This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for the inconvenience, and please reach out if you have any questions or needs in the meantime.

Location Details: Washtenaw Community College; Business Education, Room 182

Description: Wastewater systems are significant energy users in the United States. Many utilities have significant, economically attractive opportunities to modify operations and equipment to minimize energy usage in sewer collections and treatment. This course will cover details not covered in many other operator courses related to how air and water conveying equipment functions and how electrical usage is determined and billed. Additionally, many activated sludge treatment plants can reduce discharges of nitrogen and phosphorus– often at no to small capital investment and significant energy savings. Energy and nutrient reductions often overlap.

This course will cover nutrient optimization strategies that can significantly reduce nutrient discharges through operational changes at low cost, often while saving significant amounts of energy. In addition to total phosphorus and total nitrogen removal theory and practice, an overview of the basic functions of activated sludge will be covered. Additionally, chemical phosphorus removal practices and efficiencies will be discussed in the section on the removal of total phosphorus.

Trainer: Nicholas Willis, Senior Program Manager, WSU Environmental Finance Center

CECs: This training is approved for 0.5 Wastewater CECs by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Who Should Attend:

• Managers, owners, and operators of wastewater systems with an average daily flow of less than 1 million gallons
• Decision-makers for wastewater utilities, including mayors, finance officers, utility managers, public works directors, city councilors, board members, tribal council members, and clerks
• Consultants and technical assistance providers serving wastewater systems

Partners: 

The post CANCELLED MI Training | Energy and Nutrient Reduction for Reliable, Efficient and Compliant Wastewater Systems first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post CANCELLED MI Training | Energy and Nutrient Reduction for Reliable, Efficient and Compliant Wastewater Systems appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

View/Download | Resource Handout

Description: Energy is the most significant cost to wastewater systems. As infrastructure ages and changes in influent quality, often due to the effects of climate change or water conservation, placing additional stress on treatment plants efficient energy usage becomes increasingly important. Incorporating energy-saving practices can often save wastewater treatment plants as much as 30 percent in energy costs. Small wastewater systems are more likely to lack the funding, staff, and resources to adapt to increasing energy demands, creating an added challenge. This webinar takes a look at how small wastewater systems can reduce their energy costs by adopting energy efficient practices and incorporating renewable energy. Additionally, an overview of available EPA resources to assess energy usage, create a plan to improve energy efficiency, and find funding is provided.

Presenter: Caitlyn Leo, Research Engineer, Environmental Finance Center at Sacramento State

Cost: Free

Please Note: This webinar has NOT been submitted for approval of continuing education credit. We can provide a certificate of attendance to eligible attendees, but cannot guarantee it will meet your PDH or CEU requirements. 

Who Should Attend:

• Managers, owners, and operators of wastewater systems with an average daily flow of less than 1 million gallons
• Decision-makers for wastewater utilities, including mayors, finance officers, utility managers, public works directors, city councilors, board members, tribal council members, and clerks
• Consultants and technical assistance providers serving wastewater systems

Partners: 

The post Webinar | Managing Energy Costs for Small Wastewater Systems first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post Webinar | Managing Energy Costs for Small Wastewater Systems appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

Wednesday, November 17th, 2021

10:00am – 12:00pm AKST
Register Online

Description:  For many water systems, the electric (or energy) bill is one of the largest expenses regularly incurred by the water utility. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the cost of energy as a percent of operating costs for drinking water system can reach as high as 40 percent. It is also one of the most controllable expenses a water utility will have. However, water utility managers oftentimes never see the bill. Understanding your utility’s energy expenses is one of the first steps to controlling and likely reducing your energy expenses. This webinar will walk through understanding your energy bill. Once you understand the energy costs, you can go a step further to understand the energy use within the system. By completing an energy audit, you will be able to see what the energy costs are to run each piece of equipment you use at your utility. This information can then be used to help determine if there are potential operational changes, size changes or other changes that could be made that would save the utility operations money that could be better used elsewhere.

