Recap: Be Utility Wise Conference

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, we had the opportunity to both attend and present a session at the 2015 Be Utility Wise Conference in Monroeville, Pa. The free conference, organized by the Pennsylvanian Public Utility (PUC) Commission and a committee of dedicated volunteers, hosted more than 150 attendees for an all-day educational workshop including a number of breakout sessions, lunch and prizes.

The PUC, in cooperation with utility companies, nonprofit organizations and state agencies, provides utility education and networking opportunities to the general public, and health and social service agencies who promote access, awareness and outreach to consumers in need.

The Be Utility Wise Conference began with registration at 8 a.m., then a Universal Services/LIHEAP/Social Services presentation for all attendees following breakfast. During the first presentation, community agency partners shared testimonials about their clients. Everyone in the room quieted to hear the stories of hardship made better by the dedicated agency workers who provide service and resources to those in need.

After the first session, attendees enjoyed a break for more coffee before choosing a breakout session from topics including Impostor Campaign, consumer protections, United Way 2-1-1, conservation tips and the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. (We’ll include some of those tips in future posts.)

Later, after a delicious free lunch, attendees could choose two sessions from categories such as cold weather tips, hypothermia, PA Power Switch trivia, credit reports and scores and a training session by Dollar Energy Fund about our iPartner software.

In closing, all attendees received a ticket and the Be Utility Wise planning committee raffled off various prizes. Attendees went home with a wealth of new information, paper resources, handouts, connections and in some cases, gifts.  Consider joining us next year at the Be Utility Wise conference!