Regulatory accounting and GASB 62 applications
(with specific example for contributions in aid of construction)
Russell Hissom, CPA, Partner
January 2012

With the issuance of Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement 62, utilities required to follow governmental accounting standards will no longer be allowed to follow any Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) guidance, including that for regulatory accounting (FAS 71/ASC 980). GASB 62 Codification of Accounting and Financial Reporting Guidance Contained in Pre-November 30, 1989 FASB and AICPA Pronouncements is effective for financial statements for periods beginning after December 15, 2011.

This article explores the answers to some of the allowable uses of regulatory accounting under GASB 62.

FAS 71/ASC 980 lives on in GASB 62
FAS 71/ASC 980—Accounting for the Effects of Certain Types of Regulation

ASC 980 is the accounting tool used by public utilities where strictly following GASB does not necessarily meet their business model and the intent of certain accounting transactions that will benefit future periods or be charged against future periods. This is also the manner in which public utilities recover their costs through rates charged to their ratepayers, make their operating benchmarks comparable to their investor-owned peer utilities, and also match their accounting to utility industry standards.

GASB 62 has codified ASC 980 in a form that will allow public utilities a seamless transition without change to their current application of regulatory accounting under ASC 980. GASB 62 discusses using these regulated accounting rules in paragraphs 476–500 of the standard.

Regulated accounting under GASB 62
GASB 62 uses the term “Regulated Operations,” and discusses regulated accounting rules under paragraphs 476–500 of the standard.

Regulated accounting defined
The standard states that regulated accounting rules … “may be applied to business type activities that have regulated operations that meet all of the following criteria:

1. The regulated business-type activity’s rates for regulated services provided to its customers are established by, or are subject to approval by, an independent, third-party regulator or by its own governing board empowered by statute or contract to establish rates that bind customers;
2. The regulated rates are designed to recover the specific regulated business-type activity’s costs of providing the regulated services, and;
3. In view of the demand for the regulated services or products and the level of competition, direct and indirect, it is reasonable to assume that rates set at levels that will recover the regulated business-type activity’s costs can be charged to and collected from customers. This criterion requires consideration of anticipated changes in levels of demand or competition during the recovery period for any capitalized costs.”

These are substantially the current rules followed under ASC 980.
Application of ASC 980 rules under GASB 62
GASB 62 goes on to discuss how regulators may adjust rates for cost or revenue deferrals and the related accounting considerations that will be in play, depending on those regulator actions. Remember, for most public utilities the regulator is the city council or utility governing board.

The standard states that, “Rate actions of a regulator can provide a business-type activity with reasonable assurance of the existence of an asset. A regulated business-type activity should capitalize all or part of an incurred cost (that otherwise would be charged to expense) if both of the following criteria are met:

a. It is probable that future revenue in an amount at least equal to the capitalized cost will result from inclusion of that cost in allowable costs for rate-making purposes, and;

b. Based on available evidence, the future revenue will be provided to permit recovery of the previously incurred cost rather than to provide for expected levels of similar future costs. If the revenue will be provided through an automatic rate-adjustment clause, this criterion requires that the regulator’s intent clearly be to permit recovery of the previously incurred cost.”

Finally, the standard provides for return of revenues to customers, stating that, “A regulator can require that a gain or other reduction of net allowable costs be given to customers over future periods. That would be accomplished, for rate-making purposes, by amortizing the gain or other reduction of net allowable costs over those future periods and reducing rates to reduce revenues in approximately the amount of the amortization. If a gain or other reduction of net allowable costs is to be amortized over future periods for rate-making purposes, the regulated business-type activity should not recognize that gain or other reduction of net allowable costs in the current period. Instead, it should be deferred for future reductions of charges to customers that are expected to result.”

Standard uses of regulatory accounting
Again, “intent” is the key element in the use of regulatory deferrals (i.e., how will we recover these costs from our ratepayers or defer revenue recognition to future periods to mitigate rate impacts). Typical uses of regulatory assets and liabilities include:

Regulatory assets
Extraordinary maintenance costs such as planned unit outages, weather damage, or other unforeseen events
Premature losses on asset retirements
Decommissioning of generating units
Future recoverable costs (i.e., the difference between depreciation and debt service on bond financed plant) used to smooth the earnings impact
Long-term deferred receivables
Deferred power costs to be recovered in the future
Mark-to-market derivative and investment losses
Advanced debt refunding losses

Regulatory liabilities
Rate stabilization (funded or unfunded)—the difference of earnings over bond coverage to be used in future periods to offset anticipated increases in power costs and other expenses
Deferred costs collected in rates now that will be expended in future periods—such as those for future maintenance projects or decommissioning expenses
Contributions in aid of construction
Use of regulatory accounting and contributions in aid of construction
The use of regulatory accounting is well suited for deferring recognition of contributions in aid of construction for utility plant additions.

Under GASB 33—Accounting and Reporting for Non-Exchange Transactions, utility plant received from customers or developers is required to be recognized as revenue in the period of the transaction. Under the utility business model this does not necessarily make sense, as the utility will record depreciation on these contributed assets in future periods, while recognizing the full revenue of the contribution in a single period.

The application of regulatory accounting in this instance allows the income impact of the transaction to be matched over the depreciable life of the contributed assets, resulting in an income impact of zero.

For example, let’s assume these events:

1. A subdivision developer constructs $1 million of utility infrastructure (services, mains, etc.) and turns this infrastructure over to the utility per the utility’s service territory rules. This infrastructure will be maintained and eventually replaced by the utility.

2.The useful life of this infrastructure is thirty years

The entries under two scenarios to record these events are as follows:

GASB 33 required method
1.Receipt of utility infrastructure—
Debit Utility Plant in Service $1,000,000
Credit Revenues $1,000,000
2. Record annual depreciation expense over thirty years
Debit Depreciation Expense $33,333
Credit Accumulated Depreciation $33,333

Using this method results in revenue recognition of $1 million in the year of the transaction, but recognition of the related expense over thirty years—violating the common accounting principle of matching.