Objectives:

• Discuss the terminology used in on energy bills
• Show you what to look for on your energy bills
• Discuss rate structures that may be available to reduce your energy costs
• Data to collect during an energy audit walk through, interpreting the data

Presenter: Dawn Nall, Research Engineer, Southwest Environmental Finance Center at the University of New Mexico

Cost: Complimentary.

CEUs: This training has been approved for 0.2 core continuing education units by the Alaska DEC Capacity Development and Operator Certification Program.

Who Should Attend: Managers, finance directors, and other staff (and board members) of small water systems serving fewer than 10,000 people. Technical assistance providers and others also welcome.

If you require a certificate: Each viewer must register and attend individually, and participate for the entire duration of the workshop. We cannot provide certificates to individuals watching the webinar as a group.

Partners:

The post Online Training | Understanding Your Energy Use For Alaska’s Small Water Systems first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post Online Training | Understanding Your Energy Use For Alaska’s Small Water Systems appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

With limited revenues, aging infrastructure, rising energy costs and regulatory obligations to meet, a comprehensive approach to managing your system is vital. You may have problems related to unknown meter, valve, or hydrant locations. You may not be sure of which asset(s) to replace given limited funds. Energy expenses can be as high as 40 percent of operating costs, and those costs will likely increase 20% over the next 15 years. This Asset Management and Energy Efficiency workshop can help you solve these problems, and more.

We will explore:
– What asset management is and how it can help your utility
– Levels and types of information your utility should gather on system assets
– How asset management planning can lead to increased reliability and public health protection
– Factors to consider in prioritizing operations and maintenance of critical assets
– Common energy savings opportunities in water supply and treatment systems
– Information on funding opportunities for energy efficiency efforts from the Missouri Department of Economic Development

Trainer: Jerry Blain – Project Associate, WSU Environmental Finance Center

Contact: Leslie Kimble, leslie.kimble@wichita.edu

Who Should Attend:
• Managers, owners, and operators of small water systems serving less than 10,000 people, including local government systems and tribal systems, as well as all other types of water systems, such as: homeowners associations, mobile home parks, resorts/campgrounds, schools, prisons, and more
• Decision-makers for water utilities, including mayors, finance officers, utility managers, public works directors, city councilors, board members, tribal council members, and clerks
• Consultants and technical assistance providers serving water systems

The post Springfield, Missouri | Asset Management & Energy Efficiency for Small Water Systems first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post Springfield, Missouri | Asset Management & Energy Efficiency for Small Water Systems appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

In this workshop, attendees learned how to:

• Understand their electric bill
• Develop a baseline of energy use
• Reduce water loss
• Identify energy efficiency opportunities
• Prioritize and implement energy efficiency projects
• Identify financing opportunities for energy projects

Technical Assistance Follow-Up: We discussed opportunities for no-cost, remote technical assistance on energy management and water loss, such as assistance completing an energy use baseline.

CEUs: This course was approved under the North Carolina Water Treatment Facility Operators Certification Board for 6.0 professional growth hours (PGHs). 

Trainer: Carol Rosenfeld, Senior Project Director – The Environmental Finance Center at The University of North Carolina

Contact: Allison Perch, perch@sog.unc.edu

Who Should Attend:
While system operators are welcome, this training was best suited for individuals who make financial decisions on behalf of small water systems–-board members, local government managers, finance staff, system managers, clerks, and others who budget and/or set rates.

Partners:

Resources:
EFC at UNC presentation
SCRWA presentation
Asheville presentation
Better Plants Water System Cheat Sheet
Energy Management Resources
Tech Brief: Reading Centrifugal Pump Curves
Electricity Baseline Builder Tool

The post North Carolina | Energy Management and Cost Reduction Workshop for Small Water Systems and Local Leaders first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post North Carolina | Energy Management and Cost Reduction Workshop for Small Water Systems and Local Leaders appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

In this question and answer session about utility energy management, we discussed common areas of energy usage in water treatment, pumping and distribution systems. Processes such as energy usage in buildings and grounds, and losses due to water loss were covered. Expert facilitators Nick Willis and Dawn Nall answered your energy management questions and concerns.

