2010 Conference Schedule

Conference Schedule

Below is the list of conference tracks and a day-by-day schedule for the 2010 National Energy and Utility Affordability Conference. The symbol § indicates sessions for which Continuing Legal Education credit was approved by the state bars of Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Track A – Energy Availability and Sustainability
Track B – Weatherization and Energy Efficiency
Track C – Energy/Utility Assistance and Education
Track D – Energy Policy and Advocacy
Track E – Vulnerable Populations
Track F – Energy Programs in Indian Country/Hot Topics/Poverty Simulation
Track G – Evolution of Utility and Fuel Programs

Note: Click on a presenter's name for a link to his or her conference presentation and/or handouts where designated.

Monday, June 14, 2010

9:00-10:30 a.m. Opening General Session

Introductions:             Cindy Datig, Chairperson, National Low Income Energy Consortium

                                    Sue Montgomery Corey, Chairperson, National Fuel Funds Network

Welcome:                       Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff

Presentation:                Kelli Rod, TXU Energy

Opening Address:      Henry Cisneros, CityView, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Closing Remarks:      George Coling, National Fuel Funds Network

                                             David Fox, National Low Income Energy Consortium

Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros will share his views on, among other things, the need for affordable housing for low- and middle-income families and how it is linked to the need for affordable energy. Cisneros is currently the executive chairman of the CityView companies, which work with the nation’s leading No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutbuilders to create No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashouts priced within the range of average families. CityView is a partner in building 40 communities in 12 states, including more than 7,000 No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashouts. From 1993 to 1997, Cisneros served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. During that time, he was credited with initiating the revitalization of many of the nation’s public housing developments and with formulating policies that contributed to achieving the nation’s highest-ever No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashout ownership rate. He also served three terms on the San Antonio, Texas, City Council and then was elected to the first of his four terms as the mayor of San Antonio, becoming the first Hispanic-American mayor of a major U.S. city.

11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Session 1

A          Energy Efficiency Programs: Educating Low-Income Consumers to Manage Their Energy Use and Costs

Moderator:                  Sandra Sloane, New York State Public Service Commission

Presenters:                     Tom Lynch, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

                                    Christine Wright, Public Utility Commission of Texas

This workshop will discuss energy efficiency programs that help low-income families with high energy burdens manage their energy use and costs. The discussion will focus on lessons learned from programs that provide customers with comprehensive education and training on energy issues. Programs like these teach customers a variety of skills, including saving energy and reducing energy use to a more affordable level or even how to develop and use a household spending plan and selecting and using credit wisely. Best practices from programs in Texas and New York will be showcased.

B         Weatherization 101: How to Get Low-Income Families to “Buy In”

Moderator:                  Tanya Brothers, HeartShare Human Services of New York

Presenters:                 Carol Sweeney, Honeywell

                                     A. Tamasin Sterner, Pure Energy

A great deal of attention is being paid to weatherization due to the combination of high energy prices, the downturn in the economy and the recent influx of funding at the federal and state levels for weatherization activities. But what is weatherization – after all, it means different things to different people -- and what are the benefits? More to the point, how do we get clients to participate actively in energy-usage reduction and conservation? This session will explore opportunities to engage families in reducing their energy usage and get them to “buy in” to conserving energy.

C          Win-Win Fundraising: Essentials of a Development Plan

Moderator:                 Lindsay Parke, Connecticut Light and Power/Yankee Gas

Presenters:                Janna Pedersen, Ampersand Consulting

                                   Danielle Snidow, West Virginia Utility Assistance Program of Dollar Energy Fund



We can’t do good unless we do well (financially) because, as we all know, it takes money to run assistance programs. In this session, fundraising and fuel fund professionals will share guidance ranging from grant writing to special events to talking the talk that corporations will understand.

D          § How to Win Friends and Influence People: Successful State and Federal Advocacy

Moderator/Presenter:

                                    Ron Elwood, Legal Services Advocacy Project, Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance

Presenters:                Bree Raum, American Gas Association

                                    Olivia Wein, National Consumer Law Center



Did you ever say to yourself, “There oughta be a law!” and wish you could do something about it? Well, with the right tools, you can. Policy is made at the state and federal levels, but influencing decision makers requires knowledge of the systems and the mastery of advocacy techniques. This session will provide the building blocks for you to understand how to make a difference so you will be able to say, “I helped make that law!”  It will also report on an important example of making a difference, the National Fuel Funds Network's highly successful "National Action for LIHEAP" program.

E          Serving the Newly Vulnerable

Moderator:                 Jacqueline Holmes, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Presenter:                  Jim Jacob, New Jersey SHARES

                                    Pat Wrice, Operation Fuel

This workshop will look at how some programs are reaching out to people who previously had not found themselves in need of energy assistance. Presenters will also discuss people who are new to LIHEAP and now are qualifying for assistance because of changes in their financial situation due to the economy.

