NEPPA eNewsletter
June 2015
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The 9th Annual Northeast Public Power Lineworkers' Rodeo will be held September 17 & 18, 2015, at the NEPPA Training Center in Littleton, Mass.! Please stay tuned for more information coming out this summer!
If you are interested in submitting a team or joining with another utility to form a team, please contact Courtney Crouse by email at ccrouse@neppa.org.
If you are interesting in sponsoring this event, please contact Kris DiGirolamo at kristind@neppa.org.
To learn more about the Rodeo, please click here! ##SHARELINKS##
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The Customer Service Conference took place on Thursday, May 14th at Nantasket Beach Resort in Hull, Mass. We had 43 attendees representing utilities from all over Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The day began with Joe Sollecito, filling in for Maureen Hanifan who is the Chair of the Customer Service Committee, welcoming all the guests. He then introduced everyone to what the customer service conference is all about. He then went on to thank our three sponsors who helped make the event possible: Cogsdale Cooperation located in Canada, Century Bank located in Medford, Mass., and Invoice Cloud located in Charlestown, S.C. and Braintree, Mass., and Paymentus from Charlotte, N.C.
We started the conference with Jennifer Kauffman speaking from The Results Group located in Quincy, Mass. Jennifer discussed how to create a culture of extraordinary service.
After that, the winners of the Carol Tracy Customer Service Award were given. Please go here to see the list of who received the award.
After lunch, Victoria Stevens from Hull Lifesaving Museum gave a background on the history of Hull, mostly involving the coastal life.
Our last speakers were Pete Moscariello and Scott Farris from Personal Best. They covered mental strength for peak performance.
Everyone seemed to have a great time and really enjoyed the location and the food! Make sure to attend next year so you don’t miss out!
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The Carol A. Tracey Customer Service Award is for employees of NEPPA member utilities who deliver outstanding service to their customers, either through sustained, exceptional performance in serving their customers, or the development of new and/or innovative programs to meet customer needs. This year’s winners were announced at the Customer Service Conference held at Nantasket Beach Resort in Hull, Mass. on May 14.
 Mary Dirrane from New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, Inc.  Donna O’Keefe from Braintree Electric Light Department
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT
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Engineering & Operations Conference and Expo 2015 June 3 & 4, 2015
Danvers Doubletree
Danvers, Mass.
This year’s Engineering & Operations Conference and Expo is scheduled to take place at the Danvers Doubletree in Danvers, Mass., June 3-4, 2015. We encourage general foremen, lineworkers, and general managers to attend this annual event that brings together the latest in products and technology for our municipal membership.
Some highlights of this year's conference include Mobile Technology, the benefit of cut out mounted reclosers and LED lighting.
Please join us for this interesting cross section of learning, networking and connecting with your peers!
17th Annual Northeast Public Power Apprentice Lineworker’s Rodeo
June 17 & 18, 2015
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, Mass.
NEPPA would like to invite all general managers, general foremen and supervisors to attend the Apprentice Lineworker Skills Assessment Rodeo to be held at the NEPPA Training Center in Littleton, Mass., June 17-18, 2015.
Please keep an eye out for more information to come soon!
Annual Conference
August 23-26, 2015 Mount Washington Resort
Bretton Woods, N.H. Don't miss out on NEPPA's biggest event this year!! Our 50th Anniversary Annual Conference will be held at Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H., August 23-26, 2015. We are very excited about the agenda and all the special activities we have planned for you!
To see more information or to download a registration, please click here! 9th Annual Northeast Public Power Lineworker's Rodeo
September 17 & 18, 2015
NEPPA Training Center
Littleton, Mass.
On September 17, NEPPA will conduct the 9th Lineworker's Rodeo. Last year 10+ teams from around New England competed for supremacy. For more information about this event and how to become a sponsor or enter a team, please visit here!
