL BALL: BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF C&I LIGHTING MARKETS AND PROGRAMS THROUGH EVALUATION
Moderator: Sarah Castor, Energy Trust of Oregon

• Stocking up for a Bright Future: Leveraging Existing Lighting Research in a Stock Accounting Model – Geoffrey Cooper, DNV GL
• All Hands-on Deck: A Quest for Continuous and Targeted Optimization of Upstream Lighting Savings – Jessi Taffel, DNV GL
• Making the Shift: Lessons Learned in Moving from a Resource Acquisition Evaluation Framework to a Market Transformation Framework in Commercial Lighting – Jillian Mallory, Econoler

DON’T JUST SIT THERE – START MAKING YOUR DATA INSIGHTS ACTIONABLE!
Moderator: Melissa Culbertson, ADM Energy

• No Participant is Average! How to Inform Program Optimization and Improve Customer Engagement Using Advanced Impact Estimation and Clustering – Stefanie Wayland, Opinion Dynamics
• Leveraging Utility Datasets for Process Evaluation: Increasing the Value of Process Evaluation with Deep Data Insights – Emily Rich, EMI Consulting
• Multifamily Program Design Opportunities and Where to Find Them: Discovering Customer Insights from Diverse Data Sources – Riley Hastings, Eversource Energy

PANEL: BRIDGING EVALUATION METRICS GLOBALLY
Moderators: Kevin Cooney, BUKA Engineering and Elizabeth Titus, NEEP

Panelists:

• Jamilja Van der Meulen, ECN, Netherlands
• Michael Li, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
• Tajbee Ahmed, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UK

The IEPEC has spawned sister organizations in Europe and Asia Pacific that in turn are building their own evaluation communities, conferences, collective knowledge and separate but related identities. How can the energy evaluation community learn from the differences in perspectives and experience? What brings us together? The purpose of this panel is to collectively explore ideas for how to best bridge the evaluation world in light of the global energy transition. While the transition may be playing out differently across the globe, rigorous evaluations are needed. The environmental, financial, and technology ecosystems are global even though policies, programs, and investments are dispersed. Researchers and evaluators everywhere will benefit when data and information sharing can inform the metrics that matter in their local/regional communities. This panel will consider the role of consistent economic, environmental and societal metrics to meet regional stakeholders and to drive effective evaluation methods.

The panel will compare and contrast challenges facing evaluation communities, and solutions that are developing, including:

• A broader set of integrated resources (than just EE/DR) is driving the energy transition. What innovative methods are evolving to assess the most pertinent metrics when planning and technology deployment are more integrated?
• How can collaboration stretch limited evaluation dollars?
• What evaluation metrics and methods are most accepted by regional policy makers?
• Which non-energy impacts/benefits are included in evaluation? Specific policies or measures?
• How are the evaluation needs of public and private investors different in each region?
• How is evaluation complicated when energy investments are driven by other policies?

WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER…STRATEGIES AND TOOLS FOR CONDUCTING REAL-TIME AND EMBEDDED EVALUATION
Moderator: Lynn Roy, BrightLine Group

• Why Didn’t You Tell Me Earlier? A New Way for Evaluation to Inform Implementation before Project Approval – Chris Zimbelman, ERS
• Refining the Vision: Improving the Delivery of Real-time Evaluation – Levon Whyte, ERS
• Transportation Electrification: Using Embedded Evaluation to Improve EV Initiatives and Optimize Learning – Mersiha McClaren, Opinion Dynamics

FARMERS, DOUGHNUTS, AND THE DEVIL’S LETTUCE: BIG INSIGHTS FROM NICHE MARKETS
Moderator: Matt Nelson, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities

• Donuts to Dollars – Consumption Data Analysis in a Food Service Setting – Michelle Marean, DNV GL
• Clearing the Smoke: The Energy Implications of the Emerging Legalized Cannabis Cultivation Market – Joseph Clark, Evergreen Economics
• Investigating the Needs of Moderate-income Customers – Tracy Dyke-Redmond, Eversource Energy
• State Energy Office Partnership Helps Rural Small Businesses Reduce Energy Consumption – David Carter, Kansas State University Engineering Extension

