Wednesday, April 23, 2025
10:00am – 12:00pm
Pre-Forum Workshop (for Utility and Government Attendees Only)
Paul Reid, Azusa Light & Water and Eric Xu, PG&E
Candid roundtable discussion on current issues, including these highest-ranked responses to a recent survey of registrants:
- How Federal Policy Changes May Impact Utility Program Participation
- Electric Rates for All-Electric Homes, Energy Storage and EV Charging
- Aligning Incentive Programs to Allow Customers to Leverage Multiple Programs
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch Buffet - hosted by Brighton Energy
12:45pm – 1:00pm
First-timer Orientation and Welcome
1:00pm – 1:15pm
Welcoming Remarks
Mary Medeiros McEnroe, Silicon Valley Power
1:15pm – 2:15pm
Opening Keynote
Dawn Lindell, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Seattle City Light
As General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Dawn Lindell leads Seattle City Light in its dedicated mission to safely deliver affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible energy services to its communities. She has over 20 years of utility experience in electric distribution and transmission, water, wastewater, and gas. Dawn served as the General Manager at Burbank Water and Power, setting strategic direction and delivering water, power, and business high-speed internet to the media capital of the world. She has experience leading two federal multi-state regional transmission utilities, serving as a transformational Chief Information Officer at both municipal and federal utilities, and leading customer service at a large municipal utility to top-quartile J.D. Power customer service performance. Dawn has a wealth of experience and knowledge to share as we discuss the energy evolution throughout this conference.
2:15pm – 2:45pm
Networking Break and Energy Quiz
2:45pm – 4:10pm
Strategic View
Katie Cort, PNNL and Ron Horstman, Western Area Power Administration
Utilities have long understood the benefits of reduced energy consumption and cost savings provided by energy-efficiency measures; however, the full value proposition of these measures and programs in terms of non-energy impacts such as improved occupant comfort, enhanced indoor air quality, noise attenuation, and resilience, are often overlooked both by utility programs and consumers. As utilities face increasing pressure to balance economic, environmental, and other objectives, understanding and quantifying the full range of benefits energy efficiency measures provide through robust research is essential for developing informed programs. This session will focus on the non-energy impacts of energy efficiency programs and challenges of integrating full value proposition into utility programs.
- Non-Energy Impacts of Energy Efficiency Measures and Programs
Chrissi Antonopoulos, PNNL
- Incorporating Non-energy Benefits and Community Goals into Utility Cost Effectiveness Framework
Brian Tholl, Fort Collins Utilities
- Non-Energy Benefits: Understanding the Imperative and the Opportunity
Skip Laitner, Economic and Human Dimensions Research Associates
4:10pm – 4:15pm
Quick Break
4:15pm – 5:10pm
Meet the Exhibitors
Cody Graves, Automated Energy and Adrianne Rogers, City of Colton Electric Utility
5:10pm
Presentation of the Graham Parker Lifetime Achievement Award
5:15pm
Adjourn
5:15pm – 6:15pm
Reception
6:30pm
Dinner
Our theme for this year's dinner is "Who's Your Team?" Wear your favorite sports team gear and represent your team!
8:00pm
Networking Event & Game
Unwind at a casual gathering with hot beverages to reflect on the day's discussions and engage in a fun networking game designed to get to know one another. Prizes will be awarded!
Thursday, April 24, 2025
7:30am – 8:30am
Breakfast Buffet
8:30am – 9:45am
Load Management Strategies
Scott Mayfield, Evergreen Energy Partners and Marie Krisa, Brighton Energy
- Load Management to Grid Flexibility – Foundations of building a virtual power plant
Brian Tholl, Fort Collins Utilities
- Supporting Southern California’s Load Flexibility with Customer Programs
Jillian Nelson, Clean Power Alliance
- The Methods are Many, the Concepts are Few...but Growing: Load Management with Batteries, EV Chargers, and More
Stefan Johnson, Holy Cross Energy
9:45am – 10:15am
Networking Break with Energy Quiz
10:15am – 11:00am
Utility Program Stand-up Challenge – Round 1
Cheri Davis, SMUD and Kamryn Hutson, City of Redding Electric Utility
Join us for the craziest round of concurrent sessions ever! Imagine speed dating meets the lightning round of a TV game show! Visit up to 4 storyboards detailing utility-sponsored energy programs or research. Each storyboard presenter has up to 5 minutes (plus up to 7 minutes for Q&A) to share with you the program’s goals, successes and lessons learned. A bell rings, you choose another storyboard, and the 12-minute clock starts again.
