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Awards of Excellence

Public Power
Awards of Excellence

Submissions for the 2023 Public Power Awards of Excellence are open through May 1, 2024.

Each year, ElectriCities honors the communities whose efforts stand out with Public Power Awards of Excellence.

The Public Power Awards of Excellence reflect the five strategic priorities that support our public power strategic plan. Submissions should show your progress against these strategic priorities and demonstrate your utility’s adoption of the vision for public power.

Future-focused – Develop a future-focused mindset
Strengthen public power – Build public and political support for public power
Provide superior power – Deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electric power
Customer-centered innovation – Innovate and invest to better serve our customers and communities
People – Leverage our people as our greatest asset

General award criteria that apply to all award categories:

Awards are open to all ElectriCities member communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Members are welcome, but not required, to apply for awards in all five categories. Details on the criteria for each award category are below.
The service/program/system/initiative/campaign/etc. featured in your submission(s) must be live or must have been initiated within the time frame of the award (February 2023-present).
Submissions must summarize how your utility’s efforts help achieve regional public power’s vision and purpose as part of our overall strategic plan.
Applications will be reviewed as submitted. Please carefully read all criteria and include any supporting documents required prior to submitting.
Your utility’s size will be considered when submissions are evaluated. Members will not be evaluated against one another.

To submit your utility for an award or multiple awards, complete the appropriate nomination form(s) below. You may apply for an award in as many categories as you wish. Each category can have multiple winners.

2023 Public Power Awards of Excellence

Nomination Form

Community*
Nomination Preparer/Contact Name*
Phone*
Email*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Consent*
The City/Town Manager concurs with the information contained on this form.
Public Power Priorities*
Select the priority for which you are submitting
Future-focused

Demonstrate that your electric utility has a plan for the future and that it is actively implementing that plan to maintain future competitiveness.

This category is focused on initiatives your utility or community is undertaking to improve its future competitiveness, meet customer expectations, and keep up with industry trends. Supporting evidence of such initiatives should show current efforts and long-term objectives that occur several years in the future.

Either of the following can be accepted as evidence of such action (while you are welcome to submit an initiative under each, only one is required):
1. Implementation of a long-term strategic plan for your electric utility that goes beyond a basic engineering study or capital spending plan. Describe in detail the effort, including the process, involvement of key stakeholders, program deliverables, and approval/adoption process. Provide high-level deliverables of the process, such as vision, mission, purpose, values, and/or core strategies.
Additional criteria:
- •The submission must demonstrate that the electric utility is actively following the plan that was developed, and that the organization is measuring its success against the goals of the plan and making adjustments, as needed, for future work.
2. Implementation of a data-driven approach toward improving the competitiveness of your electric utility. Demonstrate that you have used market research or industry data to identify a long-term objective of improving the value that your utility provides to its customers. Provide summary data and evidence that support your conclusions for the effort, along with your action plan for achieving those objectives. Discuss the actions that your utility has taken to achieve this objective during the time frame of the award evaluation period.
Additional criteria:
- •Must have documented outcomes of the effort, as described above. Attach supporting documents below.
- •The submission must demonstrate that the electric utility is actively following the plan that was developed, and that the organization is measuring its success against the goals of the plan and making adjustments, as needed, for future work.
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Strengthen public power

Demonstrate a successful program, campaign, or initiative that educates and communicates the value of public power to your customers, community, and/or elected officials while raising awareness for the public power model.

Any of the following can be accepted as evidence of such action (while you are welcome to submit and initiative under each, only one is required):
1. A communications or awareness program/initiative/campaign aimed at your customers. Describe in detail the program including the planning, execution, and evaluation process. What led you to initiate the program? What goals did you hope the program would achieve? What internal staffing resources were required to carry out the program? What customer learnings did you gain from the program?

This category is focused on initiatives your utility or community is undertaking to strengthen your public power education and awareness efforts for your customers. This could include an advertising campaign, a new communication channel or offering for your customers, or new awareness event your utility hosted. Submissions must include documented goals for the program and metrics against those goals.
2. A communications or awareness program/initiative/campaign directed at local elected officials including city/town councils, mayors, etc. Describe how your utility/community is communicating with local elected officials in a new or expanded way to educate on, raise awareness about, and advocate for public power. Provide details on the planning, outreach, audience, and outcomes of your efforts to engage local elected officials.