F          Tribal Dialogue with Federal Officials

Moderator:                 Charlotte Abney, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Presenter:                 Yolanda J. Butler, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services



The Low Income No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashout Energy Assistance Program and the Community Services Block Grant Program have received unprecedented increases in appropriations. Presenters will discuss program updates, the importance of strengthening program integrity in Tribal LIHEAP programs and funding level expectations for FY 2011. In addition, the CSBG role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, including 1512 reporting requirements, will be addressed.

G          § Smart Meter Technology: Helping Customers

Moderator:                    Linda Yamauchi, Southern California Edison Company

Presenters:                   Jessica Lim, Southern California Edison Company

                                       Hugh Yao, Southern California Gas Company

                                       Saul Zambrano, Pacific Gas and Electric Company

What is a smart meter, and what is it capable of doing? In this session, you will learn how this new technology can empower customers to more effectively manage their electricity use, save energy and money, and help protect the environment. You will also hear about policy issues that utilities have put in place to reduce potential impacts on low-income customers and find out what has been working in states that have already implemented Smart Grid technology.

12:30-1:45 p.m. Luncheon and Keynote Address

Promoting and Fostering Sustainable Behavior: Beyond Brochures

Speaker: Doug McKenzie-Mohr, McKenzie-Mohr & Associates, Inc.

You’ve helped vulnerable households avert a crisis disconnection of utility service, and you’ve helped them lower their utility bills by providing them a more energy efficient No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashout. How do we promote enduring changes in behavior that will help ensure that low-income seniors, families and disabled people sustain efficiency improvements far into the future? Doug McKenzie-Mohr will offer up his internationally recognized expertise in social marketing – the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good – with a particular focus on sustaining permanent behavior change, in addressing our clients’ use of No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashout energy.

McKenzie-Mohr is an environmental psychologist and a leading expert in the design of programs to promote sustainable behavior. For over two decades, he has been working to incorporate scientific knowledge on behavior change into the design and delivery of community programs. He is the founder of community-based social marketing, and his landmark book, Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing, has become requisite reading for those who deliver programs to promote sustainable behavior. He has worked internationally with a diverse array of governmental and non-governmental agencies, helping them identify the barriers to behavior change and develop and evaluate community-based social marketing initiatives to overcome these barriers. He is a former professor of psychology at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada.

2:00-3:15 p.m. Session 2

A          Climate Change: The Defining Challenge of this Generation

Moderator:                    Patty Riddlebarger, Entergy Corporation

Presenter:                     Robert R. Verchick, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Climate change has been referred to as the defining challenge of this generation. By some estimates, 30 percent of the world’s animals and plants could be on the path to extinction due to habitat destruction and climate change within the next 100 years. Scientists predict that rising temperatures will lead to increasingly more active and violent hurricane and storm activity. In many cases the poorest among us are those who are hardest hit. Although debate may rage in political circles, the scientific community generally agrees that global warming is real and that steps must be taken now to make a difference. But doing so will require major changes and sacrifice. This workshop will address the reality that, as energy policies are enacted to address climate change, the cost of energy is going to go up dramatically.

B         WAP 101

Moderator:                    Deb Davis, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania

Presenters:                   Jacqueline Berger, APPRISE

                                        David Carroll, APPRISE

In some states, coordination of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and the LIHEAP program furnishes important benefits to low-income clients. In many states, however, the two program operate independently and may be missing some important opportunities. This session will show how LIHEAP programs, as well as ratepayer-funded energy assistance and energy efficiency programs, can partner with WAP to improve energy affordability as well as health and safety for low-income households. As a bonus, you will learn about the National WAP Evaluation and what it will tell you about the best design for weatherization and energy efficiency programs.

C          Dialogue with Federal Officials

Moderator:                    Jo-Ann Choate, Maine State Housing Authority

Presenters:                   Yolanda J. Butler, Office of Community Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

                                       Lauren Christopher, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Community Services oversees more than $5 billion a year in Low Income No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashout Energy Assistance Program funding to the 50 states, District of Columbia, five insular areas and 140 Tribes and Tribal organizations. Representatives of this office will be on hand to discuss LIHEAP funding and strengthening program integrity in State LIHEAP programs. There will be time to answer questions on administrative and programmatic issues.

D          § The Climate, It is A-Changin’: Necessary Consumer Protections in Climate Change Legislation

Moderator:                 Olivia Wein, National Consumer Law Center

Presenters:               Shannon Baker-Branstetter, Consumers Union

                                    Marti Doneghy, AARP/GRA Liveable Communities

                                    Tyson Slocum, Public Citizen

Is there a way to put a price on carbon emissions and protect vulnerable residential consumers? In this workshop, you will hear about the essential consumer protections that would need to be in place from a consumers’ point of view.

E          Reaching Out to Immigrant and Migrant Communities

Moderator:                  Mary Ann Kobylanski, New England Farm Workers Council

Presenters:                 Lynne Cook, Sheltering Arms Senior Services

                                     Ronnie Mendoza, Austin Energy

                                     James A. Wayne, Sr., Capital Area Legal Services Corporation

Immigrants are one of the fastest growing demographics in America and many have been negatively impacted by the economic recession. How do we ensure these culturally and linguistically diverse communities have access to energy assistance and other basic services? In this session, you will learn about successful outreach strategies from a municipal utility provider that partners with a non-profit refugee resettlement program, the chief operating officer of Texas’ largest sub-recipient of federal funds for utility assistance and weatherization, and the executive director of a legal services agency in Louisiana.