Using regulatory accounting to reflect the impact of the transaction on utility income and rates
The impact above can be mitigated through the use of regulatory accounting, as follows:
1. Receipt of utility infrastructure—
Debit Utility Plant in Service $1,000,000
Credit Deferred Regulatory Liability $1,000,000

The regulatory liability is a balance sheet account

2. Record annual depreciation expense over thirty years
Debit Depreciation Expense $33,333
Credit Accumulated Depreciation $33,333

3. Record recognition of deferred revenue over thirty years
Debit Deferred Regulatory Liability $33,333
Credit Depreciation Expense $33,333

Using this method makes the annual impact to utility income zero—reflecting that the utility must recognize depreciation expense for a utility plant that it did not finance and which is offset by the contribution for
that infrastructure.
Replacement financing of that plant after thirty years when it is fully depreciated is a separate question from this accounting approach.
Other thoughts
As with ASC 980, Baker Tilly recommends that utilities document their cost or revenues for deferral and seek governing board approval for such items either through a blanket resolution for routine items, or through board action, passing resolutions for specific material items. Documentation should reflect the cost or revenues to be deferred, pertinent details of the transaction, and the intended rate recovery or revenue return period. Changes in any circumstances should be reflected in future accounting from the point of the change in circumstances.
Summary
GASB 62 Codification of Accounting and Financial Reporting Guidance Contained in Pre-November 30, 1989 FASB and AICPA Pronouncements appears to have addressed any concerns public utilities may have about their use of FASB pronouncements, especially ASC 980 for regulated accounting. While there will be a note needed in your utility’s financial statements about implementing GASB 62 (effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2011), there should be no change in your financial statements if you’re currently using ASC 980.
As always, we seek your input into practical application of the new statement. If you have comments or ideas, please respond to russ.hissom@bakertilly.com, or post your comments to our Utility Accounting Issues Forum on LinkedIn. For a link to the page, visit www. bakertilly.com/powerup.… more…

(McLEAN, Va.) Feb. 7, 2012 – SAIC Energy, Environment & Infrastructure, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) [NYSE: SAI], has been selected for a five-year architectural and engineering design contract by the U.S. Air Force, 65th Air Base Wing (ABW) at Lajes Field, Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal.

The 65th ABW serves as the U.S. Air Force's pre-eminent, en-route, combat support organization supporting joint, coalition and NATO operations. SAIC’s services will include a broad variety of new construction projects and maintenance and repair projects. SAIC will also provide investigation and research, surveying, calculations and measurements, construction drawings, utility replacements, development and recommendation of alternatives, as well as specification and cost estimates.

“SAIC’s design, architecture, and engineering services help maximize the potential for project success in cost, schedule, and quality,” said Frank Codispoti, SAIC Facilities and DesignBuild operations manager.

About SAIC
SAIC is a FORTUNE 500® scientific, engineering, and technology applications company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve problems of vital importance to the nation and the world, in national security, energy & environment, health and cybersecurity. The company's approximately 41,000 employees serve customers in the U.S. Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, other U.S. Government civil agencies and selected commercial markets. Headquartered in McLean, Va., SAIC had annual revenues of approximately $11 billion for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2011. For more information, visit saic.com. SAIC: From Science to Solutions®… more…

At a glance:
• Alcatel-Lucent simplifies the network management function for utilities, providing an intuitive user-friendly interface and access to informative network reports.
• New Service Portal Express for Utilities is released at DistribuTECH 2012 in San Antonio, USA, from 24-26 January.
• Solution has been developed specifically for and with utilities to respond to their most important network management requirements.
• AltaLink, Canada’s only fully independent electric transmission provider, is first to adopt Service Portal Express for Utilities.

As more utilities adopt smart grids to dynamically monitor and measure energy flow and help distribute energy more efficiently, they are finding they require increasingly fast, secure and reliable communications networks to support them. A key consideration in choosing such a communications system is how easily it can be managed. The new Alcatel-Lucent Service Portal Express for Utilities addresses this concern by greatly simplifying the management of a large communications network, enabling a smooth transition to smart grid communications and saving utilities both time and money.

Daily network management tasks, such as provisioning new network services, troubleshooting problems and creating reports, traditionally require in-depth knowledge of the network technology involved, such as Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS). The Service Portal Express for Utilities enables staff from various operational teams to perform routine network management tasks without needing specialist network knowledge. This puts the power in the hands of those who need it, when they need it, freeing up the IP/MPLS network experts to focus on their essential tasks.

The Service Portal Express for Utilities is a communications network management tool designed for utilities, using utility-specific language and tasks. Its interface includes a predefined set of profiles, such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), teleprotection and video surveillance, with pull-down menus that simplify use and greatly reduce the possibility of user error. Security and peace of mind is provided by pre-defined routing, authorization and validation algorithms while network metrics can be easily retrieved in reports designed specifically for utilities.

Service Portal Express for Utilities complements the Alcatel-Lucent 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM), which is used for more in-depth network management tasks. Alcatel-Lucent develops other customized Service Portals for specific industries or individual customers.

Alcatel-Lucent Service Portal Express for Utilities will be generally available in March 2012. AltaLink, Canada’s only fully independent electric transmission provider, is first to adopt Service Portal Express for Utilities to manage its IP/MPLS network, deployed by Alcatel-Lucent in 2010, that links 270 substations throughout Alberta.

Kamal Ballout, Vice President, Global Energy and Transportation Systems Integration Division, Alcatel-Lucent, said: “Having partnered with more than 80 utility companies around the world, we have seen first-hand the challenges they face in managing their networks. We have created Alcatel-Lucent Service Portal Express specifically for and with our utility customers to improve their operations and ultimately bring savings to them and their customers.”
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Seattle – January 12, 2012. LED lighting manufacturer Evluma announces the release of a short mogul base version of the Clearlight 50W Beacon LED retrofit for dusk-till-dawn fixtures. This shorter version of the Beacon places the light source higher up in the fixture for those customers who wish to use the refractor optics of the legacy device to modify the light distribution. The short version of the Clearlight Beacon is also available with a medium (E26) base, or a GU-24 base, opening up the Clearlight line for use in Commercial and Industrial applications, such as can lights, soffit lights and garage lights.

The short mogul Beacon is 7.67 inches long and places the LED light source about two inches up into the refractor depending on the fixture manufacturer. The original Beacon, with a length of 10.21 inches typically places the LED light source flush with the bottom of the refractor. Evluma has developed various bracket kits over the years to address customer preference regarding the positioning of the LED light source within the refractor, says the company. For some, the shorter Beacon may meet their requirements.

