Educating members and helping them to feel bright at home!

At Missoula Electric Cooperative (MEC), a focus on member education and engagement is increasingly gaining momentum, by way of a recently developed Member Education Program. MEC's General Manager Mark Hayden tasked his Communications Department with creating a program to better educate their membership and further enhance and promote offerings that were already in place.

"When our team began structuring the program, our goal was to use the abundance of resources already available at MEC. We were already in the schools talking about electrical safety and in our member's homes and businesses to perform energy assessments. So, our Communications Department took those core offerings and further developed them to create the "September Safety Series," a classroom safety tour across our districts and "Feel Bright at Home," an introductory class on creating an energy efficient home."

Perhaps the greatest focus in 2019 was promoting and increasing member engagement in MEC's Energy Efficiency Program (EE Program). "Feel Bright at Home," was a class created to market not only the program, but also MEC's free in-home Energy Assessments.

Dan Rogers, Manager of Member Service, and Tina Crowe, MEC's Member Service Field Representative, are the duo behind the Energy Efficiency Program at MEC. Together, they are focused on helping members find ways to simultaneously save electricity and money. Kicking the EE Program up a notch, the first-ever, "Feel Bright at Home," class was hosted in early-November and was crafted to feel different than a traditional classroom setting.

"To create an event that members wanted to participate in, we opted to host a full dinner, complete with draft-stopper door prizes and a Nest Thermostat grand prize. We also limited the class size to 30 members, so there was a comfortable environment for conversation and questions," recalls Dan Rogers, who taught the class.

Taking the experience one step further, attendees were given a 13-month usage history and taught how to read their usage and utilize that information at home, which made it feel more tailored to each individual's needs. There were also take-home materials from the State Department of Environmental Quality that related to efficiency improvements specifically suggested for Montana's climate.

Hosting an event, of any kind, for the first time always comes with key takeaways. What surprised Rogers the most was the popularity of the class and the overall turnout.

"I thought we had a really great showing for a first-time class! I definitely did not anticipate having a waiting list for a future class before the first class even happened."

When asked about plans for a future class, Rogers confirmed that plans are in the works for a class this spring and next fall, to encourage energy assessments during the months leading up to seasonal energy spikes.

The new class setting is helpful to the EE Program at MEC. Quite simply, it's more efficient to speak with a group of interested members about DIY improvements in their homes, apartments and businesses, than it would be to visit them each, one-on-one. It's helpful to have a group of like-minded people in one room, because members can ask questions and share ideas, which stimulates conversations that would not exist otherwise.

MEC's focus on energy efficiency is two-fold. First, MEC's power provider, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), views energy efficiency as a least-cost resource. Which means that it's cheaper to pay someone to use less energy, than it is to go build new generation. From Rogers' perspective, he views energy efficiency as a value-added service, "If we can use our expertise to help our member's energy-dollar go further, then I think we have a responsibility to do that for our membership."

While "Feel Bright at Home," is the latest endeavor for the EE Program at the Cooperative, there are an abundance of energy efficiency offerings available for all of MEC's members. Whether members are residential, commercial or agricultural, there's a resource (or two!) they can take advantage of.

For residential customers, specifically, MEC offers rebates to reduce the largest portion of their energy consumption, which is tied to heating their homes. Energy Efficiency Rebates are available for installing efficient heating systems, improving insulation, installing new windows, doors, energy efficient appliances or heat pump water heaters.

MEC further supports these rebates with free Energy Assessments, completed in-home or at a member's business, to help members prioritize where to spend their "efficiency dollars." During the Assessment, MEC removes any old incandescent or CFL light bulbs and installs new LED light bulbs. The old bulbs are taken back to the Cooperative for recycling, free-of-charge. This small project ensures that members are guaranteed to save energy as a result of the visit.

The EE team at MEC wants members to understand that focusing on energy efficiency at home doesn't have to be intimidating or overwhelming. A lot of what is discussed in "Feel Bright at Home," is a wealth of small changes or projects members can do at home to make a big difference in their overall energy consumption. The class covers topics ranging from tracking and reducing usage, to preventing scams and participating in MEC's community solar programs.

Are you an MEC member who is curious if this class would be a good fit for you? Attendees range from new or first-time homeowners who are anxious to learn more about the efficiency of their homes, to members who have lived in their residence for decades and are looking for ways to cut down their energy bill or live a "greener" lifestyle.

In other words, if you're interested in saving money and/or energy, you're a good candidate! There are short-term and long-term paybacks, so all attendees can find an efficiency task that fits their budget.

Although MEC's Energy Efficiency Program was a predominant focus in 2019, the new year and new decade promises an evolving Member Education Program at Missoula Electric Cooperative.