Review of AESP’s Annual Conference in New Orleans

The Annual National Conference of the Association of Energy Service Providers (AESP) was held in New Orleans this year. There were 920 attendees in total and around 50 Canadian participants, mostly from Local Distribution Companies (LDCs) such as Alectra, Union Gas, Enbridge, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro, Fortis BC, Hydro Ottawa, Hydro One, Guelph Hydro, Sault Sainte Marie PUC, Sudbury Hydro, Niagara Hydro, Waterloo Hydro North and NPEI. There was also representation from a few Canadian software companies and providers, as well as a few smaller consulting firms.

The Conference sessions themselves brought together both American and Canadian LDCs and Service Organizations (SOs) to discuss a number of change-oriented themes, most notable:

• The shift in how LDCs deal with and engage customers as a result of increased consumer choice in the market;
• Strategies for engaging consumers in energy efficiency;
• The effect of carbon regulations on energy delivery and DSM (Demand-side Management);
• How do deal with changes into the energy industry in the form of community choice aggregators (CCAs), microgrids, renewables, lower savings baselines, and Pay for Performance (PforP) programs;
• New M&V trends to better understand energy consumption data and get closer to end customers and clients.

Expo Floor

Conference Sessions – Day 1