SEM and Resilience: 2021 Survey Results

In 2021, a group of NW SEM Collaborative members surveyed SEM program participants in the US and Canada about the effects of the 2020 pandemic and/or natural disasters on their operations. This qualitative research sought to better understand if and how SEM affected the operational resilience of these businesses, and how the crises affected their energy management efforts.

The survey also explored the particular SEM practices or principles that helped participants adjust to or recover from changing circumstances, as well as any elements of SEM that were particularly brittle, unhelpful or likely to fail when standard business operations were challenged.

Authors: Kim Crossman, Great Work Energy LLC, Kathleen Belkhayat, Energy Trust of Oregon, Dave Hall, Energy 350 Inc. Kjell van Zoen, Energy 350 Inc.

Abstract

2020 provided unique opportunities to test and exercise resilience in our lives, businesses and institutions. In parts of North America, both the global pandemic and massive wildfires threatened and disrupted business operations for many industries. During this period, mature Strategic Energy Management (SEM) programs continued running at scale. Discussion with SEM program administrators and implementers at the Northwest SEM Collaborative conference in October of 2020 surfaced interesting feedback: SEM programs were adjusting to circumstances effectively and were still meeting and even exceeding energy saving goals. Anecdotally, participants in SEM programs responded and adjusted quickly to internal and external changes, and their SEM practices seemed to be fairly resilient, despite these major disruptions.

The North American SEM community wanted to go beyond these anecdotes to better understand what happened and why during this very unusual year. This qualitative research leverages relationships held by SEM program administrators in the US and British Columbia to survey program participants about the effects of the 2020 pandemic and/ or natural disasters on their operations. We seek to better understand if and how SEM affected the operational resilience of these businesses, and how the crises affected their energy management efforts. The survey also explores the particular SEM practices or principles that helped participants adjust to or recover from changing circumstances, as well as any elements of SEM that were particularly brittle, unhelpful or likely to fail when standard business operations were challenged.