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Offering Integrated Services

In addition to addressing the impacts of climate change and evolving energy sources, utilities are adapting in how they provide their services. According to a 2014 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) blog post (“Utilities are Frightened of a Death Spiral. They Shouldn't Be.”) and related national conversations, the industry needs to make substantial changes in the interest of quality service, competitive pricing, and reasonable returns on investments. Building off our history and experience in energy and water services, Brendle Group has made it a strategic priority to assist utilities in these evolutions and transitions in the coming years.

Fort Collins Utilities in Colorado, for example, is considering the utility industry through a new paradigm of serving customers in ways that provide co-benefits to utility providers. This perspective is based on a new business model where the utility offers enhanced services to customers and diversifies revenue streams along the way. The model promises substantial positive change for the municipal utility and its customers related to service scale, depth, ease, speed, accessibility, and expenditures. For example, a small commercial customer may want to implement a bundle of several projects related to energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewables. This emerging model would give the customer the option to get this done in a fast way that offers economies of scale pricing benefits and financing options and, in turn, offers the utility a new revenue source. It also offers a way to accomplish myriad desired outcomes – those already mentioned as well as accelerated achievement of efficiency and renewable energy goals. Customers benefit from simplified service offerings and diversity of choice. And the community benefits on many levels, from economic health and livability to environmental health.

Partnering with Fort Collins Utilities as it evolves, we are helping to design programs, identify ways to engage customers and increase offerings, and incorporate service delivery and financial modeling. Early and exciting results suggest strong returns along with increased levels of energy efficiency and renewable energy, customer cost neutrality, and equity.

Xcel Energy As a Planning Partner

Xcel Energy is taking on the challenge of finding innovative ways to serve its customer base by partnering with communities in Minnesota and Colorado to develop strategy plans and community-scale implementation. Breaking out of its traditional role as large energy supplier to individual end-use customers, Xcel Energy is redefining itself as a stakeholder in the energy future of its service communities. To do so, Xcel Energy is bringing technical and financial resources to communities participating in the new Partners in Energy Program by helping set energy conservation and generation goals; identify and coordinate activities, programs, and resources to achieve those goals; and rolling up its sleeves to help do the work.

Brendle Group is excited to be a part of this engaging program as Xcel Energy’s program administrator and is working directly with Xcel Energy and its participating communities to develop Energy Action Plans that will guide them toward a more strategic energy future. The most innovative part of this program is not that communities will have another plan but that Xcel Energy and Brendle Group are working with them to implement plan strategies over the two-year program period, with technical and program support, necessary resources, and help with tracking and measuring success. 

For many communities, this program will be a jump start to long-term energy reduction efforts and related climate action plans, and it will foster collaboration between stakeholders and energy utilities over the long term. The benefits from Partners in Energy are tangible and intrinsic as communities see real and measurable progress that has ripple effects on local economies and stakeholder relationships.