F          Roundtable: Shop Talk for Tribes

Moderator:                 Jerry Snell, Cherokee Nation

Presenters:                   Charlotte Abney, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

                                                  Tiffany Kirkes, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
                                     Terry Ross, San Carlos Apache Tribe

                                      Michaele Williamson, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

                                     Julie Ziriax, Muskogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma

During the workshop, attendees will have the chance to pick two table topics and listen to short presentations from experienced Tribal LIHEAP directors and federal staff on: Targeting Benefits, the Leveraging Incentive Program and REACH, Managing LIHEAP through Computer Systems, Coordinating Resources, and updates on the CSBG Program. Conferees are asked to bring their questions and share program strategies.

G          Broadening Weatherization Programs and Partnerships

Moderator:               Betsy Bolding, Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Energy Corporation

Presenters:                  Delia Meraz, Southern California Gas Company

                                           Gregg Lawless, San Diego Gas & Electric Company

                                           Carolyn Newton, Alabama Power Company

This session addresses how utility companies are broadening their weatherization programs to meet the increased demands of low-income customer households and achieve increased program goals. You will hear directly from experts about managing during the economic downturn, program expansion and new program standards. The session will also explore how partnerships with state agencies can assist in helping families reduce their energy bills.

3:45-5:00 p.m. Session 3

A Mobile No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashouts: Replacing Energy Drains With Energy Savers

Moderator:                    John Rich, Mid America Assistance Coalition

Presenter:                     Jo-Ann Choate, Maine State Housing Authority

Older mobile No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashouts – particularly those built before the mid-1970s – often are poorly insulated and have inefficient heating systems, making them a drain on the occupants’ energy budgets. In the Northeast, something is being done to address the problem. The Pre-1976 Mobile No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashout Replacement Pilot Program is a program funded by Maine State Housing Authority (“MaineHousing”) to provide low-income No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutowners of pre-1976 mobile No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashouts with low-interest and no-interest loans for new, ENERGY STAR^® rated replacement mobile No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashouts. In this workshop, you will learn more about the new program.

B         Solar Technology Advancements

Moderator:                  Roger Rees, Oregon HEAT

Presenter:                 Bob Eaton, Lifeline Energy

Renewable energy has become increasingly popular in the United States. Both state programs and the federal government are offering significant financial incentives for implementing solar technologies. These incentives, along with solar energy now achieving a reported three- to seven-year return on investment, have led more people to consider a transition to solar power. Further, low-income qualified properties now have greater access to subsidies, rebates and incentives. In this workshop, you will learn more about solar technologies and incentives, including special financing options for low-income projects, federal and state incentives, renewable energy certificates and solar products.

C          LIHEAP 101: Understanding Administrative and Programmatic Variations

Moderator:                  Kay Joslin, National Center for Appropriate Technology/LIHEAP Clearinghouse

Presenters:                 Jim Cain, Energy Assistance Bureau, Wisconsin Department of Administration

                                    Melissa Torgerson, Oregon Housing and Community Services

LIHEAP is a federal block grant, and, within certain guidelines of the federal LIHEAP statute, states have flexibility to design and administer the program in accordance with their needs and state practices. This flexibility includes, but is not limited to, administering agencies, income and other eligibility criteria, benefit levels, set-asides for weatherization, crisis assistance, and how to reduce clients’ dependency on the program. This workshop will begin with a quick tour of the best online resources on LIHEAP, followed by presentations from two states that operate the program in different ways.

D          § Fuel for Thought: Consumer Protections and Delivered Fuels

Moderator:                  Ron Elwood, Legal Services Advocacy Project, Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance

Presenters:                 Kira Jones, Community Action New Mexico (Handouts: 17.8 Draft, Propane Consumer Info, SB0468, SB0468 Final)

                                    Jerry McKim, Iowa Bureau of Energy Assistance (Handout 1, Handout 2)

Delivered-fuel vendors, though not monopolies, provide essential services equivalent to those provided by regulated utilities. However, in most states, consumer protections for delivered fuel customers are either nonexistent or fall significantly short of those enjoyed by customers of regulated utilities. In this session, two advocates for low-income energy consumers will discuss the distinct consumer-protection challenges presented in the context of delivered fuels and how some states are moving ahead to protect delivered-fuel customers.



E          Financial Literacy: Living on Less and Avoiding Predators

Moderator:                 Sadie John Kroeck, Peoples Natural Gas Company

Presenters:                Elizabeth Brister, Entergy Mississippi (Map)

                                    Mary Loftus, Advantage Credit Counseling Service, Inc.

This session will focus on how to give value-added service, particularly how to live on less, scams to look out for and predatory lending. Presenters will discuss how to choose a credit counseling agency while avoiding the pitfalls of debt settlement agencies and examine the benefits of Individual Development Accounts-matched savings accounts for the working poor. You will learn from the experts about credit counseling and from those involved with the Corporate for Enterprise Development (CFED).



