Ryan Hentges VP Corporate Services Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative

26th Annual E Source Forum September 17–20, 2013

Distribution cooperative Based in Jordan, MN 80 employees 35,000 members 43,000 meters Wholesale power providers

Great River Energy Basin Electric

Lower member bills Lower cooperative’s power bill Give money back to community

Behavioral demand-response game Members competed in teams and as individuals

Whoever reduced the most, won cash! Focused on reducing from 5:00pm - 9:00pm Notified members day ahead of “event” Members decided how to reduce $25,000 in cash prizes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjFktLFpSYQ

Individual Competition Prize money for individuals that reduce most kWh Prize money for individuals that reduce most kWh as a percentage of total usage $5,100 in prize money

Team Competition Teams compete in three tiers:

25+ 11–24 5–10

Top three teams in each category win prize money $17,500 total prize money

“Our 3 kids are so excited about Beat the Peak that sometimes the littlest one ends up in tears because he is not fast enough to beat his siblings to the switch to shut if off. They are also excited because it usually means we get to go to the lake and swim.” “My kids are so into this they even unplugged my alarm clock. Thanks for doing this. We were talking about this tonight and we think this is a brilliant program. Thanks for being a co-op that cares about all of us!” “It is pretty amazing that this “contest” has driven so many people to take part – and save lots of energy. Imagine what could happen with a much larger participation rate.”

Ensure easy sign-up process Allow multiple methods of sign-up Allow multiple communication mediums

Prepare for the data analysis Communicate all results Ensure a small group doesn’t dominate the competition People are competitive Families are key – kids have a big impact

Lower member bills ~25 MWh reduced

Lower cooperative’s power bill ~$51,000 reduced power costs

Give money back to community $25,000+ given to community

Contact Information:

Ryan Hentges 952-492-8202

ryanh@mvec.net

Beat the Peak Energy Challenge Information: www.mvec.net/challenge