City of Tallahassee Customer Engagement

City of Tallahassee Customer Engagement Florida Benchmarking Consortium Spring Conference April 25, 2013 Presented by: Joseph Cheatham

Healthy Infrastructure • Advanced Waste Water Treatment Upgrade • Largest Capital Project • Well underway in 2011, Projected Completion in 2015 • Modern Electric Plants • Key units with average age of < 7 years • New Large Units in 2000 and 2007 • No Projected Capacity Need Until 2021 • Modern Solid Waste Collection Trucks • Modern Smart Carts for Recycling • Aggressive Demand Side Management Plan

Overview of Tallahassee • 25th Largest Municipal Electric Utility in U.S. • 115,000 Customers • 225,000 electric, gas and water meters

Infrastructure • Upgrade of ~225,000 electric, water and gas meters and backhaul communications network using the Elster Energy Axis Smart Grid Solution. • Electric and Water Meter Radio Module upgrades were completed in December 2009. • Gas Meter Radio Module upgrades began in 2008, but have been on hold. • Current pilot population of ~2,000 in operation.

Actions into Results • Customer Satisfaction • e+ Online • SmartBill • Instant Alert • Nights & Weekends • Community Outreach • Monthly Mailings • Most Livable City in America, U.S. Conference of Mayors • Best Public Power Utility in the Nation, E.F. Scattergood Award, APPA • 2012 Energy Innovator Award, APPA

Customer Engagement

Choices & Services

Business as Usual? Utility service has essentially been measured and billed the same since we started doing business over 100 years ago. 1910 2008

Electronic Payments SmartBill • Paperless billing plan • Free electronic payment option • Environmental and cost savings • 30% residential participation

Analysis and Outcomes Now > 31,000! Customer Service and Reporting 2008 - 2012 21% Averaging increases • What is SmartBill? SmartBill is the monthly, paperless utility bill customers receive directly by email. • Outcomes • Over 31,000 customers have chosen the option to receive their utility bill through email. • Reduced Operating Costs by $162,000 per year Good

Customer Research What are the perceived values of your customers pertaining to a smart grid?

Smart Grid Customer Messaging Imagine the Future • Where you have more control of your utility use. • Where your utility meters will be accurately read daily or on demand without sending trucks or employees into the field. • Where electric outages and water leaks will be pinpointed remotely allowing more efficient, quicker repair.

Smart Grid Customer Messaging Imagine the Future • Where you have access to up-to-date billing and usage information via the web. • Where you have easy-to-use tools to help you Save Energy, Save Water and…SAVE MONEY. • Where you have choices for enhanced energy pricing programs that fit your lifestyle. • When we are smarter about conserving our energy and water and protecting our environment.

Software Systems • Installation of an Aclara Meter Data Management System to store, validate, and analyze data. • Operational efficiencies such as, • Water leak detection and notification • Outage notification • Remote meter connection and disconnection • Automatic meter reading • Online presentment of useful information

Technology - Lessons Learned • Be cautious about the term “real time.” Most data is actually sent in a batches and most is “current” as of 12 midnight. It is not up to the minute/second. • Be cautious about 100% reliance on the technology. Previous business practices will become important when a part of your system is down for any length of time. • Utilize water data for leak detection as soon as you can. Customers will expect this, as will the utility staff. • If the reconnect does not work, troubleshooting the network can take time. You will need a manual backup plan.

Technology - Lessons Learned • The technology is only as good as your business practices around it. • You will need a platform (web-based for example) to provide customer with their usage data very quickly after deployment. They know you have the data. They will expect you to share it. • The sharing of residential data is pretty straightforward. Non-residential and demand-based will be more complex. • Usage data still needs to be seen and available at the meter.

Nights & Weekends Pricing Plan New Rate Plans • Optional rate plans to meet customer lifestyles, like Nights & Weekends Pricing

Pay As You Go Pricing Plan Pay what you want, when you want • Pre-pay for your utility services and receive daily updates via, e-mail and the web. • Customized low balance alerts can be sent by text, e-mail, and phone. Under Development

Neighborhood REACH

Neighborhood REACH National Award-Winning Program • Most Livable City in America 2011 (U.S. Conference of Mayors) Unique Features • Pilot – 2, 000 homes • Reduction of Usage • U.S. Census Data • Median Income and Age of Home • City-funded • Electric Utility Revenue • Job Creation

e+ Online Web-Based Tool • On-line account management with Up-to-Date cost and usage information • Information for ALL services at your finger tips • View Usage by month, day or hour • Self-Energy Audit

e+ Online

Analysis and Outcomes Customer Service and Reporting 2010 - 2012 • What is e+ Plus Online A web-based customer information system. • Outcomes • Over 30,000 customers have created a profile on e+ plus Online. • Provides Greater Operational Efficiencies Over 50% increase in past year Good Good

Web & Mobile • Your Own Utilities developed an app for Android and Apple systems that will include: • Bills & Payments • Usage • Reporting (emergencies like outages) • Contact

SMART Devices Smart Grid Enabled Devices Can Benefit the Customer and the Utility • Programmable Controllable Thermostats can maximize energy savings and work with Time of Use rate plans • These and other similar devices can facilitate both price response and demand response programs designed to reduce peak demand

Website Redesign In 2010, Your Own Utilities began work on a redesign to improve how customers do business with us. Challenge – We had to fit the design into a predetermined City template.

Website Redesign New web design based on a Content Management System is in development and was launched September 2012. The new site will include multiple versions of content based on devices used.

Customer Satisfaction Survey • On average 88% strongly agree their overall experience was satisfactory

Customer Surveys – 2012 Results • 89% report support services to be “excellent” or “good” • 96.5% report staff to be very courteous and professional • 94% report inquires are handled quickly • 93% report inquires are handled to their satisfaction

Analysis and Outcomes Customer Service and Reporting Future Programs Customer Phone Apps Outage Management System Peak Smart is an automated electric demand response program designed to curtail energy needs during peak events

Discussion Contact Information Joseph Cheatham I Wastewater Utility Operations Mgr. I Your Own Utilities Joe.Cheatham@talgov.com 850.891.1009 (o) I 850.694.8039 (c) I 4505- B Springhill Road I Tallahassee, Fl32305

City of Tallahassee Customer Engagement