Electric Co-op Today

Co-op versus co-op. Member versus member. Staffer versus staffer.

Two co-ops will vie to see who is “The Littlest User.” (Graphic By: Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association and Lake Region Electric Cooperative)

Don’t worry. This is a friendly competition.

Two Minnesota co-ops will battle in what they call “The Littlest User.” From April 1 to July 31, Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association in Rockford and Lake Region Electric Cooperative in Pelican Rapids will vie to see who has the biggest decrease in electricity use.

“There will be three members and three employee/members from each co-op,” said Pat Tollerud, customer service supervisor at Lake Region. “The plan is that neither cooperative would make any purchases to assist energy reduction in the homes of the participants.” Each contestant is, however, expected to receive two items: a Kill-a-Watt device, which displays how much electricity an appliance is using; and a thermal leak detector.

Participants will be assigned a co-op employee who, Tollerud said, “will make a home visit, leave them with a written list of practical energy saving suggestions, monitor their use and be available for questions and input during the contest.”

Sonja Bogart, vice president, customer service, sales and marketing at Wright-Hennepin, said the focus is on simple improvements.

“We have a cap. One household cannot spend more than $200,” Bogart said. “We don’t want someone going in and changing out major appliances.”

For about a year, both co-ops have used MyMeter, a Web portal that allows members to see information including daily electricity usage.

“MyMeter is a great tool that compliments all of our efficiency programs by allowing our members to actually see the results of their efforts,” said Tollerud.

“People can’t really conserve energy if they don’t understand how they’re using it, and that’s why MyMeter was so important to us,” added Bogart. “What we’ve tried to do here is add an extra dimension to that knowledge and just add some fun to it.”

The challenge idea came last fall, but ask where it originated you’ll get a taste of the competitive spirit.

“I challenged Lake Region to this competition,” Bogart said.

“It’s a matter of dispute as to whether Wright-Hennepin or Lake Region issued the challenge,” offered Tollerud.

The name “The Littlest User” is a take on NBC’s weight loss competition, “The Biggest Loser,” but Bogart prefers the co-op version.

“Saving energy—it’s a heck of a lot more fun than losing weight, right?” she said. “You can still eat chocolate cake and save energy.”

Tags: Consumer Outreach, Efficiency and Conservation, Energy Conservation, Energy Efficiency