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AROUND NEW ENGLAND
Braintree Electric Light Department and Pascoag Utility District Act to Reduce Peak Demand Cost Risk
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ICAP and Transmission Costs Managed via ENE Tangent Peak Management Program Energy New England, LLC (ENE), an energy cooperative of municipal electric utilities operating throughout New England, announced that several municipal utilities are implementing the ENE Tangent Peak Management Program to reduce capacity and transmission costs. Braintree Electric Light Department of Massachusetts and Pascoag Utility District of Rhode Island, both ENE customers, are now rolling out the program in preparation of capacity peaks this summer. The annual capacity load peak of 2015 defines the utility capacity cost in 2016‐2017. In addition, monthly transmission peaks affect the utility’s monthly transmission costs.
Capacity and transmission rates are forecasted to steadily increase through 2019, with the first of several larger rate increases taking effect based on peak loads this summer. Hence, ENE’s municipal utility customers are taking action now to minimize the cost risk for their customers.
The ENE Tangent Peak Management Program is a full, turnkey service consisting of comprehensive software, proven equipment, and ongoing support that enables and motivates utility customers to reduce their load during peak hours. The Peak Management Program consists of Tangent’s Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS), named Tangent AMP™, a technology software platform that monitors grid and facility conditions to accurately predict ICAP and transmission peak hours, and alerts customers to take action.
Given that utilities run a lean staff, Tangent Energy Solutions, Inc., an ENE partner, does the heavy lifting to educate and equip the utility customers to take appropriate action during peak hours. The program is designed to work through the utility and not around the utility.
"ENE and their municipal utility clients are taking action now to reduce capacity and transmission cost risk in upcoming years," said John G. Tzimorangas, ENE President and CEO. "This is another example of ENE municipal utilities being proactive to fulfil their charter of providing reliable, low cost power to all of their customers."
About Energy New England, LLC.
Energy New England, LLC (www.energynewengland.com) is a leading provider of wholesale and retail energy services. The company conducts more than $300M in structured transactions annually, and has also grown to become the leading provider of conservation and efficiency services for the public power community in the region. The company’s customer base has grown exponentially over the past few years. Its comprehensive portfolio includes power supply and risk management services, energy and water conservation services, energy brokering, and renewable energy solutions. Energy New England has customers situated throughout New England as well as other power pools. The company works with an increasing number of utilities, independent power producers, industrial, commercial and institutional facilities, municipalities and non‐profits.
About Tangent Energy Solutions, Inc.
Tangent Energy Solutions is a Distributed Energy Resources (DER) company. Our Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS), Tangent AMP™, actively manages behind‐the‐meter supply and demand in order to maximize economic opportunities for C&I energy customers, while minimizing disruption to normal operations. By uniquely building out a DER solution from the customer side of the meter, and monetizing it through exclusive relationships with leading Load Serving Entities (LSEs), and Municipal Electric Utilities, Tangent motivates and empowers customers to become price makers on the energy grid while offering the industry plug‐and‐play access to customers that competitors cannot match.
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ABB is a key partner as Solar Impulse prepares for its historic around-the-world flight because we believe we can power the world without ruining the earth. ABB and Solar Impulse share a vision of decoupling environmental impact from economic growth. This flight is a way to bring attention to the possibilities and the future of solar technology. ABB’s heritage of technology innovation in renewables, sustainable transportation and energy efficiency makes it an ideal partner for Solar Impulse, which is attempting the first round-the-world flight powered by the sun.
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ASSOCIATION HAPPENINGS
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Sterling Municipal Light Department went through a big undertaking this past year -- renovating their main building, which was built in 1855. Sterling Light moved into the building in 1935. After being there 79 years, they felt it was time for a change and wanted to make the interior more welcoming and brighter with an open concept. It was a huge project and couldn’t have been done without the help of the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, located in Fitchburg, Mass., as well as the Sterling line crew and staff. Thankfully, the utility was able to operate as usual as far as not slowing down their daily tasks and being available to their customers. The renovation started off with the structure in the basement and moving onto replacing the beams and jacking up the building. According to Sean Hamilton, the General Manager, "It was a complete gut job." They raised the ceiling to 10’3", put in a vestibule, added LED lighting, made the lobby area bigger, and made the ladies in the front office more accessible to the customers. "I want to thank the customers for their patience, the operations and the staff people, too," said Sean. "The board was also very supportive. Vendors located in or around Sterling also helped with the project so that was great to keep it local."