IMPACT OF BEHAVIOR ON ENERGY USE
Moderator: Jamilja Van der Meulen, TNO

• Can High Bill Alerts Help Utility Customers to Save Energy? Evidence from A Large Randomized Experiment – Ryan Fulleman, Cadmus
• The Timing Of Behavioral Reminders Affects Customer’s Energy Usage: Early Findings from a Time-Of-Use Text Alert Study – Prapti Gautam, Southern California Edison
• Comparing Matching Methods in Behavioral Programs: An Evaluation of Smartphone Energy Management Service App – Toshihiro Mukai, CRIEPI 

BUILDING BETTER RESULTS: EVALUATOR INSIGHTS INTO NEW CONSTRUCTION AND CODES
Moderator: Matthew Joyce, Tierra Resource Consultants

• If You Build It, Will They Come? Understanding California’s Residential ZNE Market Transformation in Light of Recent Building Decarbonization Legislation – Ellen Steiner, Opinion Dynamics
• Pushing the Market: Measuring Market Effects in Residential New Construction – Jared Powell, NMR Group
• Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: Assessing Attribution and Savings from a Building Energy Code Compliance Enhancement Program – Zack Tyler, NMR Group

PANEL: CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH EVALUATING STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
Moderator: Arlene Lanciani, CEE

Panelists:

• Nate Altfeather, Leidos for Wisconsin Focus for Energy
• Don Boza, DTE
• Erika Kociolek, ETO
• Daniel Ouellet, BC Hydro
• Robert Stephenson, EVT
• Steve Warkentin, Xcel Energy     

Strategic Energy Management (SEM) is a holistic approach to managing large commercial and industrial energy use to continuously improve energy performance and achieve persistent energy and cost savings over the long term. With policy driving the need to achieve deeper savings, utilities are turning towards customer engagement through Strategic Energy Management (SEM) to fill the gap. SEM changes business practices, starting with senior management and emanating throughout organizational culture to reduce energy waste and reduce energy intensity. SEM emphasizes enabling and equipping plant management and staff to impact energy consumption through behavioral and operational change in addition to capital project implementation. If program administrators can only claim savings for capital improvements, then the benefits of SEM are undervalued and savings from behavioral and O&M improvements are lost. Every Program Administrator’s program is run differently and subject to different regulatory evaluation requirements. During this session, several experienced program administrators will provide examples of what their SEM programs look like in practice and why evaluating them can be so challenging.

VALUATING DISTRIBUTED RESOURCES: DIFFERENT STRIPES OR A WHOLE DIFFERENT ANIMAL?
Moderator: Jeremy Newberger, Navigant

• Would You Like a Slice of Layer Cake? Considerations for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) Evaluation Solutions – Olivia Patterson, Opinion Dynamics
• Piquing Interest in Shifting Peaks: Studying the Real-World Impacts of Load Shifting – Morgan Smith, Itron
• Assessing the Impact of Distributed Energy Resources on Line Losses: Toward a Methodological Approach – Josh Mondragon, San Diego Gas & Electric Company and Paula Ham-Su, DNV GL
• Should M&V Be Required for Grid Modernization Investments? – Erik Gilbert, Navigant

THE STATE OF THE STATES: STATE-LEVEL EM&V PLANNING AND POLICY
Moderator: Ralph Prahl, Prahl and Associates

• Regulatory Requirements and Evaluation Policies Across 25 States – Rob Neumann, Navigant
• Making BIG Plans: Collaborative Research Planning – Beth Delahaij, National Grid 
• Matt Nelson, Chair, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities

PAY FOR PERFORMANCE
Moderator: Jennifer Meissner, NYSERDA

• Policy Pathways to Meter-Based Pay for Performance – Carmen Best, OpenEE
• Counting the Hours, Days, or Months: Using Regression Analysis to Quantify Pay for Performance Programs – Michael Frischmann, EcoMetric Consulting
• Predictions with Restrictions: C&I Metered Energy Consumption – Sarah Monohon, Evergreen Economics
• We Say We Want a Revolution… What is it Going to Take to Get there with Pay for Performance? – Hilary Polis, Opinion Dynamics

EVALUATING MARKETS AND PROGRAMS TO BETTER SERVE THE CONSUMER
Moderator: William Saxonis, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy

• Prizes – Drawing Lessons from Federal Efforts to Drive Innovation – Alison LaBonte, California Public Utilities Commission
• The Intersection of Strategies and Lessons Learned in Low Income Programs – Genesis Tang, California Public Utilities Commission
• Advanced Data Analytics for Evaluating Market Transformation – Brett Close, EMI Consulting

HOT TOPIC: Michael Li, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

As large power plants retire, much of that capacity needs to be replaced. Over the last decade especially, the cost of distributed energy resources has come down, and utility experience in integrating a variety of resources has gone up. In light of this, many are asking whether utilities can replace large, centrally located generation with Virtual Power Plants – collections of distributed energy resources such as energy efficiency, demand response, rooftop solar, and batteries that provide the energy and capacity that power plants have traditionally provided. This session will explore whether clean Virtual Power Plants can provide the necessary services, and how the cost of these services compares to traditional thermal resources.

• Mark Dyson, Rocky Mountain Institute
• Nick Minderman, Xcel Energy
• Stuart Schare, Navigant

STORING ENERGY TO MOVE LOAD MOUNTAINS
Moderator: Nick Minderman, Xcel Energy

• Spring Cleaning: Organizing the Benefits of the Behind-the-Meter Energy Storage Closet – Brian McAuley, Itron
• Not Your Father’s Water Heater Demand Response Program: Measuring Impacts from an Innovative Load Shifting Pilot – Cheryn Metzger, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Water Heaters Emerge from Basements to Prime Time in the Emerging Energy Landscape: Will Customers Come Along for the Ride? – Ingo Bensch, Evergreen Economics

STATISTICAL VERSUS ENGINEERING BASELINES: NEW TECHNIQUES TO DESCRIBE WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
Moderator: Jon Maxwell, ERS

• Finding the Perfect Baseline: Advanced Time Series Control Group Matching Strategies on Energy Consumption – Christopher McBride, ADM Associates
• What’s Your Current Practice Baseline? The Heat Pump Edition – Phillip Kelsven, Bonneville Power Administration
• Quasi Experimental Dating: You Matched Me with Who? Opportunities and Limitations of Matching Techniques – Jonathan Hoechst, Tetra Tech
• Evaluation Considerations for Programs that Utilize Embedded Billing Analysis – Kevin Warren, Warren Energy Engineering

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: EARLY INSIGHTS FROM GROWING MARKETS
Moderator: Jenna Canseco, DNV GL Energy

• The Rocky Road to Shifting Load – Challenges of Installing Advanced Energy Storage and EV Chargers – Sean Maher, Itron
• How Electric Vehicle Use Types Impact Utilities’ Load Shapes: All EV Charging Loads Are Not the Same – Dan Mort, ADM Associates
• Can the EVolution be Scheduled: A Multi-Year Evaluation of the Effects of Time-of-Use Rates on Early Adopter EV Charging Load Shapes – Dan Feng, DNV GL

FISHING THE HEADWATERS: MARKET TRANSFORMATION UPSTREAM ISSUES
Moderator: Anu Teja, NEEA

• Swimming With The (Mid)Stream: Common Evaluation Challenges Facing Midstream Programs, and How To Address Them – Joshua Rego, Navigant and Sarah Tocco, DTE Energy
• The Great Migration: Moving Energy Efficiency Programs to Midstream – Rohit Vaidya, NMR Group
• One Size Does Not Fit All: An Assessment of NEEA’s RPP Efforts – Noah Lieb, Apex Analytics

PANEL: SURVIVAL – WHY COST-EFFECTIVENESS IS BECOMING THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS
Moderator: Rob Kasman, Pacific Gas & Electric Company

Panelists:

• Alison LaBonte, California Public Utilities Commission
• Julie Michals, E4TheFuture
• Adam Scheer, Recurve  
• Dan Violette, Lumina Decision Systems

This panel focuses on energy efficiency and DSM program cost effectiveness: how it’s measured, why those metrics are becoming increasingly challenging to meet, what can be done, and how evaluation can help. Panelists will address questions such as: Why is cost effectiveness suddenly becoming so challenging? If EE programs are no longer “cost effective,” should they be discontinued, or is this a sign that something else is wrong? What can program managers do to increase program cost effectiveness in the immediate term with existing cost effectiveness tests? Should benefit cost analysis (BCA) be re-formulated or inputs re-defined? Should non-energy benefits (such as climate change, job creation, health, and others) be included in program benefits? If so, how, given that valuing NEBS is challenging?

