In this fast-paced session, please share the answer to the following question with the Council: What is your biggest challenge in ramping up your programs and how have you overcome that?

We’ll conduct three simultaneous topical breakout sessions from this list. Council members may attend the session of their choice, although we’ll try to make sure each group is not too large.

• Getting Impact Evaluation Right. How much, what type, and how to get regulatory buy-in
• Smart Grid and DSM. Is smart grid being integrated with efficiency programs or are they just on parallel tracks?
• Social Marketing. How are behavior-change programs coming along? What are some innovative approaches?
• Relationships with Regulators. When addressing your regulatory body (PUC, city council, etc.) about DSM support, what have been the most positive and negative elements of your relationships with them? What do they like, and what do they hate?
• Deep Retrofits. The next level of energy savings will have to come from whole-house or whole-building programs. Are they going to make it in the market?

Many customers need a way to finance larger energy-efficiency investments, but utilities often have a difficult time offering financing options. This is not a new problem, but it’s one that continues to create barriers to end users’ adoption of energy efficiency. In this session, we’ll discuss the difficulties associated with starting and implementing financing options. We’ll cover topics such as:

• Benefits of having financing bundled in—does it boost participation?
• Examples of success…and failure
• Ideal design of financing options
• Barriers to self/utility financing
• Barriers to bank/lender financing
• Revolving loan funds
• Perceived and actual risk of default
• Promising financing options

DSM Executive Council members have graciously shared their departmental structures with E Source. We’ve compiled these structures, and we’ll be showing the group some prototypical (if there is such a thing) org charts. Then we’ll have that utility’s Council rep describe how the organization works, what the pros and cons are, what changes are likely to happen in the near future, and how DSM relates to other departments of interest such as marketing, corporate communications, account management, and customer care.

Everyone is dealing with ever-increasing reliance on trade allies and contactor networks to implement—and even market—DSM programs. In this session, Council members will share war stories of what has worked and what hasn’t in managing contractors.

• What kinds of incentives are given to contractors? What works best?
• How are leads distributed to contractors?
• How is quality assurance conducted?
• What kind of training is offered, and what is required?
• Are contractors rated? Should they be?

DSM has been plugging along for a couple of decades. Will it continue to look the same for the next 5 to 10 years or will it take on different flavors? Are increasing goals necessitating different models or just better marketing, or both? Will smart grid really create new opportunities for substantial energy savings? Are you considering new innovative approaches to technology, program design, marketing, pricing, or implementation methods?

Throughout the day, we’ll capture ideas that people want to discuss and spend about 5 minutes on each topic. Ideas could include:

• Attribution issues
• Social marketing
• Social media
• Branding/advertising
• Managing consultants
• Evaluation topics

Join us for drinks and appetizers while meeting other attendees.

Join us for a complimentary dinner at a location to be determined. Preregistration is required.