Moorestown, New Jersey- North America Power Partner’s (NAPP) president, Laurie Wiegand-Jackson, recently spoke at the Hometown Connections Smart Grid Workshop- “An Update on Products and Applications for Public Power”- which was held at Glendale Water and Power. While at the event, Laurie discussed the importance of customer-centric Demand Response programs and how they can strongly contribute to energy efficiency and provide value to utility smart grid initiatives. NAPP’s customer-centric DR programs offer utilities an individual DR resource analysis and program plan, developed in conjunction with IRP and T&D strategies. By using demand response as a reliable resource, power companies can cut back on expensive resources, delay or offset new transmission and distribution upgrades, reduce the amount of peak hour energy demand, and improve its carbon footprint.

Demand Response is an efficient alternative to traditional electric energy resources. Technology such as real-time monitoring from advanced metering solutions and demand response automation make it an extremely reliable asset for public power companies. Ms. Wiegand-Jackson was joined on the panel by Nick Rude, Regional Account Manager of Milsolf Utility Solutions; Pat Corrigan, Vice President of Elster; and Mike Roth, Vice President of Sales for Western US, Survalent Technology. The Workshop took place on October 14, 2010, at Glendale Water and Power, 141 N. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, CA.

Hometown Connections is a subsidiary of the American Public Power Association that provides several services and value to public power utilities. They offer three types of service to help utilities make the best choice and save the most money. These services include utility operation services, business planning services, and retail services, all of which are useful for utility decision making. Along with their extensive services, covering all aspects of public power, Hometown Connections also offers discounted rates, group packaging, and the highest level of service for APPA members.