While Evluma anticipates there will always be a demand for customized positioning, the Short Beacon will maintain the simplicity of the Clearlight direct screw-in retrofit. Self-ballasted, no other adjustments or assembly is required, says the company. However, for added energy savings Evluma recommends wiring around the ballast, which will continue to run and drawn electricity otherwise. “Retrofit products should be robust and easy to use,” said Keith Miller, President and CEO of Evluma. “The short mogul Beacon is a continuation of that philosophy.”

Like the original Beacon and the EcoSpot, the short Beacon models are UL approved and have a 5 year warranty. The short Beacon models have also been qualified by the Lighting Design Lab in Seattle, WA. Clearlight products are manufactured in Seattle, WA from US and imported parts. Evaluation samples are currently in the field. Evluma anticipates the possibility of future adaptations to the core Clearlight design as demand arises.

About Evluma

Evluma is a division of Express Imaging Systems, LLC a small business with over 150 years of combined experience developing lighting applications for photographic equipment and the photofinishing industry. Formed in 2008, Evluma is committed to developing environmentally low impact lighting solutions that are affordable and long lasting.



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EVERGREEN, Colo.— To enable retired professionals to fill critical gaps in technical and management skills at public power utilities on an interim basis, Hometown Connections and utility recruiting firm Mycoff, Fry & Prouse have established Strategic Power Placements (SPP) as a jointly owned entity. SPP provides contract management services for the placement of retired individuals to fulfill voids within the senior ranks of a public power organization on a temporary basis. Prior to this announcement of an ownership investment, Hometown Connections had been marketing the SPP service since September 2010.

Strategic Power Placements is an industry resource to public power utilities, joint action agencies, and state associations, providing experienced professionals for temporary assignment. SPP helps utilities identify their internal needs and make available interim employees to fill executive positions, lead special projects, and mentor permanent employees. In addition to its management consulting services, SPP acts as a clearinghouse for individuals seeking temporary work and public power utilities seeking shorter-term, part-time manpower resources.

“The American Public Power Association tracks closely developments in human resources at member utilities,” said Jeff Tarbert, Senior Vice President, APPA, and Board Chair, Hometown Connections. “As municipal utilities balance the demands of a tight economy with pressures to ensure reliability and energy efficiency, maintaining a professional staff with the requisite skill sets is a steep challenge. We foresee a great demand for the professional support recent retirees can bring to public power systems, and we believe the investment Hometown Connections is making with Mycoff, Fry & Prouse will better enable APPA members to position their utilities for long-term success.”

“Hometown Connections has been working for a year with Mycoff, Fry & Prouse, public power’s premier executive search firm, to help to address our industry’s ‘brain drain’ as retirement rates and hiring freezes delay the appointment of fully qualified utility directors, department heads, and project managers,” said Tim Blodgett, President & Chief Executive Officer, Hometown Connections. “This new investment with the Mycoff firm furthers our ability to place retirees able to help APPA members keep their budgets and project schedules on track, rather than lose ground during an executive search process. Our investment will also expand the ability of retirees to serve as valuable mentors to the permanent staff, sharing their considerable expertise in utility engineering, finance, operations, and management.”

Milton Lee, recently retired as chief executive officer for CPS Energy in San Antonio, has completed his first SPP assignment, helping the City of Boulder, Colo., explore forming a municipal electric system. “The Mycoff team knows virtually all of us who began our public power careers in the 1970s and 80s. We focused our professional lives around two primary issues: the reliability of the electric system and how our decisions would impact the costs incurred by our customers. Carl Mycoff and his colleagues know our skills, our preferences, and who would fit best within a specific utility culture. Every utility has issues ranging from A to triple Z, and the SPP service knows who to place where.”

“We have worked for many years with APPA members and understand both their common challenges and unique requirements,” said Carl A. Mycoff, Managing Director. “We are very pleased and excited to partner with Hometown Connections in the design and delivery of this innovative professional placement service which taps the pool of retired utility executives to the advantage of the public power community.

About Hometown Connections International, LLC, Evergreen, CO; and Mycoff, Fry & Prouse LLC, Conifer, CO
Hometown Connections is a utility services subsidiary of the American Public Power Association (APPA). APPA is the national service organization for the nation's more than 2,000 community- and state-owned electric utilities serving 45 million customers. Hometown Connections supports APPA members by securing national group pricing and service arrangements from leading industry suppliers. Please visit www.hometownconnections.com. Mycoff, Fry & Prouse is a recognized leader in the recruitment of executives, management personnel, and industry experts for the utility and energy industries. Visit www.mfpllc.us for more information.
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Raleigh, NC – September 08, 2011 –Tantalus, a leading provider of Smart Grid communications, today announced the release of an enhanced functionality module for the GE Kv2c and Kv2c(+) polyphase meters for utilities’ commercial and industrial customers. The latest product release from Tantalus extends the value utilities can gain from a smart grid implementation while offering C&I customers greater visibility and control of their energy consumption and associated costs. While accounting for about 20 percent of a typical utility’s customer base, C&I customers comprise 62 percent of energy billings nationwide, according to a recent Pike Research report.

This latest product release from Tantalus addresses four critical C&I areas:

• New, more extensive reporting for critical energy data including: cumulative kWh, kVAh and kVARh, instantaneous voltage and current by phase, and combined line frequency and power factor. All, or configurable subsets, of these values can be delivered on a utility-defined interval from five minutes to two hours, or requested on-demand.

• More extensive reporting for current and prior period peak data including peak kW with coincident kVA and kVAR, peak kVA with coincident kW and kVAR, and peak kVAR with coincident kW and kVA all with optional timestamps.

• A more feature rich demand reset functionality providing both scheduled and unscheduled demand reset capabilities. This will allow utilities to better respond to customer situations where demand resets are required and avoid the costs associated with visiting the meters to perform the reset. Scheduled resets can occur on a cyclical basis, daily, weekly or monthly, or on an ad-hoc basis using a utility defined calendar. The Tantalus Utility Network, TUNet®, also monitors the meter’s demand reset functionality and will report an alert to the utility should an unauthorized demand reset occur.

• An increased level of power quality monitoring, which provides more granular voltage and outage information. With voltage information returned with every interval, “per phase” outage reporting, and TRUPUSH “per phase” sag/swell alarms delivered upon occurrence, the utility is able to monitor power quality and react proactively when anomalies are detected.

TUNet’s C&I capabilities have been tested thoroughly over the last several years. For example, Missouri’s Laclede Electrical Cooperative uses TUNet to deliver precise, granular data from 160 of the largest facilities at Fort Leonard Wood, enabling the military base to be a leader in energy efficiency. In Texas, the Lamb County Electrical Cooperative uses TUNet to precisely control and monitor water pump usage, allowing it to equitably compensate cooperative members for demand response events and provide a conservation mechanism.

“Our customer utilities’ C&I users demand the highest performance and cutting edge functionality,” said Tantalus president and CEO Eric Murray. “As broader opportunities to monetize effective energy use present themselves to end user customers, we will continue to develop and deliver leading edge commercial and industrial electric metering solutions.”… more…

BOULDER, CO, September 15, 2011—E Source is teaming up with Groundwork Denver’s Porch Bulb Project to help swap out inefficient incandescent porch bulbs for long-lasting compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). On September 20, 2011, attendees at the 24th Annual E Source Forum will have the opportunity to go door to door in a Denver neighborhood to help low-income and elderly residents save energy.

The Porch Bulb Project has swapped out 9,861 porch bulbs for an energy savings of $59,166 per year. Wendy Hawthorne, executive director of Groundwork Denver, says, “We’re excited to have the help of the E Source conference attendees to reach our goal of replacing the 10,000th porch bulb. The Porch Bulb Project demonstrates how even small actions can have big impacts when we all get involved—10,000 CFLs reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 600 tons per year.”

The E Source Forum is an annual event that draws more than 400 representatives from utilities and other energy service providers. The conference content focuses on best practices for energy-efficiency programs, customer service, marketing, and end-use technologies. E Source is providing the funding for the CFLs, light rail transport to the neighborhood, and some administrative fees.

“We were looking for ideas to help us reduce waste and to minimize conference giveaways because they often end up being thrown away,” says Janice Field, senior manager of E Source Customer Service & Events. “Funding a community service project is a great alternative. Our attendees get to know one another better, and we’re helping the community.”

Volunteers will be live-tweeting (@ESourceForum and @GroundworkDen) and taking photos during the project in hopes of capturing the installation of the 10,000th bulb.

About E Source
E Source has been providing unbiased, objective energy business intelligence to over 300 utilities and large energy users for more than 20 years. Our benchmarking services are supported by the latest market research looking at what customers want from their utilities. Our research analysts and consultants are among the best minds in the business, delivering significant and timely research that equips our customers with the right information at the right time to make better, faster decisions. We predict and address trends, technologies, and problems related to energy efficiency, utility customer satisfaction, program design, marketing, customer management, and sustainability. For more information, please visit www.esource.com.


About Groundwork Denver
Groundwork Denver is a nonprofit organization that works to improve the physical environment through community-based action. Groundwork Denver is always looking for energetic volunteers to help protect the environment and support local communities. To get involved, visit www.groundworkdenver.org/involved.htm.

Public Relations Contacts

Wendy Bloechle, Vice President of Marketing, E Source
wendy_bloechle@esource.com
303-345-9158

Wendy Hawthorne, Executive Director, Groundwork Denver
wendy@groundworkdenver.org
Office: 303-455-5600; Mobile: 720-252-8661… more…

Commonwealth Associates, Inc., a leading electric power delivery design firm with offices in Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington, is pleased to announce the opening of its Columbus, Ohio, office. “Our motto is ‘Connect with Confidence,’ and we are making that easier by expanding to meet increased client demand,” stated Commonwealth President Dennis F. DeCosta. “While we operate nationally, we also think locally, which is why we are especially proud to demonstrate our continuing commitment to the Midwestern economy by opening our second Ohio office.”

The newly opened office currently employs eight engineers and recruitment is ongoing. “We are committed to providing our clients with world-class service and unmatched expertise and that begins with finding the best talent,” said DeCosta. Michael Riggins, a Senior Project Manager based in the Columbus office, cited Commonwealth’s being an employee-owned company as an attractive and distinctive feature to new hires. “We combine the experience and capacity of a large firm, with the energy, attentiveness, and accessibility of a start-up because of the ownership,” commented Riggins.

Commonwealth offers a complete package of engineering and consulting services for clients and is proud to be listed among the 2011 Top 40 Design Firms by EC&M magazine and the 2011 Top 500 Design Firms by ENR. The company maintains principal offices in Mount Vernon, Washington, and Atlanta, Georgia, along with satellites in Roanoke, Virginia; Dayton, Ohio; and Columbus, Ohio.

For more information, please visit: www.cai-engr.com.
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/commonwealthassociates
On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/caiengr_dot_com


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SAN FRANCISCO – May 16, 2011 – energyOrbit, the leading cloud computing (www.energy-orbit.com) company in the Demand Side Management sector, today announced the successful Implementation and roll out of energyOrbit at Santee Cooper, one of the country’s largest public utilities.

One of the leading utilities in the nation to promote and implement energy efficiency projects in its service territory, Santee Cooper uses energyOrbit to run its energy efficiency programs. With energyOrbit in place, Santee Cooper is poised to maximize energy savings and potentially offset the need for building more power generation capacity.

Santee Cooper’s traditional method for managing its energy efficiency programs was the use of a variety of paper forms, spreadsheets and multiple databases to track various costs savings. The installation and deployment of energyOrbit was timely for Santee’s Cooper’s new residential and commercial energy efficiency 2010 & 2011 program rollouts. energyOrbit enables Santee Cooper to quickly adapt to business and regulatory changes. Managers and staff members have complete visibility into the performance of their programs and are able to proactively implement adjustments as dictated by market acceptance levels and other key performance indicators.

“energyOrbit delivers power and flexibility for managing our residential and commercial energy efficiency programs and the energyOrbit team has proven to be a responsive and committed partner,” said John Steedly, Director Program Development of Santee Cooper.

With energyOrbit Santee Cooper is now able to:
• Support rapid setup, deployment and modification of programs and conservation measures by business users
• Streamline and automate project business processes and communications for the full project lifecycle – from initial outreach through payment and verification
• Extend current workflows and the configuration of validation rules for tracking complex processes
• Calculate savings and incentives for a wide variety of prescriptive and custom measures
• Enable users to quickly and easily generate high-impact reports and dashboards
• Provide secure, customized on-line access for different user roles, profiles, and hierarchies
• Collaborate with third-party program implementers

"Collaboration with our customers have been a key factor in the development and propagation of energyOrbit,” said Udi Merhav, Founder and CEO of crmOrbit, Inc, the developer of energyOrbit. Merhav also added that “there is no greater testimonial than receiving an endorsement from your customers on your product and implementation service. Santee Cooper has on several occasions graciously agreed to serve as a reference to several substantial opportunities in various parts of the country”.

About Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility, and the state’s largest power producer. The ultimate source of electricity for 2 million South Carolinians, Santee Cooper is dedicated to being the state’s leading resource for improving the quality of life for the people of South Carolina. For more information, visit www.santeecooper.com.

About energyOrbit
energyOrbit is the leading energy efficiency/DSM program and EE projects management cloud computing solution. Rapidly deployed and powered with a user-friendly customization engine, energyOrbit offers scalable measures libraries, wizard-driven reporting, EE Programs replication logic and advanced communication and marketing campaigns automation. energyOrbit seamlessly integrates trade ally and rate payers interfaces, as well as enterprise CRM. Powered on the salesforce.com cloud computing platform, energyOrbit is web-based, Software-as-a-Service solution, where hardware/infrastructure costs are eliminated.

For more information please email to information@energy-orbit.com
or call 866-628-8744 or visit www.energy-orbit.com
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For the third consecutive year, the Port Angeles City Council has approved a contract, after requesting competitive bids, with Novinium of Federal Way, Wash., to provide cable rejuvenation services for the city’s electric department.

Many of the City's 30 miles of underground cables are more than 20 years old. Older cables have the potential of failing and causing unplanned outages. The sensible step is to rejuvenate these cables and extend their life; this will help Port Angeles and its residents continue to have reliable electric service for
many years to come at a fraction of the cost of replacing these older failure-prone cables.

Novinium will supply its Ultrinium® 732 rejuvenation fluid and employ the use of its unique Sustained Pressure Rejuvenation (SPR) method. The Novinium SPR process is the only one capable of extending the life of these older cables for 40 additional years and providing long-term reliable electric service. The
Ultrinium 732 fluid, combined with the SPR process, repairs the water damage in the cable, and also upgrades these old cables to like-new condition in only seven days. The SPR process seals the ends of each cable segment so that water cannot get into the cable strands in the future.

The rejuvenation project is anticipated to start in the spring of 2011 and will take about one or two months to complete this year’s work plan.

Electrical Engineering Manager Terry Dahlquist said, “We have had great success with cable injection over the last few years, applying it to our oldest and most failure prone cables. None of the cables have failed after being treated. The Novinium personnel have been very professional and have worked well with our
linemen. Their templates have made the process simple, and instructions to our crews have been excellent.”

Novinium was founded in 2003 in the Seattle area by some of the same people who conceived and commercialized the earlier generation of rejuvenation services. Novinium provides cable rejuvenation products and services to circuit owners and their service suppliers in the United States and around the
world. Novinium’s primary products are novel fluids, methods, and tools to inject stranded underground cable. The patented Novinium injection process rejuvenates and extends the reliable life of underground power cable up to 40 years. Novinium’s products address circuit owners’ infrastructure problems at a
fraction of the cost of existing methods, save energy, save natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gases by eliminating the need for additional production of aluminum and polymers for new cables. For more information visit www.novinium.com or contact Novinium at info@novinium.com or (206) 529-4828.… more…

Burns & McDonnell has written a new whitepaper entitled A Rapid Response to the NERC Facility Rating Methodology Alert. This paper will help you learn more about required responses to NERC in the coming months as part of your overall compliance plan.

Click here to read more: http://www.burnsmcd.com/td

APOGEE Interactive Finalist in Eighth Annual TechAmerica Georgia Competition

Atlanta Software Firm Stands Out With Two Finalist Awards in Annual Technology Competition

ATLANTA (Dec. 8, 2010) – APOGEE Interactive, a leading software provider to utilities nationwide, stood out among 85 nominees for the 2010 “Spirit of Endeavor” awards given annually to recognize outstanding companies and individuals in Georgia’s technology industry. APOGEE was one of only three firms to receive awards in two categories – one for “Leadership in Technology Education” and another for “Technology Innovation” — at the December ceremony in Atlanta. The competition is sponsored by TechAmerica Georgia in partnership with the Technology Association of Georgia and Southeastern Software Association.

APOGEE won the finalist designation for “Leadership in Education” for the Save-A-Watt, Save-A-Lot! energy challenge developed and launched in conjunction with Marietta City Schools and Marietta Power & Water for the 2009/2010 school year. The winning school posted a near 30 percent reduction in annual energy use and the challenge entered its second year of operation this fall, with APOGEE performing the online energy analysis and website reporting.

President and Chief Executive Officer of APOGEE, Susan Gilbert, accepted the finalist award in the category of “Technology Innovation.” Gilbert is co-founder of APOGEE and a primary architect of the company’s eLearning portal, Web-based energy audit tools and energy education Web modules in use by more than 500 utilities across the country.

APOGEE became a pioneer in the technology industry when it developed and launched a series of online training courses for electric and gas utilities in 1994. Within a few short years, it was author and host to the largest eLearning portal for utilities regarding energy technologies, energy efficiency, and customer service.

The company then developed a series of self-service Web tools dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in homes and businesses. Offering highly accurate energy analysis in an easy, friendly format, this suite includes a home energy calculator, appliance and lighting calculators, a comprehensive home energy reference library, business energy calculator and library, a children’s games and education Web module named Kids Korner and accompanying teacher/classroom materials for k-5 audiences.
APOGEE continues to innovate in the field of online energy stewardship programs for utilities.

“We are honored to be named a finalist twice by such a distinguished panel of judges from the state’s technology community,” Gilbert said. “We also appreciate the technology leadership and service TAG and its affiliates provide to Georgia’s technology sector year after year.”


APOGEE Interactive Inc. (www.apogee.net) is one of the largest providers of online energy efficiency solutions to utilities nationwide. Founded in Atlanta in 1993, APOGEE’s energy analysis and customer self-service Web applications currently reach millions of consumers daily through placement on more than 500 utility websites. Its clients span a wide range of leading investor-owned, public power and cooperative energy companies including Southern Company (SO), Cobb EMC, Jackson EMC, Marietta Power & Water, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Electric Cities of Georgia, Con Edison (ED), BGE (CEG), Westar Energy (WR), NSTAR (NST), Puget Sound Energy, Salt River Project, Entergy (ETR), PECO (EXC), Minnesota Power, Empire District (EDE) and many others.