F          Roundtable: Shop Talk for Tribes (continued)

Moderator:                 Jerry Snell, Cherokee Nation

Presenters:                 Charlotte Abney, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

                                     Shari Brown, Klamath Tribes
                                     Norma Cummings, Klamath Tribes

                                     David Locklear, North Carolina Division of Social Services

                                                 Eileen Shot With Two Arrows, Rosebud Sioux Tribe
                                     Patrick Strickland, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
                                     Janet Ward, Cherokee Nation


During the workshop, attendees will have the chance to pick two table topics and listen to short presentations from experienced Tribal LIHEAP directors and federal staff on: Targeting Benefits, the Leveraging Incentive Program and REACH, Managing LIHEAP through Computer Systems, and Coordinating Resources. Conferees are asked to bring their questions and share program strategies.

G          Making Contributions Painless: Innovative Customer Donation Programs

Moderator:                  Flor Tolley, Southern California Edison Company

Presenters:                 Kim Campbell, TXU Energy

                                     Ingrid Woods, Baltimore Gas & Electric Company
                                     Linda Yamauchi, Southern California Edison Company

This session will examine what utilities are doing to increase bill based donations for low-income assistance programs. It will focus on Southern California Edison’s bill “round-up” programs, Baltimore Gas & Electric’s “Gift of Energy” program and other creative programs such as one offered by TXU Energy in Texas.

5:30-7:00 p.m. Evening Reception

Join your fellow conferees for a Taste of San Antonio -- an opportunity to meet old friends and greet new ones at a relaxing reception featuring food with a local flavor and music by a live mariachi band.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

8:00-9:00 a.m. NFFN Annual Membership Meeting

9:00-10:30 a.m. § Plenary Session

Gifted and Possibly Brilliant: Smart Grid’s Impacts on Low-Income Consumers

Moderator:                 Joel Eisenberg, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy

Speakers:                  Barbara Alexander, Consumer Affairs Consultant

                                    Ray Gogel, Current Group, LLC

                                    Douglas Micheel, U.S. Department of Energy

Through the integration of today’s technologies, the modernization of our electrical grid promises to improve system reliability and provide an array of new products and possibilities to utility customers while empowering them to make wise choices and exert more control over energy use. However, with modernization comes a cost.   Will low-income utility customers be able to afford the cost of the new infrastructure, and will they be able to take advantage of the smarter grid’s benefits? Our expert panelists will fill us in on just what Smart Grid entails and they will explore the impact of Smart Grid on vulnerable households.

Consultant Nancy Brockway is a former commissioner on the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission and an expert in utility and energy matters, with over 20 years of experience in the field. She has consulted for state and provincial regulators, state consumer advocates, unions, energy providers and low-income energy efficiency providers.

Ray Gogel is president and chief operating officer of the Current Group, LLC, in Germantown, Maryland. Prior to joining the Current Group, Gogel worked for Xcel Energy, where he was directly responsible for creating the nation’s first Smart Grid City in Boulder, Colorado.  At Xcel, he served as chief administrative officer and vice president of customer and enterprise services.

Douglas Micheel is senior advisor to the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the U.S. Department of Energy. In that role, he provides advice on matters relating to smart grid and other issues. Micheel is a former assistant attorney general in Missouri for consumer protection and spent 15 years at the Missouri Office of the Public Counsel and Texas Office of Public Utility Counsel representing consumers before state regulators.

11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Session 4

A          A Consumer Price Check on Renewable Energy

Moderator:               Chris Baker, AARP Public Policy Institute

Presenters:              Barbara Alexander, Consumer Affairs Consultant (Handout)

                                  Mike Sloan, Virtus Energy Research Associates, Inc.

Renewable energy technologies offer the promise of clean, safe, sustainable, and affordable energy. Indeed, a majority of states now require electric utilities to purchase or build new renewable energy resources. This workshop will consider the impact of these renewable energy policies for low-income consumers.

B         Water Efficiency and Affordability Initiatives

Moderator:               Chad Quinn, Dollar Energy Fund

Presenters:            Phillip A. Weynand, San Antonio Water System

The combination of water bills and energy-intensive activities such as water heating or clothes washing can create further hardship for many low-income consumers. This workshop will provide an overview of water efficiency and affordability programs, as well as provide information on new appliances that can help decrease water consumption.

C          Best Practices in Collaboration: From State Coalitions to Technology Coalitions

Moderator/Presenter:

                                    Lindsay Parke, Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas

Presenters:                Kim Campbell, TXU Energy

                                    Louis Gonzalez, Florida Power and Light Company

In this workshop, you will learn best practices from different states on how they collaborate with stakeholders and key partners to develop and deliver innovative programs and services to consumers. Collaboration practices will include: creation of statewide advisory groups to engage stakeholders, forums to educate and network with key partners on low-income energy issues and memoranda of understanding between utilities and non-profits to enhance outreach and access to energy services.