CHECKING IN ON THE NEW AND GROWING ROLE OF SOLAR AND STORAGE
Moderator: Jane Peters, Opinion Dynamics

• Identifying Future Adopters of Solar, EV, and Green Rates – Ted Helvoigt, Evergreen Economics
• What’s Driving Adoption of Behind-the-Meter Storage in California? Taking a Close Look at Drivers and Customer Decision Making
  – William Marin, Itron
• Looking on the Bright Side: How Actual Solar Production Compares to What Is Expected – Jake Millette, Opinion Dynamics

THE TEMPORAL ELEMENT
Moderator: Anne Dougherty, ILLUME Advising

• Time is of the Essence: Energy Savings over Time in Policy and Evaluation – Rachel Gold, ACEEE
• Estimating Savings Persistence: Value of Information and Continuous Learning Approaches – Dan Violette, Lumina Decision Systems
• Measuring the Dead from the Living: Using Existing Equipment Stock to Estimate Measure Lives – Christopher Dyson, DNV GL

USING END USE DISAGGREGATION TO DESIGN RELEVANT DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOR AN EVOLVING GRID
Moderator: Michael Goldman, Eversource Energy

• A New Data Resource for a Changing Energy Landscape – Kevin Price, Evergreen Economics
• Look at Me Now! A Time Series Analysis of California Residential End Uses – Ross Donaldson, Evergreen Economics
• Residential Electricity End-use Disaggregation using Whole Home Disaggregation Technologies – Bill McNary, US Energy Information Administration and Josh Butzbaugh, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

DOWN TO THE WIRES: EVALUATING NON-WIRES ALTERNATIVES AS POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS TO T&D SYSTEM UPGRADES
Moderator: Michael Noreika, Puget Sound Energy

• How to Conduct a Targeted Conservation Potential Study: Lessons Learned in Assessing Energy Efficiency as a Non-Wires Alternative – Lakin Garth, Cadmus
• Exploring Uncharted Waters: Valuing Additional Benefit Streams of DERs – Kristina Kelly, DNV GL
• Unique Challenges with Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation of Non-Wires Alternatives – Ariel Esposito, Navigant

PANEL: MEASURING IMPACT TOWARD CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: WHAT METRICS ARE NEEDED?
Moderator: Ari Michelson, ERS

Panelists:

• Carla Frisch, Rocky Mountain Institute
• Jason Eisdorfer, Oregon Public Utility Commission
• Julie-Ann Vincent, Dunsky Energy Consulting
• Poppy Storm, 2050 Institute
• Shawn White, Excel Energy

The energy efficiency evaluation community is rapidly entering a time of substantial programmatic change, with the most significant shift being the growing policy focus on carbon-based regulatory and utility policy goals. States, provinces, and municipalities are increasingly adopting aggressive emissions-reduction targets. This shift is beginning to have significant impacts on the way we measure program progress, and evaluations must keep up with this trend. New evaluation approaches will be necessary with the incorporation of storage to facilitate expanded distributed renewable energy systems, the resulting impacts on demand curves, the fast-rising interest in electrification both for transportation and building systems, and other factors. Evaluation approaches and metrics must also innovate to effectively assess progress against carbon-reduction goals.

This panel will bring a diverse set of perspectives together for a compelling discussion exploring the policy shifts and the program metrics required to evaluate progress. The discussion will revolve around the following questions: What new metrics are needed to evaluate carbon reduction objectives? How can carbon metrics be implemented alongside traditional energy efficiency program evaluation? How should renewables integration and distributed energy resources (DERs) be valued? How should evaluation methods regarding fuel switching be evaluated?