This category is focused on initiatives your utility or community is undertaking to strengthen your public power education and advocacy efforts with the local elected official audience. This could include educational seminars for local elected officials on public power and your local utility, a new advocacy campaign, or local grassroots events. Submissions must include documented goals for the program and metrics against those goals.
3. A communications or awareness program/initiative/campaign directed at state or federal elected officials including members of the North Carolina General Assembly and federal legislators. Describe how your utility/community is communicating with this audience in a new or expanded way to educate on, raise awareness about, and advocate for public power. Provide details on the planning, outreach, audience, and outcomes of your elected official engagement efforts.

This category is focused on initiatives your utility or community is undertaking to strengthen your public power education and advocacy efforts directed toward state and/or federal decision makers. This could include setting up meetings with your state or federal legislators, tours/site visits/ribbon-cutting events for state and federal lawmakers, or other relationship-building events. Submissions must include documented goals for the program and metrics against those goals.
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Provide Superior Power

Demonstrate that your electric utility provides reliable, affordable, and sustainable generation resources, environmentally friendly fuel supply, and reliable transmission. Submissions should include how your utility is maintaining leadership in providing reliable electric services and what efforts your utility is taking to maintain affordable rates, practice fiscal responsibility, and capitalize on growth opportunities. What does it mean to provide superior power? Wholesale power makes up over 70% of your annual electric enterprise costs. But as a utility, you hold the power to control those costs. Being locally owned you know your customers best and can provide programs your customers want. And knowing your current wholesale power supply arrangements is important to knowing where to invest in programs for your municipality and your customers.

Please respond to all five questions for award consideration.
1. What sort of energy reduction efforts have you implemented over the past year?*

These can be supply-side energy efficiency programs like managing your distribution losses by performing conductor or transformer upgrades, voltage reduction, capacitor installations, or other examples of managing your distribution system efficiently. They can also be demand-side energy efficiency initiatives like LED street and area light projects, customer audits, or appliance rebates. Please provide supporting materials to demonstrate and measure the success of these projects. Include your % energy losses. Several-year projects may be considered but a definitive timeline should be submitted.
2. Are you participating in demand-side management efforts and offering demand response programs?*

Whether these efforts are utility owned or behind the customer meter, both offer value to reduce your wholesale power costs. This can be achieved through providing a rebate to the customer for having a load management switch or by a “bring your own device” or thermostat program that allows the utility to control during peak management times. It could also be managed through a rate design like time-of-use or a coincident or critical peak rate which can encourage charging behaviors of electric vehicles.

Please provide supporting materials to demonstrate and measure the success of these projects. Include the date the program or retail rate was approved by council. Several-year projects may be considered, but a definitive timeline should be submitted.
3. Do you understand the carbon footprint of your wholesale power supply and how distributed energy resources, including renewable energy like solar photovoltaic and battery storage can have a positive impact on your wholesale power cost?*

Long-term resource and financial planning help prepare utilities for changes in the energy industry and technology. Resources like solar and battery storage are continuing to mature, and utilities should determine how new cleaner resources affect your overall wholesale power cost and where these resources are distributed. Behind the meter programs can work in sync with your overall wholesale power supply mix. Have you established a sustainability plan or program to communicate with your customers? Does your long-term resource plan include the effects of electrification and what effect it has on your wholesale power cost? Is your staff educated on your power supply mix and what it means to your customers and rating agencies? Please provide supporting materials to demonstrate and measure the success of these projects. Include the date distributed energy resource interconnection standards and policies were approved by council. Several-year projects may be considered, but a definitive timeline should be submitted.
4. Reliability is the one of the staples of our business. It’s not just about keeping the lights on, but having a secure, resilient electric system and providing the customer excellent service.*

Please provide supporting materials to demonstrate and measure the success of your reliability projects. Include your SAIDI and SAIFI numbers.
5. Financial stability and having a healthy electric enterprise fund is fundamental to providing superior power. Knowing your cost to serve customers is necessary in this changing energy industry.*

• Have you completed annual financial projections?
• Have you completed a cost-of-service study within the last three years?
• Have you contracted for new residential, commercial, or industrial development?
APPA’s RP3 and SEP program applications may have areas that are applicable to utility best practice successes that would also make you eligible for this award. Providing superior power is not only about providing the most reliable and affordable electricity, but also about providing the best value for the electricity the customer is receiving.
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People

Demonstrate that your electric utility is taking active steps to develop, attract, and retain current and future public power talent. Actions should be specific to the electric utility or be modified to highlight the unique needs of your utility as opposed to being a citywide initiative (i.e., simply being included as part of a citywide compliance training program). Examples should reflect something newly implemented, revised, or enhanced over the past year as opposed to being an ongoing practice that is being maintained.

