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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 04/03/2018 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 050, 2018, APPROPRIAgenda Item 9 Item # 9 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY April 3, 2018 City Council STAFF Philip Tucker, Utilities Key Accounts Representative Cyril Vidergar, Legal SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 050, 2018, Appropriating Unanticipated Grant Revenue in the Light and Power Fund for the Peak Notification Pilot Project. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate $18,500 in grant revenues from the American Public Power Association into the Fort Collins Utilities Light and Power Operations fund to pilot a peak load notification project. This pilot project will be internal to the City of Fort Collins. It will educate staff members from various departments about coincident peak and provide tools to help City staff conserve power during peak events. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The American Public Power Association (APPA) maintains an ongoing research and development grant program titled Demonstration of Energy and Efficiency Developments (DEED). Fort Collins Utilities succeeded in receiving DEED grant approval for a project titled “Peak Load Notification Pilot”. The grant period is March 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018. Fort Collins Utilities utilizes a coincident peak rate structure for large commercial customers to help customers save on the coincident peak charge of their bill. The utility currently attempts to communicate to customers about predicted coincident peak hours through email, a website, and OpenADR, a platform used for commercial automated demand response. These tools provide the backbone to the peak notification system, but utilization by commercial customers has been limited due to the complexity of the rate structure and communication methods, some of which are not easily adaptable to a customer’s unique environment. This project directly addresses these two challenges with new technological tools and educational outreach. The technological component involves creating a channel on the IFTTT (If This Then That) platform which will allow end users to easily create custom conditional programs to automate actions and responses based on triggers defined by Fort Collins Utilities. The educational component involves identifying and educating new levels of staff within an organization who control large amounts of energy within the scope of their job responsibilities. Additionally, a visible example of a response to a coincident peak event will be provided to staff as part of the educational component. A color changing LED bulb will utilize the IFTTT component of this project by changing colors during a coincident peak event, alerting staff that an event has been scheduled or is currently underway. Agenda Item 9 Item # 9 Page 2 CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The appropriation of these funds will enable Utilities to move forward with the pilot project. The grant funds will pay for all costs of this project, no other matching funds are required. -1- ORDINANCE NO. 050, 2018 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING UNANTICIPATED GRANT REVENUE IN THE LIGHT AND POWER FUND FOR THE PEAK NOTIFICATION PILOT PROJECT WHEREAS, the Light and Power Utility Energy Services Division has received a grant from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for $18,500 to conduct an internal City pilot program focused on educating staff from various departments about coincident peak events and providing tools to help staff conserve power during peak events, entitled the “Peak Load Notification Project”; and WHEREAS, the grant period is from March 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018; and WHEREAS, the project will address challenges of the current coincident peak event notification process by creating a new IFTTT (If This Then That) platform channel to allow users to set custom automated actions when a peak event occurs, and improving the awareness of conservation and energy management options for employees within the City who control large amounts of energy within the scope of their job responsibilities; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the City Charter permits the City Council to make supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year, provided that the total amount of such supplemental appropriations, in combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and WHEREAS, the Financial Officer has determined that the appropriation of the revenue as described herein will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Light and Power Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that fund during any fiscal year; and WHEREAS, the City Council has determined the appropriation of the grant revenues as described herein will further City efforts to improve efficient use and promote energy conservation in City operations and thereby serves a utility purpose beneficial to the Electric Utility ratepayers. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from unanticipated grant revenue in the Light and Power Fund the sum of EIGHTEEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($18,500) for the Peak Notification Pilot Project. -2- Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 3rd day of April, A.D. 2018, and to be presented for final passage on the 17th day of April, A.D. 2018. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 17th day of April, A.D. 2018. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk