utility programs Archives - Michaels Energy

Mar 19

Guest Blog: The ‘Lift’ in Account Management – How to Inspire Action

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

This week's Energy Rant is written by Kenny Porter and Tyler Kashdan of Michaels Energy. As I shoveled my way out of the recent record-breaking snowstorm, I couldn't help but reflect on the monumental effort it took to move all that snow. It reminded me of our work in outreach. Not the physical lifting of snow, but the weighty task of convincing customers that their time isn't wasted and that real benefits await them by enrolling in utility energy efficiency programs. We're dedicating this blog to talk about our role as Account Managers. So Much Waste Did you know that commercial…

Aug 02

Love2

Better than Best Program Practices

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

When Val Jenson talks, I listen. When he writes, I read. His recent article in Energy Central triggered an avalanche of ideas for a program, portfolio, and industry overhaul needed to get us there, which is the next level of savings equal to the last 25 years of lighting replacements and retrofits. Those days are gone, and unfortunately, the line of thinking that got us here (light bulbs) won’t get us there. Downstream Days are Numbered Let’s start with my favorite need for an overhaul, which is my greatest peeve – rebates and cash incentives to customers, known as a…

Nov 20

Love0

The Utility Store – Unimaginable Value

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

Last week’s post about utility innovation and the need for legislative reform for a modern grid was a big hit. Thank you. This week, as promised, I will advance the discussion to provide some ideas for modernizing legislation and utilities to catch up with the times. Smart Thermostats Since the heating season has begun in earnest, it was time to get a smart thermostat for my “new” home. My second Nest thermostat just arrived. I rushed home, leaving the office at 6:00, and by 6:45, I had the old thermostat removed, the Nest installed, connected to wifi, loaded on my…

Nov 06

Love0

Why Energy Efficiency? – Five Findings

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant No Comments

This year ACEEE published a three-part series on why people and companies invest in energy efficiency. First, they provide some guesstimates of energy efficiency investment in the United States. Their researched estimates vary from $60 billion to about $120 billion, annually. Is this a reasonable guesstimate? According to their State Scorecard, program spending on natural gas and electric demand-side management programs held steady at about $7.5 billion in 2016. Check. The International Energy Agency pegs worldwide investment at $231 billion and about $40 billion in the U.S. Check. As a laugh test, $100 billion is a measly 0.5% of the…

Jun 02

Love0

Energy Program Evaluation, Not Activism

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant 4 Comments

In my day, we didn’t have peewee soccer, football, gymnastics, or tee-ball. We had to improvise and make up game rules to play two-on-two football. We had no gear; not even the cheap plastic crap from Sears. We set the lawn mower as low as it would go to cut the sidelines and goal lines and made up the rules as we went. We were a bunch of hayseeds throwing a rubber football around, inflicting bone-on-bone pain to each other, pretending to be in the NFL – and we liked it!This may sound like the Grumpy Old Man, but it…

Aug 24

Love0

ACEEE Summer Camp 2010

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant, Sustainability No Comments

Well here I am again – a prisoner in the penitentiary that is the Minneapolis Airport. Northwest Airlines now part of Delta Delta Delta can I help ya, help ya, help ya (YAH! – you can get me the hell out of here) can’t fly through a swarm of mosquitoes without being delayed. This is the burnt crust on the dessert that was otherwise a great week. And as usual, I can’t help but sit here and ignore the MASSIVE amount of energy gobbled up by this place. It’s a bowl of hot soup outside. It is about 68F inside…

Feb 09

Love0

Paying to Lose

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Efficiency, Energy Rant, Utility Stuff No Comments

Jenny Craig customers do it all the time – pay money to consume less. This may make perfect sense to people who understand customers’ needs, but to others it seems really stupid to pay somebody to help use less of something. This is a bit like utility programs that spend money for customers to use less of their product. The vast majority of our energy work comes from referrals and repeat clients. On numerous occasions, we seemed to have customers at the tipping point, only to have them bail out at the last minute. Why? The utility introduced us to…

Nov 17

Love1

Energy Efficiency Stimulus and Oversight

By Jeff Ihnen Energy Rant, LEED, Stimulus One Comment

Most energy efficiency programs are required by regulators to be evaluated to ensure ratepayer money is being spent wisely and reported savings are being achieved. If only such oversight were to happen for the millions/billions/gazillions being shelled out to state and local governments in the name of energy efficiency. State and local governments have Amazon-wide budget gaps to fill, and I can assure you that earmarks (dirty word) for energy efficiency will find their way to plug budget holes to keep buildings open, replace roofs, buy new lawn mowers and pickup trucks, and avoid staff reductions. We in Wisconsin have…

Guest Blog: The ‘Lift’ in Account Management – How to Inspire Action

Better than Best Program Practices

The Utility Store – Unimaginable Value

Why Energy Efficiency? – Five Findings

Energy Program Evaluation, Not Activism

ACEEE Summer Camp 2010

Paying to Lose

Energy Efficiency Stimulus and Oversight

Search Our Archive

All things energy. That’s our jam.

All things energy. That’s our jam.

Headquarters

About

Solutions

Resources

Get In Touch