As a public utility, Clark Public Utilities is accountable to the public, its customers. The “About” section of its website identifies employees who provide the administrative, customer service and field support to keep your water and electricity flowing.
Other jobs are less noticeable, like those of the utility project managers. Matt Babbitts is one. His title is energy services project manager. He plans, budgets, oversees and documents all aspects of several projects and communicates with upper utility management and commissioners to assure the scope and direction of residential projects meet their objectives and stay on schedule. Babbitts works in three areas — energy conservation, renewable energy generation, and emerging technologies.
What’s a day like for him?
“My job means juggling a lot of diverse tasks every day, so no two days are alike,” he said.
It also means keeping customer satisfaction high and being responsive. “Our culture is customer-centric,” said Babbitts. “So, most days, I start off with answering customer phone messages and emails with that in mind.”
An energetic project manager, Babbitts continues spending time on long-standing programs for conserving energy, like managing incentives for HVAC, standard and ductless heat pumps, and insulation, which all conserve energy or make homes more efficient at heating and cooling and more comfortable for customers. His newest program involves smart thermostats.
Last year, Babbitts proposed that the utility create a new rebate for smart-learning thermostat models. Before he could confirm them as a solution, he devoted months to investigating their effectiveness and efficiency. “Before proposing smart thermostats for an incentive, I had to know how well they learned a resident’s pattern of behavior and analyze how much they saved on heating and cooling,” he said. “Then I needed to select the best models for our program.” Today, the utility offers a $50 rebate toward several models of smart thermostats.
Keeping up with changes regarding policy and emerging technology is a growing part of Babbitts’ work. Staying up to date on state policy and programs focused on renewable energy generation, and forecasting potential upcoming energy laws help the utility plan for the future. Besides following changes in energy laws and programs, he works with utility staff and industry experts to interpret, analyze and project what they might mean for utility customers later.
Community solar and the Green Lights program are other parts of Babbitts’ renewable energy responsibility. He manages the five community solar projects Clark Public Utilities installed in the summer of 2015. “Part of what I do is assure we get the annual incentives and energy credits accurate and reported in a timely way to keep these successful projects going,” he explained. On the Green Lights program, in addition to the renewable energy credits that offset the carbon footprint of program participants, Babbitts also works with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation on local education initiatives. Recently, the utility hosted the first Solar Car Challenge for elementary through high school students. The event was funded through the Green Lights program, and nearly 100 teams of local students participated.
How electric vehicles and other emerging technologies might impact the operation of the utility also fill chunks of Babbitts’ days. If there’s something new on the horizon, related to energy, it’s Babbitts’ job to keep an eye on it and evaluate the potential benefits to utility customers.
“I’m always trying to stay true to our mission on whatever project I’m working on,” he admitted. “I ask myself if our team is doing each project in a way that keeps our electricity reliable, costs us the least, and exceeds our customers’ expectations in a responsible way. If we meet these criteria, then the project will be a success.”
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668