GETTING REAL – RAPID FEEDBACK AND M&V
Moderator: Elizabeth Titus, NEEP

• Big Data and Demand Response: How Big Data Analysis Techniques Can Provide M&V Results in Near Real-Time – Noah Fraser, ADM Associates
• From Theory to Practice: Lessons Learned from an Advanced M&V Commercial Pilot – Eliot Crowe, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Hard Times for an Honest Logger: Optimizing a Small Business Direct Install Logger Study in an M&V 2.0 Landscape – Julian Ricardo, NMR Group

GIS AND EVALUATION: A PERFECT MATCH FOR EVERY PROGRAM
Moderator: Bob Wirtshafter, Wirtshafter Associates

• All Over the Map: Comparing the Accuracy of Geocoding Sources – Robert Saul, EMI Consulting
• Integrating Open Source Data into Utility Customer Systems for Locational Analytics and Customer-Tailored Energy Efficiency Program Targeting – Rich Crowley, DNV GL
• The Population Puzzle: Putting the Pieces Together – Dulane Moran, NEEA 

THE NEXT FRONTIER: HOW CAN PROTOCOLS AND STANDARDIZATION HELP UNLOCK THE BENEFITS OF NMEC BASED VALUATION METHODS?
Moderator: Paula Gruendling, California Public Utilities Commission

• Can the Non-Routine become Routine? Dealing with Non-Routine Events in Normalized Metered Energy Consumption Analysis – Tyler Mahone, DNV GL
• Time and Locational Value of Distributed Energy Resources – McGee Young, Recurve

WHAT THE GOOD DOCTOR TELLS US ABOUT NON-ENERGY IMPACTS
Moderator: Michael Li, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

• Go Big or Go Home: Scaling Non-Energy Impacts to the Multifamily Sector – Beth Hawkins, Threecubed
• The Bottom Line and Energy Efficiency: How Non-Energy Impacts Improve the Bottom Line and Create Targeted Messages Addressing Industry Specific Pain Points – Noel Stevens, DNV GL
• Non-Energy Impacts Beyond Literature Review – New Findings on Values, Updated Models/Tools, and Suggestions for Expanded Use Across the US – Lisa Skumatz, Skumatz Economic Research Associates

PANEL: DO SMART HOME DEVICES BELONG IN THE UTILITY TOOLKIT OR THE CONSUMER TOYBOX?
Moderator: Jon Koliner, Apex Analytics

Panelists:

• Monica Castillo, National Grid
• Bethany Sparn, NREL
• Lara Bonn, Efficiency Vermont
• Jes Rivas, ILLUME Advising

Buoyed by the success of smart thermostat programs nationwide, utilities have begun to make forays into the deployment of other smart home technologies. Concurrently, smart home assistants from Amazon and Google have matured, allowing the smart home interface to move from the smartphone to the spoken word. Both utility interest and customer-driven adoption are on the rise, but estimates of the energy-saving potential of these devices fluctuate; and we are still forming a clear picture of the Smart Home’s value to utilities, for energy efficiency, demand response, and more. In this panel, we will focus our attention on this rapidly-changing space. The array of new devices and features, including black-box algorithms and always-on modes that expend more energy, require careful consideration when estimating energy savings. The devices themselves are expensive, with initial costs of roughly ten times their “dumb” counterparts, but there are non-energy benefits from greater control, aesthetics, and security. The devices are often small measures that reduce their own usage through scheduling, and produce runtime data that can be analyzed inexpensively. In the context of utility and customer desire driving adoption of these products, we will aim to sketch out a viable utility program, from design to evaluation.