Any of the following can be accepted as evidence of such action (while you are welcome to submit an initiative under each, only one is required):
1. Implemented, revised, or enhanced a process or practice to benchmark your utility compensation against the broader competitive labor market. The competitive labor market is the market or organizations from which you are hiring talent or losing talent (investor-owned utilities, electric cooperatives, contractors, and other public power utilities).
Additional criteria:
- • Example must include efforts to benchmark compensation beyond other public power communities in our region to increase awareness of the broader competitive market among key decision-makers.
- • The response must include details about how your utility went about benchmarking the positions (partnered with a consultant, in-house project, etc.), how key decision-makers were educated or informed of the results, and the outcomes of these discussions.
- • The response must summarize how you plan to maintain these practices to keep pace with the market.
2. Implemented an ongoing program or campaign focused specifically on career progression or skill development (beyond required compliance or OSHA training). This can include examples such as developing career pathways, implementing leadership training programs, behavioral skills training (conflict management, critical thinking), etc.
Additional criteria:
- • The program must be specific to or modified to address the unique needs of the electric utility as opposed to being a general organization-wide effort.
- • The program must be an ongoing effort to encourage career progression and skill development as opposed to a one-time class or event.
3. Developed a succession plan for your utility roles, with a specific focus on key leadership positions.
Additional criteria:
- • The response must outline how the plan was developed, who in your utility was involved in the process, which roles are included in the succession plan, and how they were decided.
- • The response should outline examples of specific steps the plan includes to ensure successors are prepared to move into key roles when needed.
- • The response should outline how the succession plan will be monitored and maintained, and what position in your organization is accountable for it.
4. Implemented a program or campaign to expose youth or active job seekers to the careers within your utility or public power.
Additional criteria:
5. Have you implemented a program or campaign to increase diversity and inclusiveness within regional public power? This could include recruitment or education campaigns designed to reach females, people of color, or other underrepresented groups. This could also include programs or campaigns to build awareness and appreciation among your utility staff of underrepresented groups.
Additional criteria:
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1. Have you implementation of a data-driven approach toward improving the competitiveness of your electric utility? Demonstrate that you have used market research or industry data to identify a long-term objective of improving the value that your utility provides to its customers. Provide summary data and evidence that support your conclusions for the effort, along with your action plan for achieving those objectives. Discuss the actions that your utility has taken to achieve this objective during the timeframe of the award evaluation period.

• Must have documented outcomes of the effort, as described above. Attach supporting documents below.
• The submission must demonstrate that the electric utility is actively following the plan that was developed, and that the organization is measuring its success against the goals of the plan and making adjustments, as needed, for future work.
Customer-centered Innovation

Demonstrate a successful system or program implementation or upgrade which delivers added customer value and benefit.

Either of the following can be accepted as evidence of such action (while you are welcome to submit an initiative under each, only one is required):
1. A successful system implementation or significant upgrade that has demonstrated an improved customer experience with your electric utility. Why was this system selected and how did you ensure you met customers' needs?
Additional criteria:
- • Submissions should describe a new or significant upgrade to a system that delivers added customer value. The system must be live within the time frame of the award.
- • Submissions must include documented customer input and/or feedback for system selection, design, and configuration. Attach supporting documents below.
- • System must have enhanced utility functionality in a way that can demonstrate an improved customer experience through added customer functionality, ease of use, or access to more information.
- • Include measurement of customer impact. For example, show enhancements based on a customer focus group or survey data or documented process improvement for customer experience.
- • For 2024 submissions, documentation of measurement plans is sufficient.
2. A customer program implementation or redesign which delivers added customer value and benefit and has documented success.
Additional criteria:
- • Submissions should describe a new or significant upgrade to a customer program that delivers added customer value. The program must have launched during the time-frame of the award.
- • Submissions must include documented customer input and/or feedback during program prioritization, selection, design, and configuration. Attach supporting documents below.
- • Include measurement of customer impact. For example, include participation rates in line with industry benchmarks, customer focus group, or survey data.
- • For 2024 submissions, documentation of measurement plans is sufficient.
Upload supporting documents*
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Max. file size: 50 MB.
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2023 Public Power Awards of Excellence

Future-focused

Strengthen public power

Provide Superior Power

People

Customer-centered Innovation

Questions?