Community Engagement

In 2015, MGE worked with Justice and Sustainability Associates (JSA) to facilitate a community-wide customer engagement effort, or what we call Community Energy Conversations.

During that time, JSA CEO Don Edwards and his team engaged with our community and shared with us important feedback as they gained an understanding of our customers and priorities from participants in their small group discussion sessions. We appreciate JSA for their effort and thank our customers for their contributions.

JSA's independent report on the 2015 Community Energy Conversations reflects comments shared by several hundred MGE customers during the small group, in-person discussions and comments submitted online.

Information from JSA and the Conversations represents one part of an unprecedented, yearlong engagement effort by MGE that also involved customer surveys, industry research, other collaborative partnerships and numerous stakeholder discussions. All of this input informed our Energy 2030 framework.

We continue to work with customers, stakeholders and others to accomplish Energy 2030's ambitious goals and to create a more sustainable energy future together.

The small group discussion sessions facilitated by JSA included a discussion guide.

MGE is committed to listening and responding to the needs and priorities of all our electric customers in southern Wisconsin. In addition to the 2015 Community Energy Conversations, MGE enlisted the expertise of a Wisconsin-based professional market research firm to survey a statistically valid random sample of customers in fall 2015. The survey was undertaken to enhance MGE's understanding of customers' energy goals and priorities. The results of the survey as well as input from the Conversations, numerous stakeholder discussions, collaborative partnerships, industry research, and our own planning and analysis were all used to inform MGE in developing our Energy 2030 framework.

Results from all of these sources indicate broad and strong support for MGE's long-term objectives, which we'll fulfill by working with our customers in many different ways. Energy 2030 continues the company's long-term direction with further reductions in carbon emissions, greater use of renewables in our energy supply mix, innovative products and services for our customers, and ongoing community engagement.

This graphic illustrates some of what residential electric customers told us about our shared energy future:

Additionally, customers expressed strong support for the following:

• 96% of respondents consider it important that MGE continue to increase the percentage of the energy supply from renewable resources.
• 93% of respondents consider it important that MGE offer a variety of pricing options to give customers more control over their energy costs based on how much electricity is used or when it's used.
• 90% of respondents consider it important that MGE offer tools and technology, such as smart thermostats, that would give customers greater control over their energy use and cost.
• 90% of respondents consider it important that MGE offer new tools for customers to improve energy efficiency at home.
• 86% of respondents consider it important that MGE offer new programs that allow customers to select different types of energy from MGE, such as power from MGE's wind farms or solar photovoltaics.
• 81% of respondents consider it important that MGE offer new options to enhance reliability.

In building a community energy company for the future, we will build upon our proven record of customer engagement, further seize opportunities to adopt new technologies for the benefit of all our customers and continue to serve as a leader in our industry. Work with us and stay informed by visiting mge2050.com for news and information as we work toward reaching our energy goals.

MGE's Community Energy Workshop was held the evening of April 19, 2016, at Monona Terrace in downtown Madison as part of a multistep engagement effort to advance the goals identified in our Energy 2030 framework. The Workshop was facilitated by Justice and Sustainability Associates (JSA) and provided an opportunity for deliberative dialogue from a comprehensive cross section of differing perspectives from throughout our community. We invited leaders and representatives from a broad and diverse set of organizations and interests, including nonprofits; neighborhoods; businesses; educational institutions; and advocacy, environmental and sustainability groups, which also include racial, cultural and linguistic perspectives. About 200 community members and leaders engaged in deliberative dialogue about MGE's Energy 2030 framework, new products and services, and community engagement. Participants also were welcome to share feedback unrelated to the topics presented during the three facilitated discussion rounds. 

How the workshop was conducted
During the course of the Workshop, participants engaged in three discussion rounds. Each round featured a live introduction and video presentation followed by facilitated discussion at each table. The topics included MGE's Energy 2030 framework, new products and services, and community engagement. Participants answered a short series of questions at their tables and engaged in discussion after each video.

Scribes at each table forwarded participants' comments electronically to a "theme team." The "theme team" synthesized participants' anonymous comments and identified themes generated during each discussion round. The themes from the three rounds comprise the content of the summary.

Analysis of workshop input
The Community Energy Workshop was held to generate additional guidance in implementing our Energy 2030 framework. Since the Workshop, we have been engaged in a thorough and meaningful analysis of participants' comments to ensure we're able to put community input to use as we move forward under Energy 2030.

Thousands of comments
Two thousand comments were generated by those who gave of their valuable time and sincere effort in sharing their input about our community's energy future—our community's needs, priorities, values, aspirations and realities. Out of respect for the process and the energy participants invested in it, we conducted a comprehensive review of the data. To all of our customers, we have listened. Many of you have engaged directly with us. We've heard you, and we hope you join us in working together to advance shared goals.

To that end, as a result of our analysis of participants' comments, we have assembled a report that MGE will use to help guide how we will work with you, our valued customers. The report is organized by the broad themes that emerged during the analysis of participants' input. This is part of a larger and extensive engagement process that continues to inform our collective future.

In late 2014, MGE partnered with Citizens Utility Board and Clean Wisconsin to form a Technical Work Group (TWG) to study ideas for promising pilot programs. Great Plains Institute, based in Minneapolis, Minn., serves as facilitator for the group. 

Since the TWG began collaborating, MGE has moved forward with a number of pilot projects informed by the group's efforts, including a community solar program, a solar outdoor overhead lighting program, two demand response programs for residential and business customers, and an electric vehicle home charging pilot.