PTI Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines - Metropolitan ...

Energy Supplier Contacts
Section 3.6 covered the three most likely electricity suppliers to a local government: private investor-owned utilities
(IOUs), electric cooperative utilities and municipal utilities. As part of a local jurisdiction’s effort to identify
expert contacts for its list, it will be useful for planners to find out which energy suppliers provide the locality
with electricity, natural gas, and petroleum. Most urban local governments receive their electricity and natural
gas from IOUs. Some jurisdictions obtain their electricity from cooperatives. Electric cooperatives can include
local governments, businesses, and private individual members. Jurisdictions that rely on municipal utilities will
probably find access to decision-makers and primary contacts within the utility relatively easy to obtain. Like electric
cooperative utilities, municipal utilities tend to be smaller and more customer-oriented, and thus easier to engage
in an energy assurance discussion. (Not all municipal utilities are small, however; the Los Angeles Department of
Water and Power is a municipal utility that serves 1.4 million citizens.) As noted earlier, the local electricity provider
probably sends employees to the city council and county board of supervisor meetings.
Obtaining key energy supplier information that is not public (such as personnel contact information) may require
discussions with the Public Works Department or (for localities fortunate enough to have one) the Sustainability or
Energy Manager’s Office, which may already have established industry contacts.
Energy Consumers
Traditional consumers of energy in any region can be divided into the residential, commercial, institutional,
industrial, agricultural, and transportation sectors. Planners should identify the major users of energy across each
of these sectors. For example, major energy intensive industries (such as manufacturing plants) will need to be
identified. There may be new or old residential areas that are responsible for major energy use. Airports and train
systems tend to require large amounts of energy in the transportation sector. Large public buildings including event
centers and sporting venues are generally large users in the commercial sector. By reaching out to these groups of
energy consumers, it may be possible to enlist their help with the EAP. They may be able to help curb energy use
during an emergency. For example, one of the contacts may be a large homeowners’ association that can mobilize
a phone tree on the jurisdiction’s behalf to encourage members to conserve energy during a shortage or supply
disruption.
Other Sources
Local government leaders have provided input on other contacts they considered important in their EAP efforts, aside
from the traditional State, regional, and Federal partners and private sector energy service providers. The following
non-traditional contacts were suggested: independent power producers (IPPs); environmental and consumer groups;
universities; experts from the general public; local businesses, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the
energy business. Most of these groups, if present in the jurisdiction, may be able to help during an energy emergency.
They may also be able to provide useful data, analysis and feedback for the EAP during its development.
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