Brent Barkett, MA, is a Principal at Summit Blue Consulting who also serves as the company's market research, assessment, and evaluation functional lead. Mr. Barkett has more than ten years of experience in the utility and energy industries and has examined the cost-effectiveness and energy savings and demand reductions associated with numerous energy efficiency and demand response programs. Mr. Barkett is well-versed in current evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V) protocols and methods and applies this knowledge across a broad array of projects ranging from demand-side management (DSM) market and technology assessments to utility resource planning and analysis. In addition, Mr. Barkett has successfully managed numerous projects during his tenure ranging from short-duration, targeted DSM studies to multi-year, large-scale evaluations of DSM program portfolios.
Recent projects include:
- New York Energy $martSM Program, NYSERDA. Mr. Barkett is leading the project team performing market characterization and assessment evaluations of NYSERDA's New York Energy $martSM portfolio of residential, commercial, and industrial energy efficiency and demand response programs. His primary work areas include characterizing energy markets and providing the background information required to define programs, delivery concepts, target markets, and potential for different types of programs; tracking changes in markets with a specific focus on market indicators that might be impacted by program offers; and identifying the impacts of program interventions beyond what would have happened without the program via innovative theory-based evaluations of broader market effects.
- California Statewide Emerging Technologies Program (ETP), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Mr. Barkett is managing the team evaluating the ETP to assess program impacts on statewide energy efficiency efforts and provide feedback on program implementation. The evaluation is designed to help program staff improve the design and delivery of the ETP to better meet program objectives as well evolving longer-term strategic objectives. The evaluation employed four primary components -an Evaluability Assessment, a Program Design Assessment, an Implementation Assessment, and an Impact Evaluation - to drive a set of research objectives and activities linked to elements of the California evaluation protocols.
- Flex Your Power NOW!, California Utilities. Mr. Barkett served as the Principal-in-Charge of the project team that conduced process and impact evaluations of the statewide Flex Your Power NOW! Campaign in California. The key efforts necessary to achieve the stated evaluation goals included: 1) documenting the program theory through a series of interviews and record reviews to relate this theory to a business evaluation of the chosen media buys and activities; 2) assessing the effectiveness of the program administration through a review of the program's implementation strategy and budgeting choices; and 3) assessing customer awareness of the program through the administration of a program survey and focus groups to estimate the change in customer behavior as a result of the program to the extent practicable with existing data.
- Competitive Bidding Resource Solicitations, California Utilities. Mr. Barkett has assisted California utilities in evaluating the bids received in response to the utilities' solicitations for additional generating capacity (both traditional and renewable resources). Mr. Barkett was a member of the evaluation team that developed a simulation tool to mimic the utilities' sophisticated production cost models in order to identify errors in the evaluation process and corroborate the utility's results. The evaluations incorporated not only the contracted costs associated with each proposed resource but also the likely transmission infrastructure investments and environmental considerations associated with specific portfolios of resources.
Mr. Barkett has summarized key research findings in presentations made at numerous industry events and articles published in relevant industry publications. In addition, for the past five years Mr. Barkett has served as the Chair of the Association of Energy Services Professionals' (AESP) Pricing and Demand Response Topic Committee, a position that provides regular access to projects and individuals at the forefront of pricing and demand response program development and evaluation efforts. Mr. Barkett earned a MA in Geography from the University of Colorado and a BA in Geography (Phi Beta Kappa) from Stetson University.
Mr. Barkett works out of the Boulder, Colorado office of Summit Blue.
For inquires regarding services offered, staff availability or regarding Requests for Proposals, send an email to inquiries@summitblue.com or 1722 14th Street, Suite 230, Boulder CO 80302 or 720-564-1130.