D          § Smart Meters: Potential Impacts on Consumers

Moderator:              Barbara Alexander, Consumer Affairs Consultant

Presenters:             Craig Kuennen, Glendale (CA) Water & Power

                                 Mark Toney, The Utility Reform Network

Many states and utility companies have experimented with installing high-tech meters that provide timely information to customers on their usage. However, some advocates have raised serious consumer protection concerns about the deployment of this technology. In this session, a representative of a California municipal utility that is currently using smart metering and a California consumer advocate will discuss the complex issues involved with placing this technology in customers’ No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashouts.

E          Hot Weather Response

Moderator:               Judi Martin, Omaha Public Power District

Presenters:              Elaine Kelly-Diaz, Austin Energy

                                  Delia Perez, Bexar County, Texas, Department of Community Resources

When people talk about energy assistance, their focus often is on keeping people warm in the winter, yet more people die each year from heat than from cold. This workshop will examine programs to help people deal with deadly hot weather. One presenter will address heat waves and how to collaborate with community response agencies to prevent heat-related deaths. The other will discuss how the community has come up with a coordinated effort to protect the vulnerable during extreme hot weather conditions.

F          Hot Topics

Facilitators:               Jacqueline Hutchinson, Human Development Corporation, St. Louis, MO

                                  Gloria Thirdkill, Laclede Gas

Presenters:               Ivan Brandon, National Fuel Funds Network

                                  Edward Gingold, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

                                   John Howat, National Consumer Law Center

                                  Erika Lehmann, Smith & Lehmann Consulting

                                  H. Gil Peach, H. Gil Peach & Associates/Scan America^®

                                   Gloria Thirdkill, Laclede Gas



Join a table of your colleagues and presenter(s) for 15-20-minute sessions of discussion or hands-on demonstration, and then move on to another table.

G          New Social Media: Boon or Boondoggle?

Moderator:                Betsy Bolding, Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Energy Corporation

Presenters:               Art McDonald, Tucson Electric Power/UniSource Energy Corporation

                                   Jessie F. Wuerst, Avista Corporation



With invitations to “Follow on Twitter” and “Be a Facebook Friend,” and with text messages asking for contributions to assist the one relief effort or another, what’s an organization to do? Are these bombardments simply bothersome, or can they be used to advantage? In this session, you will learn more about different social media platforms and help you decide whether they can benefit your business or agency and, if so, how.

12:30-1:45 p.m. Luncheon

Speaker: Karl Rábago, Austin Energy (speech text)

Karl Rábago is vice president for distributed energy services with Austin Energy, the municipal electric utility for the City of Austin, Texas. He has nearly 20 years of experience in electricity policy and regulation, emerging energy markets and clean energy technology development, and implementation of sustainability principles. Rábago has been both a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy and commissioner of the Texas Public Utility Commission. In addition, Rábago is chairman of the board for the Center for Resource Solutions and helped create the “Green-e” Certification program for renewable energy products. He is a member of Pedernales Electric Coop’s member advisory committee, an officer of the Renewable Energy Markets Association and advisor to the Texas Interfaith Power & Light project.

Rábago will share his views on how utilities need to be at the forefront in the evolution of energy usage while ensuring that low-income consumers are not left behind.

2:00-3:15 p.m. Session 5

A          § Uncovering the Smart Grid: Do Other Equipment and Technologies Offer More Value Than Advanced Meters?

Moderator:                 Chris Baker, AARP

Presenters:                Ray Gogel, Current Group

                                    Michael Hyland, American Public Power Association

Advanced meters or “smart meters” seem to get all of the press attention. However, metering is just one of hundreds of possible applications that constitute the Smart Grid. This workshop will explore various smart grid technologies that promise to anticipate and automatically respond to outages, increase energy efficiency and support environmental benefits.

B         Managing the Weatherization Funds Hodgpodge

Moderator:               Jo-Ann Choate, Maine State Housing Authority

Presenters:              Jacqueline Berger, APPRISE

                                  David Carroll, APPRISE

                                  Ashlie Lancaster, South Carolina Energy Office

How do we provide a total house conservation/weatherization benefit with funds from many different sources sometimes with different goals or restrictions? In this workshop, several examples will be presented explaining how states manage a hodgepodge of programs and funds. The workshop will also feature an open-forum discussion with participation from attendees.

C          Program Integrity: Internal Controls and Fraud Prevention

Moderator:                Michael DeYoung, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

Presenters:              Charlotte Abney, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
                                   Lauren Christopher, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Handout)
                                   Joe Guarinello, HeartShare Human Services of New York

                                   Eva Pratt, Capital Area Legal Services Corporation

Want to prevent fraud in your program’s operations? Want to avoid getting your name or your organization’s in the media due to poor financial controls? Whether public or private, all organizations need good internal controls to prevent fraud. This workshop will show approaches to proper internal controls to manage your organization’s funding and resources regardless of its size.

D          § Justifying Bill Payment Assistance Programs: Is the “Because It Saves Money” Approach Still Viable?