Presenters: Nicholas Willis, Program Manager – Environmental Finance Center at Wichita State University
Dawn Nall, Program Manager – Southwest Environmental Finance Center

Resources:

Presentation slides

The post WEBINAR | Ask the Experts – Energy Management in Water Supply and Distribution Systems first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post WEBINAR | Ask the Experts – Energy Management in Water Supply and Distribution Systems appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

This workshop will take place in Room 487 in the Health and Science Center. | View Campus Map

Providing drinking water and wastewater requires energy – and a lot of it. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the cost of energy as a percent of operating costs for drinking water system can reach as high as 40 percent and is expected to increase 20 percent in the next 15 years. Though many operational costs may be fixed costs, energy costs represent the largest controllable cost of providing water services. Thus, energy management is becoming a more important aspect of a utility’s asset management program.

In this workshop, you will learn how to:

• Develop a baseline of energy use
• Conduct an energy audit
• Identify energy efficiency opportunities
• Prioritize and implement energy efficiency projects
• Identify financing opportunities for energy projects

While system operators are welcome, this training is best suited for individuals who make financial decisions on behalf of small water systems–board members, local government managers and finance staff, and system managers.

Trainers:
Heather Himmelberger, Director, Southwest Environmental Finance Center
Dawn Nall, Program Manager, Southwest Environmental Finance Center

Cost: Complimentary. Please register to reserve your spot.

CEUs: This workshop has been approved for 6 CEUs.

Contact: Francine Stefan, mfstefan@unm.edu

Partners:

Resources: 

Introduction to Energy Management
Step 1: Establish Organizational Commitment
Step 2: Develop a Baseline of Energy Use
Step 3: Evaluate the System and Collect Data
Step 4: Identify Energy Efficiency Opportunities
Step 5: Prioritize Opportunities for Implementation
Step 6: Develop and Implementation Plan
Step 7: Provide for Progress Tracking and Reporting

The post New Mexico | Energy Management Workshop for Small Water Systems first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post New Mexico | Energy Management Workshop for Small Water Systems appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

Presenter: David Tucker, Project Director – Environmental Finance Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Please Note: Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance for viewing the webinar.  This webinar has not been submitted to licensing agencies for preapproval of continuing education credits.  If you need assistance in applying for credit to your licensing agency, please contact EducationServices@awwa.org.

View Presentation Slides

The post Webinar: Where Am I Starting From? Understanding Your Water System’s Electric Bill + the new Energy Usage Baseline Tool first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post Webinar: Where Am I Starting From? Understanding Your Water System’s Electric Bill + the new Energy Usage Baseline Tool appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

Presenter: Dawn Nall, Program Manager, Southwest Environmental Finance Center

Resources:
AWWA Water Audit Software Grading Matrix

The post Webinar: Completing an Energy Audit- What You Need to Do Your Own first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post Webinar: Completing an Energy Audit- What You Need to Do Your Own appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.

Webinar Description:
How can water systems find ways to pay for projects to reduce their energy costs? This webinar focused on one approach, the Internal Energy Revolving Fund (IERF) concept, also known as an “Energy Bank” or “Green Revolving Fund.” In this model, an organization uses the fund to pay for energy improvements to its internal operations (e.g. pumps and motors, lighting, HVAC equipment, solar panels, etc.) and then uses the avoided energy costs from one project to help pay for the next project—thus the fund “revolves.”  This webinar looked at sources of money to seed the fund initially and ways to structure it for long-term success.

Presenters:

• David Tucker, Project Director at the EFC at UNC-Chapel Hill
• Glenn Barnes, Senior Project Director at the EFC at UNC- Chapel Hill

Partners: EFC at UNC, EFC at Syracuse University, American Water Works Association

These webinars are designed for water systems serving 10,000 or fewer people. Owners of privately owned systems, consultants and technical assistance providers serving small water systems are also invited to participate.

View Presentation Slides

The post Webinar: Find Money in the Water Systems Budget: Internal Energy Revolving Funds first appeared on Environmental Finance Center Network.

The post Webinar: Find Money in the Water Systems Budget: Internal Energy Revolving Funds appeared first on Environmental Finance Center Network.