UNLOADING THE GRID – TECHNOLOGIES AND EVALUATION METHODS TO ADVANCE RELIABLE DEMAND RESPONSE
Moderator: Jennifer Chiodo, Cx Associates

• Going for the Gold: Experimental Design for DR Program Evaluation – Kathleen Ward, Navigant
• Optimizing Thermostat DR Program Performance – Blending Qualitative and Quantitative Research to Understand Customer Behavior – Molly Podolefsky, Navigant
• Evaluating DR Evaluation – Vijay Gopalakrishnan, ERS

SURVEY RESEARCH IN A CHANGING WORLD – MAINTAINING DATA QUALITY AND CONTRIBUTING INSIGHTS
Moderator: Ingo Bensch, Evergreen Economics

• Money Matters – Or Does It? A Study of Alternative Incentive Strategies – Marion Cundari, Opinion Dynamics
• The Whole is Greater than the Sum of Its Parts: Finding Synergy between Surveys and Consumption Analysis – Marilla Yaggie, Navigant
• Increasing Responses to Web Surveys: No Tote Bag Required – Jen Loomis, Opinion Dynamics
• Battling the Race to the Bottom: Putting Best Practice Above Cost in General Population Surveys – Alexandra Dunn, ILLUME Advising

THE SECRET LIVES OF THERMOSTATS: QUICK TAKES ON THE LATEST SMART THERMOSTAT RESULTS
Moderator: Beth Delahaij, National Grid

• How Smart is a Smart Thermostat Without Wi-Fi? – Adam Thomas, ADM Associates
• Smart Transitions – Can Smart Thermostats Help Low-Income Customers Switch to TOU Rates? – Martha Wudka, Evergreen Economics
• Smart Enough to Reprogram Itself: Results from Thermostat Setpoint Optimization Programs – Jon Koliner, Apex Analytics
• AM I Using the Right Data? Exploring the Role of AMI and Monthly Billing versus Thermostat Device Data in Evaluating and Improving Programs – Nick Lange, VEIC
• When are Smart Thermostats a Smart Investment? – Prapti Gautam, Southern California Edison and Sarah Monohan, Evergreen Economics

BEYOND OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE, BEHAVIOR, AND TUNING – STRATEGIC ENERGY MANAGEMENT DELIVERS ADMINISTRATOR OBJECTIVES
Moderator: Jeff Ihnen, Michaels Energy

• Looking Beyond Operational Savings: Quantifying Strategic Energy Management’s Influence on Capital Efficiency Projects – Erika Kociolek, Energy Trust of Oregon
• Integrated SEM: Strategic Energy Management as the Unifying Foundation for Dynamic Demand Side Management Portfolios – Sam Walker, Stillwater Energy

PANEL: OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE AND THE NEW ENERGY FRONTIER
Moderator: Michael Noreika, Puget Sound Energy

Panelists: 

• Shuli Goodman, LF Energy
• Nick Lange, VEIC
• Pasi Miettinen, Sagewell

Collaboration and consistent standards for methods have been a mainstay of the evaluation community. The recent advent of open source software solutions in the data management and analytics space opens a new opportunity for collaboration but also presents a tension. These software and tools leverage the power of collaboration to drive innovation, but many questions concerning their application in energy efficiency evaluation use have been raised.

This panel will be an informative review and provocative discussion of how open source software has transformed other industries, like telecommunications, and the similarities and differences that may exist for a similar transition in the energy industry. Panelists represent a range of positions:  Shuli Goodman advocating for applications of open source software in the energy industry; Pasi Miettinen arguing the future of energy efficiency evaluation lies in business models founded on the strategic application of open source software solutions; and Nick Lange presenting an implementer’s perspective contrasting open source and proprietary software solutions.

Panelists will debate the need for either proprietary or open-source or the boundaries of both options for the future health of software solutions in the new energy management (programs and evaluation) frontier. Challenges and opportunities of early adoption, competition, procurement, peer review and transparency reflect some of the discussions that are currently active in this space.

Questions to be discussed include: For which evaluation conditions are open source solutions appropriate? How can evaluators be sure they are using the solutions appropriately? Do open source methods threaten the business models and software solutions that only work with proprietary licensing? How will utilities, regulators, or other market actors come to terms with “libre” and “gratis” open source software as a service? Which models will be most valuable for our industry and in which circumstances? Can open source help solve common problems such as secure data transfer protocols or secure electric vehicle charging? Can open source software improve data access over proprietary software?