Moderator:                 Ron Elwood, Legal Services Advocacy Project

Presenters:                John Howat, National Consumer Law Center

                                    Roger Colton, Fisher, Sheehan and Colton

Innovative cost-benefit analyses of how low-income utility bill payment-assistance programs can save utilities and ratepayers money, until now have been the lynchpin to getting these programs adopted and implemented. But in these changing economic times, questions have arisen as to whether low-income programs can continue to be justified on a cost savings basis. This workshop will discuss whether using the cost-benefit approach is still viable or whether a new approach is needed to ensure that utilities and regulators continue to support bill payment assistance programs.



E          One-Stop Shop

Moderator:                 Jamie Stringfellow, Entergy Arkansas

Presenter:                  Stephen Copley, Arkansas Benefit Bank

Every year, millions of Americans go without because they aren’t receiving all the benefits for which they are eligible. At the same time, billions of dollars in public funds go untouched, and billions in tax credits go unclaimed. The Benefit Bank is a free web-based system that simplifies and centralizes the process of applying for the many state and federal benefits available to low- and moderate-to-low-income individuals and families. Designed for a wide range of community-based, faith-based, governmental, job-training, health care or social services agencies, the system is intended to bring people closer to financial stability and self-sufficiency. It allows users to file federal and state income taxes and to apply for publicly sponsored programs like CHIP, SNAP, LIHEAP and others. Learn how the Benefit Bank system helps those in need.

F         Poverty Simulation

Facilitators:                Diane Fay, Washington State Department of Commerce

                                    Tom Stovall, Operation: New View Community Action Agency

Understanding the day-to-day reality of poverty is important for everyone involved in fighting poverty – from policymakers to service providers. Missouri’s Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) is a unique tool that helps people to understand what life is like with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress. During a simulation, participants role-play the lives of low-income families, including single parents, people with disabilities and senior citizens. The task of each family is to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during four 15-minute units that simulate weeks. Families interact with community resources and other families. CAPS enables participants to view poverty from different angles and then discuss the potential for change within local communities.

G          Utility and Community Partnerships: Detroit Recovery Project

Moderator:                    Linda Yamauchi, Southern California Edison Company

Presenters:                   Guy N. Harris, DTE Energy

                                       Michael Homan, DTE Energy

In a challenging environment where the poverty level exceeds 25 percent, illiteracy is more than 40 percent, vacancy rates are high and the number of renters is increasing, DTE Energy is meeting this challenge by testing a new business model. The methodology is to assess every site, convert theft and arrears to metered usage and create an engaged and responsible consumer. This session will show, from the neighborhood sweep to sustained results, how partnership plus coordination equals success.

3:45-5:00 p.m. Session 6

A          The Carbon Offset Payday: Helping Low-Income Households

Moderator/Presenter:

                                   Jo-Ann Choate, Maine State Housing Authority

Presenter:                  Joel Eisenberg, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy

The state of Maine has launched a pilot project to help low-income households benefit when the state receives proceeds from the sale of carbon offsets. The main goals of the Carbon Pilot, as the project is known, are to create compliance quality carbon emission reductions within the housing sector, gain access to carbon market revenue to extend energy efficiency programs and demonstrate that the housing sector can play a meaningful role in addressing climate change. This workshop will explain what enabled Maine to launch the pilot, how it is working and what other states might do to replicate the pilot.

B         No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashout Energy Audits/Efficiency

Moderator:                 Edward Gingold, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Presenters:                 Carol Biedrzycki, Texas Ratepayers' Organization to Save Energy (Texas ROSE)

                                    Steve Saenz, Austin Energy

This workshop will examine a controversial proposal in Austin, Texas, to require energy audits of residential properties -- a plan which was met with highly charged political opposition. A major justification for opposition was the negative impact the audits could have on the poor. A task force appointed by Austin’s mayor subsequently recommended the Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) ordinance, which was adopted in November 2008. This session will describe the requirements of the ordinance, explain how low-income consumers are protected and provide information on how well it is working to make the city more energy efficient.

C          Crunching Numbers: Who Are We Helping?

Moderator/Presenter:

                                   Jacqueline Berger, APPRISE

APPRISE and the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association conducted surveys with LIHEAP recipients in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009. The most recent survey documents changes in the affordability of energy bills, the need for LIHEAP and the choices that low-income households make when faced with unaffordable energy bills. The presentation will discuss the survey findings with respect to vulnerability of recipient households and the unique challenges these households face when attempting to pay their energy bills, including unemployment, lack of health insurance and medical issues. It will also focus on how one state has used the data.

D          Putting a Face on Poverty for the Media

Moderator:                  Kim Campbell, TXU Energy

Presenter:                   Michelle Buckalew, Public Strategies

Regardless of whether they work in broadcast or print, reporters prefer to tell about "real people" rather than cite numbers and recount bureaucratic recaps of federal, state or local programs. Simply put, they want to put a human face on the story. In this workshop, a media professional will teach you how to go beyond the numbers when you deliver your message.

E         Energy Assistance: A World View

Moderator:                    Alita Corbett, Pepco Holdings, Inc.

Presenters:                   Clifford Maynes, Green Communities Canada

                                       Erica Stephan, British Embassy-Washington, D.C.

Presenters from outside the United States will identify approaches being employed in their countries to address energy poverty through aggressive energy efficiency policies and programs targeting low-income communities.