- Commercial Heat Pump HVAC Pilot Program
Shelby Sinkler, City of Palo Alto Utilities
The City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) recently launched a limited-time commercial heat pump HVAC pilot program to gather detailed data on unique customer projects. CPAU’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan identified rooftop gas pack units as the “low-hanging fruit” for reducing emissions from commercial buildings. This pilot program will help CPAU identify and understand barriers and costs associated with commercial electrification, specifically heat pump HVAC, and guide them in designing a sustainable long-term commercial electrification program.
- Monterey Park Track: Electrifying Homes in an Underserved Population
Lynna J. Jeffries, Turlock Irrigation District
It is critical that utilities understand the lift when asking our customers to convert their homes to all-electric, especially those in underserved populations. Monterey Park Track is a small, underserved community of about 45 homes in Ceres, California, with no access to natural gas service. In 2022, Turlock Irrigation District’s (TID) Board authorized an RD&D project to provide electrification services to any home in the community using propane as an energy source. This poster will share some of the highlights from the project, what was and was not successful, data on the converted homes, and how that has impacted our customers’ electric bills. The insights and data gathered can be essential in understanding electrification and advancing sustainability.
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Empowering Communities through Education: A 4th-Grade Afterschool Curriculum
Khanh Nguyen, Silicon Valley Power
Silicon Valley Power developed an electric education curriculum for an afterschool program focused on 4th-grade students. The program was developed in collaboration with teachers and administrators at the Santa Clara Unified School District and was piloted at two elementary schools in the fall of 2024. The curriculum consists of four interactive lessons that cover energy basics, conservation vs. efficiency, and renewable energy. Designed to cater to diverse learning styles, the program emphasizes hands-on activities such as conducting a basic home energy audit, designing efficient solar cars, and renewable origami. High school students were also trained to deliver the curriculum, gaining leadership experience, and enabling the continuation of the program as part of community-based projects. This initiative highlights the importance of early energy education while fostering community involvement and sustainability awareness. Visit this poster to see how hands-on, interactive approaches help engage younger audiences and inspire future energy professionals, innovators, and advocates.
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Federal Grants: Lessons Learned from Medium and Small Utilities
Kamryn Hutson, City of Redding Electric Utility and Dan Kay, Wahkiakum Public Utility District
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) of 2021 unleashed a surge of federal grant funding opportunities targeting utility infrastructure improvements, extreme weather mitigation, air quality enhancement, and job creation in disadvantaged communities. However, many utilities face challenges navigating the complexities of grant applications. This poster explores the experiences of the City of Redding Electric Utility and Wahkiakum Public Utility District in applying for federal grants, highlighting their successes, obstacles, and lessons learned. By offering insights from medium and small utility perspectives, this session aims to guide similar organizations in effectively engaging with federal funding opportunities.
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SMUD’s Clean Energy Vision: a holistic approach to EV adoption and grid impact mitigation
John Grindrod and Yareli Herrera, SMUD
In response to the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and in support of our Clean Energy Vision, SMUD launched several initiatives designed to simplify the EV ownership experience while mitigating grid impacts, most notably the “Contact SMUD First” campaign, EV Advisors, and the Charge@Home program. These initiatives address challenges such as the need for costly panel upgrades and related potential transformer upgrades by supporting right-sized charging options and encouraging off-peak charging, all while strengthening residential EV charging infrastructure. This presentation will explore SMUD’s comprehensive approach to alleviating some of the most significant barriers to EV adoption, highlight the program’s key features and benefits, and showcase how these solutions contribute to a sustainable future for our community.
11:00am - 12: 00pm
Midpoint Keynote
Chris Faillia
Chris Failla is a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, leadership coach, and Gallup-certified Strengths Consultant. He worked in mental health for five years in China, and has a master's degree in Organizational Leadership. Chris has worked with leaders and teams on every inhabited continent, and helps humans from all industries find their WHY, stress-proof their life, and play to their strengths, so that they are energized, fulfilled, and productive!
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch Buffet
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Utility Program Stand-up Challenge – Round 2
Cheri Davis, SMUD and Kamryn Hutson, City of Redding Electric Utility
Join us for the craziest round of concurrent sessions ever! Imagine speed dating meets the lightning round of a TV game show! Visit up to 4 storyboards detailing utility-sponsored energy programs or research. Each storyboard presenter has up to 5 minutes (plus up to 7 minutes for Q&A) to share with you the program’s goals, successes and lessons learned. A bell rings, you choose another storyboard, and the 12-minute clock starts again.
