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October 16
12 noon CDT

Clean Energy Ambassadors continues its Lunchtime Webinar Series with Infrared Cameras: Strengthen Your Utility’s Energy Efficiency and Auditing Programs .

It is no secret that we at Energy Services are great believers in the value of this tool to utilities. Infrared cameras can help detect line loss and substation malfunctions, and they play an important role in successful home energy audit programs. Gary Hoffmann of Western’s Equipment Loan Program will join camera manufacturers to discuss how IR technologies can improve your operations and customer service. You’ll also find out about opportunities to for Clean Energy Ambassadors IR workshops in your area.

Register for this free event today. Please contact Stevie Moe at 406-969-1040 if you have any questions.

Join Clean Energy Ambassadors  on the third Tuesday of each month for candid, informal discussions on the needs of consumer-owned utilities. Webinars are held from 12-1 p.m. Central time (11 a.m.-12 p.m. Mountain).

[Editor's note: This story appeared in the July 2012 Energy Services Bulletin]

It seems like some regions get to have all the fun, playing with state-of-the-art infrared (IR) cameras and learning about all the ways the diagnostic tool can save energy and money for utilities and their consumers alike. Well, Western’s Energy Services doesn’t play favorites—we are teaming up with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and Clean Energy Ambassadors to give Rocky Mountain Region (RM) its very own IR camera workshop on Aug. 8.

Nathan Wilcox of FLIR instructs attendees at the Billings, Mont., workshop in the finer points of interpreting IR photos. (Photo by Clean Energy Ambassadors)

United Power in Brighton, Colo., is hosting the workshop in its Civic Room from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and it promises the same information- and action-packed day our Upper Great Plains customers enjoyed at the April workshop. “We appreciate United Power offering the use of their facilities for the workshop,” Said RM Energy Services Representative Bob Langenberger. “It’s a good central location for many Western customers and Tri-State members.”

“Tri-State has always made an effort to provide its member systems with the tools and programs they need to help promote energy efficiency,” explained Tri-State Marketing Coordinator Ron Ebenkamp. “Recently, several of the Tri-State member systems expressed interest in an IR camera workshop, so we decided to team up with Western to offer training.”
 
A busy day
As with previous IR workshops, we have invited speakers who have a wealth of experience in thermography and camera uses. FLIR and Fluke are providing the equipment for the hands-on training portion of the workshop, along with case studies of how utilities used the cameras to detect line and substation loss. And as always, Gary Hoffmann, Western’s Equipment Loan Program manager, will be on hand to remind participants that the program gives them the opportunity to test drive different camera models.

One of the reasons the IR workshop is so popular is that we tailor the agenda to focus on issues unique to the region. The Rocky Mountain perspective on IR camera use is being provided courtesy of Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association.  Energy Use Specialist Gary Myers will present the customer service side of thermography use during energy audits, while Operations Manager Glen Livengood will cover the Poudre Valley’s plans to use IR cameras to maintain its distribution system.

Member Services Manager Myles Jensen said, “Poudre Valley has benefitted from IR camera inspections for many residential and commercial audits, and for some distribution equipment inspections. I think our case study will give workshop attendees a new appreciation and understanding of what an inspection program can do for their utilities.”

The big attraction, however, is the hands-on training geared to participants’ individual experience. Attendees will conduct inspections on selected facilities, learn tips for more effective audits from the pros and print out reports at the end of the day. The workshop wraps up with a question and answer period to help attendees address any issues that came up during field training.

Don’t wait to register
In short, the day-long workshop is a crash course on one of the most versatile diagnostic tools available to energy professionals, and all this knowledge can be yours for $100. The registration fee covers class materials, and continental breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Meals and breaks will also give you time to network with your colleagues, talk about your own IR inspection program or ask someone else about theirs.

The last workshops drew big crowds and space is limited, so early registration is recommended. Download and fill out the registration form, and fax it to Stevie Moe at 866-484-2373 with your check or money order made out to Clean Energy Ambassadors. The form includes hotel suggestions if you are coming from out of town and need lodging. You can also email Moe with questions, or call her at 406-969-1040.

Finally, if the Rocky Mountain Region IR workshop sounds great, but is too far away for you to attend, contact your Energy Services representative about scheduling an event in your area. As we said, Energy Services doesn’t play favorites—we want all our customers to discover the benefits of IR cameras.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the March 2012 Energy Services Bulletin.

It is no secret that we here at Energy Services are big fans of the infrared (IR) camera—our Equipment Loan Program offers several models, the Energy Services Bulletin covers stories about its innovative uses and we urge customers who are not familiar with the technology to learn about it. You will have that opportunity April 5 at Infrared Thermography: Hands-On Training for Utility Systems and Customer Service Applications (link to flyer), in Billings, Mont.

Western is co-sponsoring the event with Montana State University at Billings (MSUB) College of Technology and Clean Energy Ambassadors (CEA). The agenda targets utility professionals who are interested in performing building audits, as well as those who are looking for a more efficient way to maintain their electrical systems. The cost to attend is only $125 because “We wanted to make sure that the workshop is affordable,” explained CEA Program Manager Stevie Moe. “The IR camera is such a versatile tool, it can save money on utility operations and program development. That can really benefit smaller utilities in particular,” she added.

The registration fee includes class materials as well as meals and snacks for one day. “People will need their energy because they’ll be doing more than just sitting and listening to presentations,” said Equipment Loan Manager Gary Hoffmann.

What to expect
Hoffmann will be at the workshop to introduce participants to IR cameras available through the Equipment Loan Program. Our equipment library recently added two new cameras with more capabilities. The cameras’ higher resolution enables users to spot smaller problems on transmission lines and substations from greater distances. Both models take digital and infrared pictures that can be easily downloaded to show to maintenance personnel and facility owners.

After participants get a look at the cameras, representatives from FLIR and Fluke will talk about how to use them. One case study will show how IR cameras were used to detect line and substation loss, and a second presentation will focus on the equipments’ industrial applications.

Hands-on experience
But the real fun comes after lunch, when participants break off into groups for field training. Moe recalled that some utilities brought their own IR cameras to the workshop in North Dakota last year. “But those were older models,” she said. “I think everyone really enjoyed getting to ‘play’ with the latest technology the manufacturers provided.”

The field training took participants around the University of North Dakota campus to inspect the electrical system, heating plant, dorm rooms and a substation. “It was a pretty fast-paced session,” said Hoffmann. “The groups were made up of only two or three people, so everybody got a chance to use the different cameras in different situations.”

The day will conclude with the groups downloading images, running reports and interpreting the pictures they shot in the field. Participants will come away with not only a working knowledge of camera operation and data interpretation, but also with ideas for integrating IR cameras into utility programs.

Why attend?
Those who went to the 2011 IR camera workshop found plenty of ways to apply what they learned, said Moe. “Participants told us about using the cameras on their power systems, and on utility buildings as well as on customers’ homes and businesses,” she noted. “Some utilities have found that IR images are great tools to educate consumers about weatherization.”

The workshop is also intended to educate the next generation of utility professionals. MSUB is hosting the event in hopes that students from its industrial and energy programs will attend. “The students at MSUB are interested in science and technology, but they may not have thought about working in the utility industry,” said Moe. “This is a good opportunity to reach out to them by letting them work with the technology currently being used in the industry.”

And for those already working in the industry, the technology is becoming more accessible every year. “IR cameras keep getting less expensive, smaller, lighter and simpler to use,” Hoffmann said. “Utilities don’t have an excuse for not checking out the equipment and seeing what it can do for them.”