F         Poverty Simulation (continued)

G          Aqua Pressure: Water Affordability Assistance to the Rescue!

Moderator:                    Carmen Rudshagen, Southern California Gas Company

Presenter:                     Phillip A. Weynand, San Antonio Water System

Making sure that the citizens of the San Antonio community have access to critically needed water is the mission of the San Antonio Water System. Learn how this empowering agency is meeting customers’ needs through effective payment programs, senior citizen billing programs, disability billing assistance, and refer assistance to various agencies for other possible social welfare needs. These initiatives help to ensure that the greater community has access to vital water resources.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

9:00-10:15 a.m. General Session

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Today and Tomorrow

Moderator:               Jo-Ann Choate, Maine State Housing Authority

Presenters:            Gil Sperling, U.S. Department of Energy

                                  Peter Roehrig, U.S. Department of Energy

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is responsible for green jobs growth, significant expansion of the Weatherization Assistance Program, tax credits and many projects designed to help the nation’s economy recover from a financial crisis. The speakers will present an overview of what has been accomplished and what ARRA is expected to achieve during the next year.

Gil Sperling serves as the Senior Advisor for Policy and Programs in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Peter Roehrig is Special Assistant at the Department of Energy for Assistant Secretary Cathy Zoi in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Session 7

A          Washington State’s Institute for Community Energy Self-Sufficiency

Moderator:                  Jim Phillippo, Integrys Energy Group

Presenter:                 Diane Fay, Washington State Department of Commerce (Handouts: Draft Institute Letter, 2010 Institute Evaluation Form, Electricity 101, Energy 101, Letter to LIHEAP, Registration Form)

The state of Washington is launching a comprehensive education effort targeting coordinators and key staff of energy assistance and weatherization programs throughout the state. The Institute for Community Energy Self-Sufficiency will be a two- to-three year progressive course providing key energy personnel with a grounded understanding of the overall energy system and important influences on the system. In this workshop, you will learn what went into the development of the Institute and will have an opportunity to learn how a similar education program might be developed in your state.

B         ARRA Update: Where We Are, Where We're Headed

Moderator:                 Jo-Ann Choate, Maine State Housing Authority

Presenters:              Gil Sperling, U.S. Department of Energy

                                    Peter Roehrig, U.S. Department of Energy

This workshop will allow participants to have an in-depth discussion with the speakers from Wednesday morning’s general session, “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Today and Tomorrow.” The workshop will present an overview of what has been accomplished and what needs to happen over the next year. What, for example, will happen to low-income weatherization after 2011-2012? It will also provide an opportunity to learn more about DOE Core Competencies and Training Curricula.

C          Automatic Enrollment Into LIHEAP and Utility Discount Programs

Moderator:                 Sherry Vogel, National Center for Appropriate Technology

Presenters:                Jim Dieterle, AARP New Jersey

                                    Jay Stone, Public Utility Commission of Texas

Providing energy assistance to more vulnerable households and enhancing program efficiencies are just two good reasons why states are utilizing automatic enrollment, whereby receipt of assistance through one or more means-tested programs automatically enrolls needy clients in others such as LIHEAP or a utility discount. New Jersey adopted this approach to help more low-income elderly; Texas uses it to extend a low-income utility discount to additional households.   Representatives from these two states will feature their programs.

D          Making the Connection to Complementary Assistance Programs for Our Clients: Lifeline, EITC & SNAP

Moderator:                 Jim Jacob, New Jersey SHARES

Presenters:                Eric Cooper, San Antonio Food Bank

                                    Pamela Gallant, Universal Service Administrative Company

                                    John Wancheck, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

This workshop will focus on three essential federal low-income assistance programs to help put food on the table, connect households to phone service and improve low-income workers’ basic budgets. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the low-income telephone Lifeline discount program and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) programs can help vulnerable households who are struggling with utility bills meet other essential needs.



E          No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutlessness Prevention

Moderator:                    Valeria Bullock, PECO -- An Exelon Company

Presenters:                   Elissa M. Cowper Vogan, The Salvation Army - Georgia Division

                                       Marian Pipes Brown, Haven for Hope

Combating No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutlessness rarely involves a one-size-fits-all approach This workshop will examine two distinctly different programs to end No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutlessness. One is Haven for Hope, a public-private initiative providing comprehensive treatment options and services to San Antonio’s No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutless population. Although its doors only opened to families recently, its campus medical, dental and vision services started last year and already have helped nearly 15,000 No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutless and low-income patients. Halfway across the country from San Antonio, The Salvation Army - Georgia Division has been awarded more than $10 million through HUD No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) funding to serve the No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashoutless in well over half of Georgia’s 159 counties. The workshop will explore this broad approach to HPRP services as well as the guidelines service providers will need to know for referrals.