About the Technology Association of Georgia:

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state’s technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 27 affinity groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG’s charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG’s community website at www.TAGthink.com.

About The Southeastern Software Association:

The Southeastern Software Association (SSA) is one of the country’s premier networking and professional development organizations for high-tech and software professionals. SSA presents nationally-known speakers, selected for their ability to help executives, managers and entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Participating at SSA events is a valuable way for members to advance their careers and meet potential business partners. SSA is one of the South’s oldest technology organizations and was the largest of TAG’s three founding organizations, along with WIT and B&TA in 1998. The SSA Board of Directors is a who’s who of Atlanta technology companies and executives, and membership encompasses the dynamic diversity of software companies doing business in Georgia.


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Contact: Kathy Hart, khart@apogee.net, 404-271-1489, APOGEE Interactive, Inc.
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By: Thomas Stringfellow
Senior Consulting Engineer at Halcrow, Inc.

Introduction

In today’s world, biomass has become the golden word for Utilities, Municipalities and other industries that are examining ways to become carbon neutral or meeting Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) mandated by their State. However, converting existing boilers to biomass is not as simple as switching the fuel being burned in the boiler. There are impacts that need to be considered and addressed during the decision making process. These impacts will determine whether or not a boiler owner can convert their boiler to biomass and the following discussion provides some guidance in the decision making process.

Impacts

Firing biomass in boilers that were originally designed for coal and heavy fuel oil will have challenges for the boiler owner. First biomass usually contains higher moisture content than the other two fuels, second the ash chemistry of biomass is vastly different than the chemistry of coal and heavy oil ash. These differences alone will impact the boiler’s performance and overall operation of the boiler, if modifications are not performed.

Although the boiler is the main focus of this discussion, there will be other impacts to consider. These impacts will be on the fuel and ash handling systems, which may or may not require modification or replacement.

Halcrow analyzed the firing of biomass in the same size boilers designed to fire a sub-bituminous, a bituminous and a lignite coal. This analysis was also performed on a heavy oil or No. 6 oil fired boiler. In order to keep an apples to apples comparison all boiler conditions (steaming rate, steam temperature and pressure) were identical for each case.

Analytical Results

The results from the analyses show that firing biomass in an existing coal or heavy oil fired boiler will cause the boiler owner to make modifications to their boilers, or de-rate the boiler to lower steaming rates and or/conditions. The other option would be to dry the biomass to a 10% or less level. The table below shows the numeric results of our analyses.


Fuel Sub-Bituminous Bituminous Lignite Heavy Oil Biomass
MMBtu Output 500 500 500 500 500
MMBtu Input 588.5 565.3 601.7 572.2 623.9
Air Flow lb/hr 530,150 509,010 539,930 494,150 540,010
Flue Gas Flow lb/hr 596,140 549,610 617,950 525,700 630,480
Ash Flow lb/hr 3,140 4,560 8,000 300 8,060
Boiler Efficiency % 85.07 88.51 83.12 87.43 80.20

As expected, biomass and lignite performance are similar, yet the fouling and slagging indices for the biomass is higher than the lignite due to the amount of sodium and potassium in the biomass ash. In all cases, with the increased flue gas weight, the velocity will be higher in the convection pass if these boilers were converted to 100% biomass, without modifications.

So does this mean that boiler owners should not convert their boilers to burn biomass? Halcrow believes that the answer to that question is NO! Even though converting to biomass brings challenges and changes to the boiler, there are economic and environmental reasons and incentives to proceed with the fuel switching conversion.

The next questions are what do we do and how do we do it? The answer to these two questions and the possible solutions are discussed below.

First, if full load steaming conditions are not required the only change may be changing to a burner designed for biomass, adding strategically placed ash removal equipment (soot blowers) and operate the boiler with lower steaming conditions (de-rate). Second, if full load steaming conditions are required it may be necessary to add larger air and flue gas equipment (fans), opening the convection pass clear side tube spacing, replacing the burners and adding strategically placed ash removal equipment. Third, change the way the boiler is operated by installing overfire air and monitor the combustion process to mitigate the fouling and slagging conditions.

Conclusion

Every boiler is different and its design may hold potential for conversion. Boiler owners should employ qualified people to investigate converting to biomass and to provide them with an analysis that one, they can understand, two that they can use to make the optimum decision and finally put into their future planning for conversion. We believe this type of analysis is critical in the initial planning stages of any process of converting existing boilers to biomass.
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Bolton, MA –10/14/10 – Sustainable Life Solutions LLC offers a turnkey program to help utility companies, municipal light departments, and energy efficiency providers offer incentives to their ratepayers to buy Smart Strip Power Strips. Sustainable Life Solutions is currently handling rebate programs throughout most of Massachusetts, and will soon be expanding to New York as well.
Bolton, MA October 14, 2010 -- Currently, Sustainable Life Solutions is supporting Smart Strip Power Strip incentive programs for all of the investor owned utilities in Massachusetts -- National Grid, NSTAR, Unitil, Western Massachusetts Electric Company, and the energy efficiency provider Cape Light Compact. In addition to working with the larger players, Sustainable Life Solutions is unique in providing their full suite of services to municipal electric departments as well. In Massachusetts, Georgetown Municipal Light Department has joined the ranks of Belmont Municipal Light Department, Braintree Electric Department, Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant, and Littleton Electric Light and Water Department in introducing their ratepayers to energy saving Smart Strip surge protector which helps eliminate wasted electricity.
According to Kevin Goddard, Customer Service Manager at Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments, “Sustainable Life Solutions has made implementing the Smart Strip Rebate Program easy by delivering the whole package, [including marketing and communications assistance]. Sustainable Life Solutions really has a turnkey solution and it’s been a great partnership.”

In addition to being the market leader in Massachusetts serving both public and municipal utilities, Sustainable Life Solutions LLC has been approved to offer incentives in New York. According to Sustainable Life Solutions’ President Laura Kischitz, “The Smart Strip program is very attractive to utilities and energy efficiency organizations that are trying to reach residents with easy ways to save energy. Each Smart Strip Surge Protector saves on average a minimum of $39.00 per year (according to the US Dept of Energy) and with the discounts and rebates available in Massachusetts, can cost as little as $15.95.”

