Westerville Electric Division
The Need
Westerville Electric Division (WED) is a municipal electric distribution utility in central Ohio, serving 16,700 customers with an annual load of 473 GWh. In 2012, WED desired to create an energy-efficiency program for its large commercial and industrial customers. WED wanted to take a custom approach, balancing need to serve their customers in new ways, while adhering to a common-sense budget with low overhead. Since then, WED has sequentially added new programs, including a small commercial and industrial energy-efficiency program, a residential peak load management program with smart thermostats, and a large commercial and industrial peak load management program.
Our Approach
We combined our technical energy-efficiency expertise, our deep experience working with customers, and our experience working with utility and state energy office energy-efficiency programs in multiple states to recommend an application and review process, terms and conditions, and incentive structures for WED’s large commercial and industrial program. We continue to bring fresh information and relevant expertise to WED, including knowledge of PJM’s capacity market payments for energy-efficiency, trends with customer load management and renewable energy implementation, and understanding of rising transmission and capacity peak load costs. Where needed, we provide ongoing technical review and assistance for WED’s programs.
The Results
Westerville Electric Division offers its successful Large and Small BusinessWISE programs to educate and incentivize its customers to implement energy savings projects. In 2018, WED took an innovative step forward by offering a load management program with smart thermostats for its residential and small commercial customers. Now with a pilot large commercial load management program, WED continues to be one of Ohio’s leading utilities in terms of customer service, innovation, and cost control.
Summary Stats:
Projects impacted by WED since 2012 ~ 77
Annual energy savings ~ 14.3 GWh
Annual demand reduction ~ 2.5 MW
PJM capacity payments ~ $47,000
Our Role
Subject matter expert, program design, program cost/benefit analysis, technical evaluation.