F          Developing Tribal LIHEAP Programs: Guidance for New Coordinators

Moderator:                 Charlotte Abney, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Presenters:               Shari Brown, Klamath Tribes

                                    Norma Cummings, Klamath Tribes

A representative from the federal LIHEAP office and two people with LIHEAP Tribal coordination experience will discuss designing, applying for and implementing a tribal LIHEAP Program. The discussion will focus on HHS block grant policy, the model plan format, funding allocations, state and Tribal agreements, flexibility and responsibility, tips on setting up programs and common hurdles to overcome. Bring your questions!



G          Leveraging and Outreach for Utility Discount Programs

Moderator:                     Carolyn A. Newton, Alabama Power Company

Presenters:                    Alita Corbett, Pepco Holdings, Inc.

                                        Hugh Yao, Southern California Gas Company



Through leveraging efforts, California utilities advocate for schools, municipalities, community and faith-based organizations, and others to reach out to eligible low-income people who are not currently participating in the utility bill discount program known as the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program. The efforts seem to be working. Innovative outreach efforts including data sharing brings California to an 88 percent penetration rate. In the Mid-Atlantic region, Pepco has been successful in reaching out to customers through a Joint Utilities Discount Day. In this session, you will learn new outreach approaches to meet your goals and assist those most in need.

12:00-1:15 p.m. NFFN/NLIEC Awards Luncheon

Speaker: David Hansell, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

David Hansell is principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services in its Administration for Children and Families. From 2007 to 2009, he was commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the state agency charged with oversight of support programs and economic assistance for low-income New Yorkers. Prior to that, he was chief of staff for the New York City Human Resources Administration. Hansell will speak briefly prior to the awards presentations about LIHEAP program integrity.

Then, join us for the presentation of the National Fuel Funds Network’s and the National Low Income Energy Consortium’s highest honors: the NLIEC Achievement Award and NFFN's Sister Pat Kelley Achievement Award, Victorine Q. Adams Award, Extra Mile Award and Corporate Excellence Award.

1:30-2:45 p.m. Session 8

A          Training Low-Income Consumers for Green Jobs Today

Moderator:                   Linda Barnes, Entergy Corporation

Presenter:                    Sarah White, Center on Wisconsin Strategy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Want to find out how your state or region can deliver on the greener and more equitable promise of the new energy economy? Building greener career pathways through existing workforce development systems is a key part of the answer. In this session, you will learn about Wisconsin’s experience using Recovery Act dollars and local policy initiatives to ensure that that job creation and job training programs in the energy efficiency sector will benefit the state’s working families.

B         Hands-On Energy Efficiency

Moderator:                  Clifton Lewis, Sacramento Municipal Utility District

Presenters:                 Mitchell Miller, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

                                    Hal Knowles, University of Florida doctoral student

Across the country, states have received unprecedented increases in funding for a wide variety of efficiency programs. This has created many opportunities for low-income consumers, but it also could lead to evidence causing critics to, “I told you they would fail.” In this workshop, a practitioner in the program trenches in Pennsylvania will discuss the good and bad news about energy-efficiency programs. The second half of the session will focus on an Internet-based building performance, carbon footprinting and social networking platform designed to address the environment in which we are now working.

C          Breaking Barriers With a New Cellphone Lifeline Initiative

Moderator:                 Joe Guarinello, HeartShare Human Services of New York

Presenters:                Tanya Brothers, HeartShare Human Services of New York

                                    Gary Carter, Assurance Wireless

                                    Ellen Rhoads, Assurance Wireless

For many low income families, having a telephone – be it a landline or wireless – has become an extra bill that they are struggling to pay. Virgin Mobile has remedied this problem with its new Lifeline program, Assurance Wireless. Learn how they have broken through the barriers of language and the undocumented to put free cellphones in the hands of those who need them.

D          Staying Healthy at No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashout: The Intersection of Energy and Health

Moderator:                 Janee Briesemeister, AARP

                                    Colette Harrell, The Breathing Association

Presenters:                Adele Houghton, Adele Houghton Consulting, LLC

                                    Lynn Page Snyder, Energy Programs Consortium



According to the Centers for Disease Control, extreme weather accounts for more deaths in the United States than all other natural disasters combined. Tragically, many of these deaths occur in the victims’ own No Deposit Bonus With No Max Cashouts as a result of inadequate heating or cooling. For others, energy insecurity exacerbates illness or creates unsafe living conditions. Health risks among low-income energy consumers are higher than other households and children and older persons are especially susceptible to energy health hazards. Experts predict that climate change will increase the incidence of extreme weather events. This session will explore the important connection between affordable energy and health for low-income consumers.

E          No Workshop Scheduled

F          No Workshop Scheduled

G          No Workshop Scheduled

2:45-3:15 p.m. Closing Session

Speakers: Cindy Datig, Chairperson, National Low Income Energy Consortium

Tom Stovall, Vice Chairman, National Fuel Funds Network

This session will wrap up of the 2010 National Energy and Utility Affordability Conference and look ahead to NEUAC 2011, to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Final comments will be presented regarding this year’s conference, and we will preview the event coming up on June 27-29, 2011, at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale. Be sure to keep all of your raffle tickets because this is also the time when we hold our final drawings.

© 2010, National Energy and Utility Affordability Conference, presented by the National Fuel Funds Network and National Low Income Energy Consortium