CUSTOMER DECISION-MAKING AND PROGRAM INFLUENCE IN EVOLVING MARKETS
Moderator: Faith DeBolt, SBW Consulting

• Slipping Through the Net – Keeping Gross Savings and Net-to-Gross Aligned in Moving Markets – Shawn Bodmann, DNV GL
• Somewhere in the Middle: Understanding Efficiencies in Net-to-Gross Studies – Carrie Koenig, Tetra Tech
• An Early Retirement Spiderweb – The Threads That Connect Markets to Evaluation – Lisa Obear, ILLUME Advising
• Is the Left Hand Taking Away What the Right Hand Is Giving? Or, Does an Industrial Energy Efficiency/SEM Program Teach Free-Ridership? – Ryan Bliss, ADM Associates

PROGRAM & PROCESS DESIGN
Moderator: Fernando Morales, Ameren Illinois

• Program Visualizations: What to Use and When? – Hannah Carmalt Justus, EMI Consulting
• Keeping Programs on Track: Monitoring Program Recommendations – Katherine Johnson, Johnson Consulting Group
• All the Feels: Journey Mapping Across a Portfolio of Programs – Monica Pagnotta, Navigant

QUICK TAKES: INNOVATIVE MEASURES
Moderator: Monica Nevius and Yogi Patil, NMR Group

• Lessons from the Field – Best Practices for Implementation and Evaluation of Supercomputers – Ryan Pollin, ERS
• Case Study: Evaluating Demand Savings from Chilled Water Thermal Energy Storage – Anthony Giamella, Warren Energy Engineering
• Best Practices and Lessions Learned as NYSERDA’s CHP Inspector – Matt Lockwood, ERS
• Utility Billing Analysis of Multifamily Ductless Heat Pump Retrofits in the Northwest – Dan Rubado, Energy Trust of Oregon
• Covering the Waterfront: Direct Measurement of Heat Pump Water Heaters – Kathryn Parlin, West Hill Energy and Computing
• A Connected Lighting Pilot: Thinking Beyond kWh Savings – Gina Henderson, Cadmus
• Scotty, We Need More Power! A Complete Examination of Advanced Power Strips – David Barclay, NMR Group

PANEL: ARE SOME MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS? ASSESSING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Moderator: Marti Frank, Efficiency for Everyone

Panelists:

• Andy Griguhn, Energy Trust of Oregon
• Robert Stephenson, VEIC
• Jackie Berger, APPRISE
• Ariel Drehobl, ACEEE

How do we know if our programs are serving all customers equitably, and what does that even mean? In the past, measurement of equity has tended to focus on program spending, asking whether funds have been equitably spent on various customer groups. Today, practitioners are exploring new ways to measure equity, using concepts like equity burden, representation, and justice. This panel discussion will feature four organizations taking leadership roles in this work: Energy Trust of Oregon, VEIC, ACEEE and APPRISE. Panelists will discuss their emerging implementation, research, and evaluation work, and the challenges and potential they see for new data-driven approaches to measuring equity.

The Utility World is Radically Transforming: Are Evaluators Up for the Challenge?
Bill LeBlanc, E Source

Electrification, climate change goals, and new distributed resources are changing the utility game in huge ways. Evaluators, who have traditionally focused on energy and demand savings, will be immediately challenged to help shape this transformation in a trustworthy manner. Come hear insights and challenges for evaluators from the perspective of a strategic marketing veteran.

Bill LeBlanc is a recognized leader in utility customer programs and strategies, with particular expertise in design thinking, marketing, market research, new product development, and behavior change. He assists utility clients in understanding their customer markets, providing tools and messages to sway customer demand, and creating overall market strategies. He has been a leader and innovator in energy efficiency and load management throughout his 20+ year career, working for PG&E, EPRI, E Source, and consulting firms. Bill was the Founding President of the Association of Energy Services Professionals, still the industry’s major society. Bill is known for his creativity and problem-solving ability and is a sought-after public speaker. Before joining the utility industry, Bill worked for Disney as well as Apple.

Chairman Jeffrey P. Ackermann, Colorado Public Utilities Commission

Prior to his appointment, Jeff  served as executive director of the Colorado Energy Office (CEO). On behalf of the governor, CEO promoted clean energy policies and markets through programs and advocacy, including at the PUC.