Members Begin Their Mission To Save Energy

BY DAN OKO

WHEN ANNEGRETH NIEMANN AND her husband, Leif Glensgaard, decided to build their retirement home on a little piece of land near Tarpley, sustainability and energy efficiency were on their minds. Originally from Denmark and recently relocated from Houston, the couple installed underground reservoirs for rainwater harvesting and selected doors and windows to keep their HVAC system from working overtime heating and cooling. So when they spotted the Energy Saver Program banner outside the BEC office, Glensgaard who has done most of the construction himself, took interest.

The voluntary Energy Saver Program, which launched in January, has a goal of enrolling 300 members before the end of 2021. BEC aims to improve systemwide energy efficiency, saving members money in the process. According to BEC program manager Michelle Preston, businesses and homeowners can also expect lower energy costs to help pay for improvements.

Because their house is new construction, Neimann and Glensgaard had an opportunity to work with BEC on home design recommendations. They arranged BEC financing for a 40-panel solar array and installed Apolloware, BEC’s state-ofthe-art energy monitoring software. Even so, several typical Energy Saver retrofits were not required. “As we are on a fixed income we looked at what made sense,” says Niemann. “We have just so many years left, so we can break-even, or it will be value-added if we ever decide to sell.”

According to Preston at BEC, qualifying homeowners enroll after a BEC certified efficiency audit. The comprehensive audit includes a blower test on doors and windows to find leaks, room-by-room heat scans, and analysis of past consumption levels. The program is also available for business members and offers three saver “missions.”

The Apolloware Mission provides an Apolloware meter, which tracks and reports real-time energy use; an Ecobee thermostat that can be controlled remotely and has the capacity to learn daily heating and cooling demands; weatherizing blankets for water heaters; a low-flow showerhead; and energy-efficient lighting. Costs for this mission level are amortized over 10 years and are included on monthly bills. The base cost for Apolloware is less than $15 each month, with projected monthly savings of $26.

The BEC monitoring hardware is a behind-the-meter device that affixes directly to property wires and measures energy generation and consumption. The energy analytics allow members to see when an appliance, like an old refrigerator, needs replacing, or to discover leaky pipes that could lead to irregular water pump action, as happened to one member, according to Preston.

“We function as an electric utility, so people don’t always expect us to want to help save our members money, but as a member-owned cooperative, that’s exactly what we do want,” says Preston, adding that member interest in the program is high. Members have the option of qualifying through an online energy audit as well.

It takes about a week to get approved for the program, which will help BEC achieve its goal of improving long-term sustainability across the service area. To that end, BEC verifies that all improvements, no matter the mission level, will reduce energy waste, lower overall electricity consumption and ultimately save money.

Once a home or business is certified and recommended improvements are adapted, members are eligible for two higher levels, the Energy Saver, or Mission II, and the Solar $aver, or Mission III.

Mission II, the Energy Saver, allows members to upgrade their appliances, install new HVAC systems, replace window and doors and more. The approved upgrades come with no down payment and interest-free financing. Payments are made on members’ monthly electric bills.

Solar Saver offers members a chance to generate renewable energy with BEC-financed solar installations including panels, energy-storage batteries and an electric vehicle charging station (commercial members can even receive a high-speed EV charger). To qualify, a BEC-approved specialist must install the solar devices, and they are warranted by BEC through the life of the loan; as with the other mission levels, the no-interest payments and program fees are reimbursed to BEC on monthly bills. “It really depends on your needs and wants,” says Preston.

For the Niemann-Glensgaard house, the Solar Saver was a perfect fit. Their 1,000-square-foot home has a long, southsloping roof, which was ideal for a solar array, and the ability to track energy even when the couple was away from home was attractive, they say. In the end, Niemann says, the price helped seal the deal. “At first, it did not seem like it would work from an economic standpoint,” she reflects. “We only became interested after we heard of the financing offered by BEC.”

Niemann is quick to add that attentive BEC staff made joining the Solar Saver mission straightforward. “The co-op has been very cooperative, and the level of customer service made us very comfortable,” says Niemann. “It really has advantages for us and for the wider society, so if people have questions, we are inviting the community to come take a look at what we’ve done and ask us.”