Change the thermostat by tapping the screen of a smart phone. Ask a utility about an outage through social media. Store power for a household in a sleek home battery in the garage. Today’s customers want more, faster, and tomorrow’s customers will have even higher expectations. Evolving technologies and customer needs are driving utilities in all sectors to prioritize providing new, integrated smart technologies. Maturing technologies, evolving customer expectations and the constant demand for reliable and affordable power are driving electric utilities and their partners to develop new and innovative services and approaches.

LAKEWOOD, CO—September 24, 2015 – To help members of the American Public Power Association (APPA) maintain a talented and motivated executive workforce, Hometown Connections is launching a Compensation Studies service in early 2016. APPA members will work with Hometown Connections to determine the market value of senior executive positions through compensation studies that are specific to the electric utility industry and region of the U.S. With the support of the energy workforce experts at MFP-Connect™, Hometown Connections arranges for a certified compensation consultant to offer a public power utility two service options: 1) A custom survey of executive compensation packages—collecting data and analyzing the results; or 2) A market pricing study based on existing compensation survey data purchased from a publisher by the utility.

The House of Representatives on Dec. 3 passed H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015, by a vote of 249 to 174. Three Republicans voted against the bill, while nine Democrats voted for it. The American Public Power Association supports the legislation, APPA President and CEO Sue Kelly said in a Dec. 2 letter to members of the House, noting that H.R. 8 "includes several provisions important to public power utilities." APPA supported the inclusion of the Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2015 in the bill. That provision "will ensure that electricity generators will no longer be forced to choose between conflicting legal obligations when acting to comply with emergency reliability orders from the Department of Energy," Kelly wrote in the Dec. 2 letter.

From the November-December 2015 issue (Vol. 73, No. 6) of Public Power; originally published November 19, 2015 With about a quarter of the existing public power workforce ready to retire within the next five years, there is no time like the present to recruit the next generation of public power employees. Working at a public power utility provides a breadth of experience that isn’t found in many other jobs. For Girish Balachandran, now the general manager of California’s Riverside Public Utilities, his scholarships in 1989 and 1990 allowed him to continue his education while learning everything from power purchasing to regulatory issues.

The National Joint Utilities Notification System (NJUNS) is a web-based, low-cost, software service providing utility companies with an efficient means of electronic communication. And why is the ability to communicate electronically important now? Because in simpler times utility poles were home to just electric wires and telephone cables. But that is no longer the case as those poles are now landlords to CATV wires, fiber routes and wireless communication equipment. With so many entities occupying space on the same pole, something as simple as a pole change-out can become a complex problem.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a fan of baseball. I watched baseball as a kid, read books about baseball, and had several fantasy baseball teams over the years. It was the first sport I played as a kid, my dad was a coach, and even with the thrill of football season I am still drawn to the nation’s pastime. My enthusiasm for the sport has waned at times, after the last strike and during the steroid era, but I still love the game now as much as ever....A legislative session, and preparing for one, is a lot like this cycle of baseball. After a session is adjourned for the year, time is taken to decompress after the hectic last weeks of season when a flurry of bills are passed in just a few days.

When the TMEPA Board of Directors decided to sell the 229 Ward Circle property in Brentwood and purchase a new space to house TMEPA, much discussion was centered on how much space was needed. We had been at our previous location for over 30 years, and looking to the future we expected the new location to accommodate the needs of the Association for the next 30 years. The idea of building a training room was a vision shared by many but not all, simply because we didn’t know if and how it would utilized. Who was going to come? What kinds of training would we offer? Would this be used by our members and our associates? These were just some of the many questions, but there were no real answers since we were treading on new ground.

'Tis the season to be merry, happy and blessed. The staff of TMEPA wish you a safe and blessed Christmas.

I spend a large portion of my workday interviewing both employees and customers of electric distributors. However, the other day, I had the rare experience of being interviewed myself about some topics in electric utility communication. In the middle of the interview, the woman asking the questions paused and said, "I know this is off topic, but can I ask your advice? What do you know about these solar panels and big batteries that people are buying? Is that a good deal?" She had been approached by a salesman and was considering buying.

The following has become an all too common occurrence in our world of essential services. This story could be about one of your customers... "T’was the day before Christmas and all through the house, every creature was stirring, including the phone as it chirped its announcement that friend or family member was calling to wish you a Merry Christmas. Only it was neither..."

Next month when the legislature reconvenes, the battle over expanding municipal electric broadband in Tennessee will also resume. It’s been a busy off season on TMEPA’s bill, with some goings-on happening around the bill. The most noteworthy development came through the study by TACIR into broadband in Tennessee. After the October TACIR hearing, TMEPA staff and others have been following up with TACIR staff on lingering issues as it prepares a preliminary report on broadband to be released in January. The full report is scheduled to be completed by the end of March.

Most agree that attendance at the TMEPA Annual Meeting is the best value of all the meetings attended during the year. Registration fees are low, accommodations are top of the line and typically at a greatly reduced cost, the program is always pertinent to our industry with outstanding topics and speakers, virtually all meals are provided complimentary, and the welcoming reception and surrounding events are the envy of other associations. All this comes at a cost of course and a group of generous supporters and friends make it all possible. This year we've had a number of these remarkable companies step up to the plate early to insure your 50th Anniversary and Annual Meeting is the best ever. Click on "LEARN MORE" to view these friends of Public Power...

Have an important event coming to your town? Let us know and we'll put it on the TMEPA calendar. Stay up to date with various meetings and events around the state for TMEPA municipal systems.

Join us for our 2016 Legislative Rally & Reception in honor of the Members of the 109th General Assembly. Our "Day on the Hill" will begin Tuesday morning, February 23, 2016 with a Rally Meeting starting at 11:00 a.m. at the Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, TN. Click on "Learn More" for the official invitation. More information will be sent at a later date.

As a public power advocate, you are in the best position to talk to Congress about the direct impact of federal action at the local level. APPA's coordinated outreach efforts are strengthened because you represent not only your public power community, but also 48 million other Americans who benefit from being served by public power. Join us March 7-9, 2016 in Washington, D.C.