About the Smart Strip Power Strip

Many homes consume electricity needlessly through “phantom energy drain” caused by printers, PC monitors, DVD players, VCRs, TVs, game stations, and other peripheral devices. These devices are also known as “energy vampires” because they continue to draw some power even when turned off. The Smart Strip power strip eliminates that problem. These uniquely designed surge protectors automatically shut off peripherals. When computers or TV are turned off, the Smart Strip shuts off all power to the peripheral devices. The Smart Strip even works when computers goes into hibernation or sleep mode; the power strip automatically stops all power to printers, speakers, monitors and other peripherals. Visit their site for more information about the Smart Strip Power Strip or for information about the energy efficient rebate programs for Massachusetts residents.

About Sustainable Life Solutions LLC

Established in 2009, Sustainable Life Solutions LLC is an innovative market leader offering information, products, and services, to help people make simple changes that will have a positive impact on reducing energy consumption one household at a time. For more information, visit www.sustainablelifesolutions.com.

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ST. LOUIS, Sept. 1, 2010 – Spatial Network Solutions (SNS) is pleased to announce the release of a white paper titled Utility Design Maturity Model: A Tool for Understanding Design Improvement. This document is intended to be used as a tool for conceptually benchmarking your organization’s design processes and providing you with guidance for improvement of those processes. This white paper is available free of charge to the utility community.

The intended audience for this white paper is utility engineering managers/directors, designers, planners, stakers, utility IT, and anyone else involved in the utility design process and related software. We hope that you find this model useful, and share your thoughts so that the model can be further developed and improved.

The idea of a maturity model is that every job can be improved by achieving key practices critical to that job. These key practices fall naturally into groups, which can be used to define maturity levels. These practices and levels provide a conceptual benchmark against which an organization can compare itself for improvement.

Utility Design Maturity Model: A Tool for Understanding Design Improvement is available in pdf format at http://www.spatialnet.net/resources.html
For paper copies contact Alan Duwa at alanduwa@spatialnet.net
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ST. LOUIS, Sept. 1, 2010 – Spatial Network Solutions (SNS) is pleased to announce the first in a series of white papers covering utility process and systems improvement/automation. These white papers deal with utility work processes and software engineering best practices for systems
implementation, while remaining vendor/product neutral. This series will be made available free of charge to the utility community.

The first document in the series, Automating Design for Utilities: Key Considerations and Success Factors, focuses on successful implementation of software automation for utility design/
staking work.

Automating Design for Utilities: Key Considerations and Success Factors is available in pdf format at http:www.spatialnet.net/resources.html
For paper copies contact Alan Duwa at alanduwa@spatialnet.net… more…

Service Concepts, an Indiana based organzation created in 1999 by rural electric utilities, has joined the ranks of APPA as an Corporate Associate Member.

"We're excited about the opportunities we'll have to assist APPA members with tested and trusted energy efficiency ideas, new products and programs." stated Steve Thrash, Service Concepts CEO. "We've worked hard for over ten years now and grown to help hundreds of local utilities identify, evaluate and find best-in-class manufacturers of quality products and services. We have initiated or otherwise supported hundreds of energy related educational and value-added programs for the benefit of utility end-consumers. We'll now bring that experience and buying power to share in concert with APPA and it's municipal members across the U.S."

High quality street and security lighting, holiday lights and water conservation savers, weatherization kits and consumer oriented in-home monitoring and management devices are just a few of the programs offered to utilities and their local consumers by Service Concepts.

Steve added, "APPA is a tremendous resource for it's members and the industry at large. We welcome the opporruntiy to join forces for the benefit of member utilities and the local constituents and communities they serve."

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CoreTrace, the leading provider of secure and flexible application whitelisting solutions, announced today a powerful new version of its flagship product, BOUNCER™ 6.0. New functionality, including intuitive administration and application intelligence, positions CoreTrace at the forefront of application whitelisting innovation and offers enterprises an even easier to implement and maintain solution, leading to significant time and money savings.

"Despite application whitelisting's clear security advantages over traditional approaches, some IT professionals have delayed adoption because of concerns around scalability and operational limitations," said Toney Jennings, president and CEO of CoreTrace. "BOUNCER has always been one of the most secure application whitelisting solutions. With version 6.0, BOUNCER has improved scalability and is now the most flexible solution too, including the industry's simplest approach to adding new applications with the most relevant application intelligence."

One marquee feature of this release is "application intelligence" including the new CoreTrace Software Intelligence (CSI) service. Administrators receive intelligence about installed and requested applications, including prevalence, usage, and "application assurance" information on both "known good" and "known bad" (malware) applications.

Another marquee feature of 6.0 is intuitive, transparent administration that is built upon CoreTrace's patent-pending Trusted Change technology. CoreTrace has added options for user privileges called "BlockQ™ and AllowQ™. When attempting to run an application that has not been previously approved or automatically authorized via other Trusted Change mechanisms, designated BlockQ users receive a notification that prompts them to provide a simple business justification for the application. Designated AllowQ users receive a similar notification, but they have the ability to temporarily run the application until IT can approve or deny adding it to the whitelist. These two new flexible user models facilitate easy installations and requests that drop right into a "queue" for administrators to approve or reject at will. Combined with a broad set of application intelligence tools, IT and security administrators can make more informed decisions and more easily manage the constantly changing application needs of an enterprise endpoint.

"Though whitelisting has long shown great potential, it may now be entering a new phase of maturity as leaders such as CoreTrace match its power to contain risk with the expanded ability to adapt to the realities of enterprise management," said Scott Crawford, Research Director for Enterprise Management Associates. "By taking the bull by the horns and integrating adaptive change control directly into BOUNCER, CoreTrace expands its leadership stake in defining trusted change for applications."

Additional features of BOUNCER 6.0 by CoreTrace also include:

* Advanced security — including memory protection, script controls, malware removal and self-defending endpoints.
* Improved deployment and scalability — shipping as a virtual appliance, and utilizing industry-standard architectural and open source components.
* Improved integration capabilities — addition of a client API to facilitate easier integrations into third party management systems.

BOUNCER 6.0 will ship in August 2010. Pricing starts at $35 per desktop.

