November 16, 2023

Members of WPPI earn national recognition for keeping customers informed during hot summer days

Customer Satisfaction

Keeping the lights on is the highest priority for member utilities of WPPI Energy, and a recent effort to help customers stay informed and out of the dark has earned top national honors.

Members of WPPI launched the “Peak Time Usage Communications” program this past summer, with their efforts earning an Award of Excellence during the American Public Power Association’s Customer Connections Conference in San Antonio on Nov. 15. The Peak Time Usage Communications program is intended to educate customers and increase awareness of higher energy costs during the summer, while also encouraging customers to take simple actions to help conserve energy.

“As a joint action agency, WPPI is driven by a mission to help member utilities accomplish more by working together,” shared program lead Kelly Davis, senior marketing manager for WPPI. “Through collaborative efforts, our purpose is to offer solutions and pathways that enable our 51 members to effectively convey the significant value their local utilities bring to the communities they serve. The Peak Time Usage Communications program assists in achieving this mission by making it easy for members to implement it locally, particularly during peak energy demand periods.”

Working together over the past four decades, WPPI members have built a reliable, affordable, responsible wholesale power supply, forward-thinking services and shared technologies, and an effective voice for energy policy advocacy. Together, the membership serves more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Iowa.

Under the program, 10 email notifications were distributed to residential customers of participating utilities. Five of the emails were educational in nature, spreading awareness about increased energy costs in the summer and steps the customers could take to reduce usage.

The remaining five emails were sent on Energy Aware Days when the utilities’ grid operator declared Conservative Operations. The messaging asked customers to reduce their usage during the hours of 3 – 7 p.m. to keep the local power system reliable and ease overall strain on the system.

“The Peak Time Usage Communications program provides customers with immediate insights into costs, empowering them to adjust their behavior to manage their own energy usage more efficiently,” said Davis. “Through these timely communications, customers not only gain control over their bills but also play a part in supporting their community and maintaining a dependable local power system.”

APPA, a national association representing the more than 2,000 public power utilities across the United States, judged the entries in the Excellence in Public Power Communications Award program. Awards were given to those that showed ingenuity and creativity in telling their stories through outstanding copy, design, financial data presentation, graphics, social media engagement, video editing, and web layout.

 

Photo: Kelly Davis (right), senior marketing manager for WPPI Energy, receives the Excellence in Public Power Communications Awards on behalf of WPPI.