Overview
The increasingly volatile natural gas and electric prices that we are seeing in today's energy markets have made it more difficult for many utility customers to control their energy bills. Frequently, these customers contact the utility to see what it can do for them.
One good solution is to help customers reduce their energy bills at the same time that the utility reduces its cost of serving them. This can be done by taking advantage of opportunities to manage and modify customers' energy usage patterns. However, many utilities may not have the budget or personnel to work with customers on these cost saving opportunities.
Premier Energy Solutions can either supplement or fill niches in a utility's existing energy management programs or provide the utility with a complete energy management program that it can offer to its customers at little or no cost to the utility. Although this seems to be too good to be true, the customer savings provide the resources that can be used to finance these programs in most cases. The utility can use these energy management programs to realize the following benefits:
- No or low cost associated with providing customer Energy Management Services
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Retention of customers by making them more competitive
Premier Energy Solutions is uniquely positioned to support utilities in this endeavor. Our objective is simple; to understand our utility client’s business needs and develop creative solutions to meet such needs.
Premier Energy Solutions will support the utility client in creating a value environment in which:
- Customers are encouraged to utilize existing utility rates and implement demand-side options to optimize their utility consumption
- The utility benefits by increased profitability
- The retail customer benefits by reducing their energy costs and remaining more competitive
This is achieved by identifying technology applications and strategies that make customers less costly to serve and using rates to provide customers with economic incentives to adopt these changes. The result is a win/win for both utilities and customers made possible by driving cost out of the business.
Capabilities
Premier Energy Solutions has in-depth knowledge in the design and application of utility rates and the application of technologies in a customer’s facility to optimize energy utilization and reduce utility expenses.
We offer a flexible approach to meet the utility client’s needs. We can identify and recommend programs that the utility can implement or we can implement such programs for the utility. In addition, Premier Energy Solutions can provide support to retail customers, on behalf of the utility, ranging from consulting with the customer to providing turn-key customer solutions. Turn-key services offered by Premier Energy Services could include:
- Project concept
- Engineering & design
- Savings calculations
- Construction & project management
- Performance commissioning
- Measurement & verification
- Third-party financing
Services
1. Demand Response Programs
Rate Assessment and Design
Premier Energy Solutions will perform all necessary assessments (cost of service, cost/benefit, etc.) to design rates that reflect the actual cost of service to create an environment that enables customer demand responsiveness. Customers cannot respond to price signals that they don't see. Examples of rate options that could be used to create an environment that enables customer demand responsiveness include:
- Real Time Pricing
- Time of Use Rates
- Interruptible Rates
Demand Control Programs
- Premier Energy Solutions will perform an assessment of the utility client’s customer base and their energy consumption characteristics and develop programs to reduce peak demand.
- We will perform appropriate studies (cost of service, cost/benefit, etc.) to develop demand control / reduction incentive rates
- We will develop all aspects of the demand control programs including equipment specifications, control sequences, utility interface, etc.
- Examples of demand control programs include:
- Direct load control strategies
- Direct-expansion air conditioning (commercial & residential)
- Electric water heating (commercial & residential)
- Indirect load control strategies using rates and equipment that provides customers with control over their usage to respond to these rates
- Power factor correction
- Fuel switching
- Cogeneration, distributed generation, customer generation
- Thermal energy storage
2. Energy Management Programs
- Premier Energy Solutions will assess the utility client’s customer base, their energy consumption characteristics, understand the business needs of customers and develop energy management programs for key customer segments.
- Examples of customer programs:
- Energy audits
- Lighting
- HVAC
- Mechanical retrofits
- Energy management controls
- Water heating
- Building envelope
- Water management
- Process equipment
- Technology transfer
- Thermal energy storage with Time Of Use rates
- Meter totalizing or sub-metering
- Heat recovery
- On-site power generation
- Cogeneration
- Distributed generation
- Emergency backup
- Peak shedding
- Fuel switching
- Green building certifications
- Turnkey energy improvements
3. Incentive Programs
- Premier Energy Solution will assess the utility’s load shape and cost of service to develop incentive programs to build utility revenue. Incentives will be based on building revenue and margin verses demand.
- Incentives will promote:
- Building profitable load
- Improving load shape
- Examples of programs:
- Geothermal heat pump program to reduce demand and add winter load
- Customer load assessment and optimization recommendations
- Load curtailment
- Load shifting
- Develop utility financing mechanism for technology applications
- Economic development rates for new customers
- Outdoor lighting
4. Other Programs
Premier Energy Solutions will understand the utility client’s customer service objectives and co-develop marketing programs. Services to include:
- Market research
- Community support
- Customer electrical safety programs
- Speakers bureau (conservation, safety, other)
- Educational support
- Local events
- Utility financing for utility sponsored programs
- Environmental programs
- Earth day
- Green building certifications
- Energy efficiency technology transfer
- Green Power
- Economic development
- Develop programs to attract new clients
- Incentive rates
- Power Quality & Conditioning
- Surge suppression
- Uninterrupted power supply
- Metering/sub metering
- Power quality
- Power conditioning
- Power factor correction