About CoreTrace
CoreTrace® is the pioneer of client-based application whitelisting. The company's award-winning and patented high-security, easy-change BOUNCER solution is at the forefront of the movement in next-generation endpoint control and security solutions. Unlike other application whitelisting solutions that are simply lockdown technologies, BOUNCER's Trusted Change capability enables IT professionals to predefine multiple sources from which users can safely install applications and have them automatically added to the whitelist — all with minimal IT involvement. The result: full prevention of unauthorized applications, improved overall security, and lower total cost of ownership compared to alternative whitelisting and traditional blacklisting antivirus solutions. CoreTrace's customers include organizations in a wide variety of industries, such as energy, oil and gas, financial services, telecommunications, as well as government agencies.

Additional information may be found on the CoreTrace website and on WhiteSpace, the Application Whitelisting and Security Weblog.
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OSIsoft MDUS provides infrastructure for meter data collection, management and synchronization with SAP for Utilities

San Leandro, CA – July 20, 2010 – OSIsoft, LLC (www.osisoft.com), the leader in real-time data infrastructure solutions, today announced it has been selected as the meter data unification and synchronization system (MDUS) for AGL Energy Limited (AGL).

AGL is Australia’s largest integrated renewable energy company with a wide range of renewable generation, serving more than three million customer accounts. In 2006, the Victorian Government mandated the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for all customers consuming less than 160 Megawatt Hours of electricity per year, meaning by the end of 2013 approximately 3.5 million AMI meters will be deployed across this service territory. To meet the requirements, AGL’s retail business recognized the need to efficiently manage the increased meter data requirements and ensure high performance integration with its core SAP retail customer information systems.

OSIsoft, LLC will deliver the real-time infrastructure for AGL’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). The OSIsoft MDUS product will provide the data capture and historical repository for meter data and the integration with SAP for Utilities.

OSIsoft was selected based on a history of delivering scalable technology, the flexibility of the PI System infrastructure, and its SAP partnership. AGL plans to go live with OSIsoft MDUS in September 2011, and the system could grow to 5 million meters by 2014 as new service territories deploy AMI meters.

“OSIsoft MDUS is a good choice due to the organization’s demonstrated capability in managing large volumes of real-time data in other industries, and a number of significantly larger international energy companies have made similar decisions,” said Owen Coppage, CIO, AGL.

“OSIsoft has been a leader in providing real-time infrastructure for the smart grid,” said Ron Kolz, senior vice president of Sales & Business Development of OSIsoft. “The OSIsoft MDUS product uses OSIsoft technology to provide a robust infrastructure for meter data collection and integration with the SAP back office functions.”

About OSIsoft, LLC

OSIsoft (www.osisoft.com) delivers the PI System, the industry standard in enterprise infrastructure, for management of real-time data and events. With installations in 107 countries spanning the globe, the OSIsoft PI System is used in manufacturing, energy, utilities, life sciences, data centers, facilities, and the process industries. This global installed base relies upon the OSIsoft PI System to safeguard data and deliver enterprise-wide visibility into operational, manufacturing and business data. The PI System enables users to manage assets, mitigate risks, comply with regulations, improve processes, drive innovation, make business decisions in real time, and to identify competitive business and market opportunities.

Founded in 1980, OSIsoft, LLC is headquartered in San Leandro, CA, with operations worldwide and is privately held. Learn more about OSIsoft and the PI System at www.osisoft.com.

Editorial contact
Larry Keefe
OSIsoft
585.721.2233
lkeefe@osisoft.com

© 2010 OSIsoft, LLC. All rights reserved. OSIsoft, LLC and the OSIsoft logo are registered trademarks of OSIsoft LLC in the United States and other countries. SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Steve Collier, VP of Business Development
Milsoft Utility Solutions
800.344.5647
info@milsoft.com
www.milsoft.com


ABILENE, Texas – June 3, 2010 — Milsoft and CRC announced today a unique opportunity to drastically improve service levels for their joint customers. CRC is now offering Milsoft IVR customers the option to include “opt out” live answer services. Additionally, CRC will provide enhanced dispatching services using Milsoft’s DisSPatch® Outage Management System. “Milsoft is very, very excited that CRC is now offering dispatch services using DisSPatch for our joint clients. The ability to have live answer services plus the level of data and detail in dispatching that DisSPatch provides, is really a world class offering. The utility customer enjoys a great experience during a difficult event (power outage), the CRC dispatcher can provide linemen or service personnel immediate details regarding point of failure and location thereby expediting the restoration, and lastly, the use of DisSPatch by CRC dispatchers actively maintains all data for utility reporting indices”, said Ed Carlson, Executive Vice President, Sales and IVR, Milsoft Utility Solutions.

”CRC’s offering of “live answer opt out” services for Milsoft IVR/CRC joint customers is also a very exciting opportunity to increase customer service levels. Through this offering, CRC has the ability to conclude unresolved calls or handle sensitive interactions like customers who have been disconnected for non-pay,” Carlson added.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to partner with Milsoft, a well known industry leader, to offer better solutions and service to our joint customers. This synergy with Milsoft will be an important step in CRC’s efforts to improve service levels on behalf of our shared customers”, stated Chris Holt, Chief Operating Officer of CRC. Holt added, “We need to look at establishing partnerships with leading edge companies such as Milsoft to better serve the industry and help our joint clients navigate ways to positively impact their bottom line and improve the overall customer experience. By offering DisSPatch and live answer opt out service, our joint clients can spend more time focusing on the challenges ahead with the knowledge that their customers are being taken care of by two industry leaders.”

About Milsoft Utility Solutions, Inc.

Milsoft has provided powerful software solutions for power system professionals in over 1,000 rural electric cooperatives, municipalities, educational institutions and consultant offices in the United States and abroad. Milsoft offers a suite of software solutions including Engineering Analysis, Outage Management, Integrated Voice Response, Geospatial Information Systems and Field Engineering to optimize utility performance and efficiency. Milsoft has developed an outstanding reputation for delivering quality products, services and support to the electric utility industry for over two decades and continues to thrive on product innovation and superior customer support. To learn more, start here: www.milsoft.com

About CRC

CRC is a nationwide, cooperatively owned and operated, 24/7 contact center and central station. Founded in 1992, CRC has steadily increased the size and scope of its operation with offices in Austin, Minn., and Dunlap, Tenn. CRC serves 253 members and associate members in 37 states, representing 3.3 million consumers. For more information, contact
Julie Schramek, Corporate Communications Manager at 507-437-2304 or email at julieschramek@crc.coop.… more…