The Excitement of New Beginnings

In any field, including energy management, there can be real power and opportunity in new beginnings.

I took a trip to Wilmington, Delaware, last Saturday to hold my first grandson for the very first time.

We saw him in the hospital on day two of his adventure outside the womb, and I have to say that the experience was very special and delightful for me. I’m not sure what he thought of the experience, because he wasn’t talking any language I could understand. In fact, he wasn’t communicating much at all, but that didn’t change my very positive attitude. And my daughter and son-in-law were obviously in a similar frame of mind.

There is something amazing and exciting about a new beginning. Everything is fresh, and the possibilities beckon us even when yet unrealized. Cynicism rarely rears its ugly head, and the general mood is often hopeful.

I felt that same excitement and hope this weekend on the Facebook page of another of my daughters. She and her husband relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, and she started a new job yesterday. Her new company logo has even supplanted her profile picture for the present. New job, new apartment, new city—that’s a lot of new beginnings!

A little closer to home, we announced another new beginning here at work last week. The City of Chandler, Arizona, selected EnergyCAP software for its new utility tracking system after a formal competitive bid process. With EnergyCAP, the City will improve bill processing efficiency, manage and analyze utility data, identify energy and cost savings, and document the benefits of energy conservation efforts. Read on to hear the excitement and optimism in some of their comments:

“The City Council made energy conservation a priority for our organization, in part so we can mitigate the impact of rising utility costs and protect our taxpayers,” said Kris Kircher, Chandler’s Facility Maintenance Manager. “The integration and automation features of EnergyCAP will greatly enhance our efforts to manage our many utility accounts, track and analyze usage data, and find ways to reduce energy consumption in City buildings. The City of Chandler will be a more efficient organization with EnergyCAP.”

In addition to tracking 2,300 electric, gas, and water utility accounts, EnergyCAP will also interface with the City’s Oracle accounting system in order to create a “smart” front end for its utility accounting process. Utility bills will be audited for accuracy by EnergyCAP before they’re paid by the accounting system. EnergyCAP will also receive utility bills in electronic format to reduce manual entry.

Our CEO, Steve Heinz, is excited about Chandler’s new beginning: “We’re very pleased to welcome Chandler to the growing family of organizations in Arizona that are deeply committed to gaining optimum value from energy information,” he said in our press release.

The City is already known for its innovative energy efficiency initiatives, including its award-winning City Hall, built with sustainable elements, energy-saving technologies, and a stunning building design. Chandler’s City Hall is saving 14% of energy compared to other similar standard buildings.

New beginnings offer so many possibilities. It will be exciting to see what happens next.

Chandler’s website is http://www.ChandlerAZ.gov and EnergyCAP’s NEW website (another new beginning this month) is http://www.energycap.com.