They opened up the new parts of the building on April 23. In the last month they have received great responses by the people who have come in. Just recently, on May 28, Sterling Light held a BBQ at the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School to thank the students for all they had done to help with the renovation!
If you’re in the Sterling area make sure to go check out the new building and say hello!
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We welcome written nominations for any of these awards, along with a brief description of the individual’s contributions or achievements. Please feel free to nominate more than one individual for Distinguished Service, NEPPA Service, or Commissioner Service, as multiple awards can be made in these categories. For your information, past recipients of NEPPA awards can be found on the NEPPA website (http://www.neppa.org/index.php/membership/past-recipients). Please send nominations to the NEPPA office no later than June 13 (fax: 978-952-7320; email ccrouse@neppa.org).We look forward to receiving your nominations! ##SHARELINKS##
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Rypos became an associate member of NEPPA on Tuesday, May 5, 2015! Rypos provides emissions controls for diesel power engines and generators. The company is located at 150 Hopping Brook Road, Holliston, MA 01746. The primary contact person is Bill Collins, who is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing. He can be reached at bcollins@rypos.com or 617.548.5829 (phone).
NEPPA Welcomes NMD&D Inc. as an associate member as of Tuesday, May 19, 2015! NMD&D Inc. does electronic and mail presentment of statements. The company is located at 93 Mattabasset Drive, Meriden, CT 06450. The primary contact person is Bill Nims, who is VP of Business Development. He can be reached at bnims@nmdnd.com or 203.641.1852 (phone).
NEPPA welcomes back LVA Sales as an associate member as of Friday, May 22, 2015! LVA Sales operates essentially as a "sales team for hire" for products within their area of expertise and targets the Northeast United States. They bring a large Rolodex of relationships and current customers who have become confident in their abilities to find, present, and demonstrate solutions. The company is located at 56 Harvester Avenue, Batavia, NY 14020. The primary contact person is Alex Noriega, who is the NE Sales Manager for the company. He can be reached at anoriega@lvasales.com or 860.436.8319 (phone). ##SHARELINKS##
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NEPPA, the quality leader for public power education in the Northeast, is seeking a new full-time instructor for its Littleton, Mass., Training Center and other remote training sessions. NEPPA offers competitive compensation and presents a positive environment. Candidates must have crew experience and be proficient in operational/technical and safety areas of public utility operations and must be comfortable with public speaking and group management. NEPPA will train the right candidate in our programs. For information or to apply, please contact either Steve Socoby, ssocoby@neppa.org or call 978-540-2200.
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CALENDAR
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August 23 - 26, 2015 Mount Washington Resort
Bretton Woods, N.H.
Registration for the conference is now open! To register, please print out a brochure found here.
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EDUCATION & TRAINING UPDATE
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The General Foremen's Roundtable was held on May 13 and it centered on the 1910.269 OSHA Regulations. Steve Socoby presented the new OSHA Regulations with the recent updates. He also shared an email from the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards, the body that oversees all municipal electric utilities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, that states it requires that all municipals follow OSHA Standards as a minimum strategy for safety for all workers. The new Arc Rated Clothing regulations, the new "Minimum Approach Distance" regulations, fall protection and training requirements were among several topics covered. It was agreed that NEPPA will publish one regulation topic monthly and send it out to all of the NEPPA members, which will hopefully make it easier to cover all the compliance issues that municipal electric utilities face. The meeting was well attended, with more than 30 foremen from throughout Massachusetts.
Those in attendance were very much in favor of a new training venture proposed by NEPPA that would focus on "Frontline Supervisors." The NEPPA Staff will be putting together a program that should assist any frontline supervisor in all areas of responsibility, such as working as a middle manager, dealing with regulations and communications, as well as several technical topics just to name a few. The attendees requested that a job description be constructed to define the duties required by such a complex position and any existing job descriptions would be greatly appreciated.