- Palo Alto Emergency Water Heater Replacement Pilot Program
Linda Grand, City of Palo Alto Utilities
The City of Palo Alto launched the “HPWH ER” Pilot in September 2024 to help customers replace broken gas water heaters with efficient heat pump water heaters within 48 hours. Part of the Advanced Heat Pump Water Heater initiative, this program supports the City’s climate goals by phasing out gas use. Since most water heater replacements occur after failures, customers expect to have hot water restored within 1-3 days of failure. The HPWH ER pilot aims to meet this need within two business days while facilitating the switch to electric heat pump systems. It also helps CPAU gather insights into efficient and timely replacements of gas water heaters with clean alternatives.
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Commercial Building Decarbonization - Going the Extra Mile
Zach Lawrence, SMUD
Jeff Krisa, Brighton Energy, Inc.
In support of its 2030 Clean Energy Vision, SMUD is on the forefront of commercial building electrification. SMUD’s low electricity rates and substantial incentives, coupled with Sacramento’s mild winter weather, create optimal conditions for electrification, but there are many hidden barriers to deployment at scale. Meanwhile, SMUD's Community Impact Program, designed to serve marginalized populations, enables the team to architect deeper electrification solutions for all-electric businesses without a primary focus on upfront cost. After two years of program success with hundreds of projects completed, the team will share specific learnings including solution details, end-to-end costs, incentive strategies, challenges overcome (& remaining), grid impact data, and more.
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Colton School's Electrifying Education Experience
Jessica Sutorus, City of Colton Electric Utility
rEV is a secondary education outreach program created in partnership with the City of Colton’s utility company and the National Energy Foundation. Offered at two schools, it uses an interactive “choose your adventure” movie to teach students about the benefits of electric transportation. Visit this poster to see how this program promotes electrification awareness while helping future EV drivers—Colton’s next generation of customers—understand demand-side management.
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Low-Income Solar Inverter Program
G Teeter, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
One of the hidden costs of solar is the investment required to maintain the system. Over time, the inverter component of a solar system will need to be replaced, which is particularly challenging for low-income customers. To address this cost-barrier, the SFPUC designed and launched the Solar Inverter Replacement program to help our low-income utility customers maintain their GoSolarSF solar installations by providing direct financial assistance for system inspections, inverter replacements, and repairs. This poster will explore how the Solar Inverter Replacement program supports GoSolarSF customers with otherwise-expensive maintenance and repair services to ensure proper solar operations and energy bill savings.
2:00pm – 3:30pm
Technology View
Eric Olson, NEEA and Mark Martinez, SCE
- Industrial Heat Pumps
Ammi Amarnath, EPRI
- Managed Expectations: An EV Journey
Bryan Jungers, Tucson Electric Power
- HPWH Opportunities in Light Commercial Applications
Adam Gage, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
3:30pm – 4:00pm
Networking Break and Energy Quiz
4:00pm – 5:15pm
Customer View
Kapil Kulkarni, CPUC and Mary Medeiros McEnroe, Silicon Valley Power
- Maximizing Customer Data for Utility Segmentation Efforts within the Low-to-Moderate Income Community
Heather Holbert and Heather Rodriguez, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
- Barriers to Electrification for Low Income and Communities of Color
Rita Casaverde, Diversity SLO
5:15pm – 6:15pm
Reception
6:30pm
Dinner and Team Trivia Game - hosted by Larratt Brothers Plumbing
Pick your dinner companions wisely because you’ll be competing as a team in our Trivia Night. Prizes will be awarded to the table with the highest score!
8:00pm
Wine Tasting & Networking
Nonalcoholic beverages are available, too!
Friday, April 25, 2025
7:30am – 8:30am
Breakfast Buffet
8:30am – 10:00am
Artificial Intelligence and the Electric Utility
Paul Reid, Azusa Light & Water and Amber Rockwell, City of Banning Electric Utility
- Leveraging AI to Optimize Utility Customer Experience
Bryan Jungers, Tucson Electric Power
- Transforming Tomorrow: Leadership Perspectives on AI's Impact
Michael Vigeant, Great Blue Research
10:00am – 10:30am
Networking Break with Energy Quiz
10:30am – 12:00pm
Utility Programs Snapshot
Adrianne Rogers, City of Colton Electric Utility and MaryDawn Buntin, Kittitas PUD
- Equity in Action: Income Qualified Rental Program
Sara Bowles, Tacoma Public Utilities
- The Solar Standard Offer Program: The Latest Solar Option from Austin Energy
Tim Harvey, Austin Energy
- LADWP Distributed Energy Resource Programs – CES2G
Ronak Chikhalya, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
12:00pm
Adjourn
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch