1.5 ERMUSR 11-12-2019 Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
ERMU Commission Tom Sagstetter—Conservation & Key Accounts Manager
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
November 12, 2019 1.5
SUBJECT:
Recognition of American Public Power Association's Smart Energy Provider Designation
ACTION REQUESTED:
Receive the APPA Smart Energy Provider Designation Award for 2020- 2021
BACKGROUND\ DISCUSSION:
The American Public Power Association (APPA) honored Elk River Municipal Utilities (ERMU) on
October 29, 2019 with the "Smart Energy Provider" (SEP) designation. ERMU is one of sixty
public power utilities in the nation to receive this designation, which lasts for two years
(December 1, 2019 through November 30, 2021).
The SEP designation recognizes public power utilities for leadership in four key areas: smart
energy program structure, energy efficiency and distributed energy programs, environmental
and sustainability initiatives, and the customer experience.
Some the criteria ERMU had to meet include:
• Smart Energy Information: Structuring a smart energy program into operations;
engaging in research and development in areas including energy efficiency,
sustainability, and distributed energy resources; and benchmarking these programs
against utilities with similar attributes.
• Energy Efficiency and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs): Offering a variety of energy
efficiency and DER programs — such as supply and demand energy efficiency programs,
demand response, and distributed generation and storage — to different types of
customers.
• Environmental and Sustainability Programs/Initiatives: Working to reduce emissions and
other adverse impacts to the environment through programs and partnerships with
other community stakeholders.
• Communication/Education and Customer Experience: Communicating with customers
about smart energy policies, procedures, and programs and evaluating customer
satisfaction with smart energy programs.This includes training customer service
representatives to enhance the customer experience with these programs.
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ERMU and the City of Elk River have worked cooperatively with residents and business leaders
for years to implement environmentally beneficial initiatives.That list includes projects such as:
implementation of electric vehicles in city and utility fleets, electric vehicle charging programs
utilizing time-of-use rates, single sort recycling and organics programs, Clean Energy Choice for
residential and commercial customers, support for distributed renewable energy,tiered water
rates to incentivize water conservation, and rebates for all water and electric customers to
incentivize equipment upgrades.
ERMU and the City of Elk River are proud of the accomplishments to date and are looking
forward to improving our community's commitment to environmentally sustainable initiatives
in the future.Through the SEP program, utilities have the opportunity to grow, and improve
their smart energy practices, as well as serve as an example for others striving for excellence in
sustainable utility and community practices.
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