The next General Foremen's Roundtable will be held in October, so be sure to keep it on your calendar.
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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
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In This Issue:
Senate Panel Reviews Bills for Inclusion in Energy Legislation; APPA Testifies
On May 19, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a legislative hearing on 26 bills introduced for potential inclusion in comprehensive energy legislation. APPA’s President and CEO, Sue Kelly, testified on legislation regarding hydropower, mandatory capacity markets, and other issues. A final hearing will be held on June 9, after which the Committee will move to mark-up a bipartisan bill, with the hope of moving it to the full Senate before the August recess.
Kelly expressed measured support for two bills related to forward capacity markets. Sen. Ed Markey’s (D-MA) S. 1272 would order a GAO study of these markets, and Chair Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) S. 1222 would require RTOs to report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on their markets – which APPA believes could encourage RTOs that do not currently have a capacity market to think about starting one – and amend their filings to provide increased opportunities for self-supply (which APPA supports). Murkowski thanked Kelly for her support of S. 1222 and asked several questions related to the bill.
Kelly testified in favor of three hydropower bills, including Chair Murkowski’s bill, S. 1236, the "Hydropower Improvement Act," which would streamline regulatory processes for licensing hydropower projects. In particular, it would designate FERC as the lead agency to set a binding schedule and coordinate all needed federal authorizations and require a resource agency’s conditions to pertain to the actual hydropower project. In addition, the bill would designate FERC Administrative Law Judges to hear trial-type hearings and make a number of improvements to the hearing process. In an effort to reduce the need for duplicative, costly studies, S. 1236 would direct FERC to compile and make public a comprehensive collection of studies and data and to use existing studies if practicable, among other things.
Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who has introduced his own bill. S. 1338, to expedite or exempt permitting for small hydro projects under 5 megawatts, said: "Any permitting program that takes seven to 10 years and costs $150 million isn’t a permitting program, it’s an annuity for lawyers and consultants."
In the House, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ (R-WA) introduced the "Hydropower Regulatory Modernization Act" and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton’s (R-MI) also released a narrower discussion draft. These two House efforts mirror the Murkowski bill (S. 1236), and were the subject of a May 13 Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing. APPA submitted written testimony in support of efforts to improve the hydro licensing process.
Seeking inclusion in a different section of the legislation, Sen. King introduced S. 1213, the "Free Market Energy Act," which would set federal parameters governing DG. The bill would ask state regulators to weigh giving distributed generation customers "just and reasonable" rate treatment. The bill also suggests states consider designating a distribution coordinator to manage distributed resources.
Chair Murkowski introduced her own bill on DG, S. 1219, which would require state regulatory bodies and publicly-owned utilities to examine the degree to which DG ensures safe, reliable, efficient interconnection of distributed generation to the grid. The bill would also require state commissions and publicly-owned utilities to examine the effects of net metering and DG on resource planning, resource utilization, the financial health of the utility, and on customers who do not install DG.
To read the complete legislative update including the following topics, click the links below: ##SHARELINKS##
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OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
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Peak load costs are set to rise by many millions of dollars for most New England municipal utilities. The forward capacity price increases are set to have a significant impact upon municipal utility customers and could increase retail rates by over 20% at many utilities. In NEMA/Boston, these cost increases will be set based on this summer’s (2015) peak load. With many millions of rate payer dollars at stake, some utilities are expanding their peak load management programs significantly.
Any program or technology that can reduce peak load demand will have an outsized cost savings over the next few years. Research conducted by Sagewell shows that there are a number of steps that utilities could be taking now to significantly reduce their future costs. For example, meter data analytics and targeted outreach can be used to focus on the biggest opportunities for peak cost reductions. In addition, by identifying specific technologies and customer behaviors, companies are able to reduce their utility customers’ overall energy and carbon use while increasing the bottom line for the utilities. These bottom line benefits can be used to offset peak load costs, or to reduce possible rate increases.
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