PNM Resources : Direct Testimony of Julie Rowey- customer perspective on grid modernization and PNM’s plan for customer communication and education;

BEFORE THE NEW MEXICO PUBLIC REGULATION COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF	)
NEW MEXICO'S APPLICATION FOR AUTHORIZATION	)
TO IMPLEMENT GRID MODERNIZATION	)
COMPONENTS THAT INCLUDE ADVANCED	) Case No. 22-00058-UT
METERING INFRASTRUCTURE AND APPLICATION	)
TO RECOVER THE ASSOCIATED COSTS THROUGH	)
A RIDER, ISSUANCE OF RELATED ACCOUNTING	)
ORDERS, AND OTHER ASSOCIATED RELIEF	)

_______________________________________________________

DIRECT TESTIMONY

OF

JULIE A. ROWEY

October 3, 2022

NMPRC CASE NO. 22-00058-UT

INDEX TO THE DIRECT TESTIMONY OF

JULIE A. ROWEY

WITNESS FOR

PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NEW MEXICO

I.	INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE ......................................................................	1
II.	CUSTOMER INPUT INTO PNM'S PLAN...........................................................	4
III.	GRID MODERNIZATION CUSTOMER-FACING TECHNOLOGIES............	12
IV.	CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT PLAN.................................................................	16
V.	CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................	20

PNM Exhibit JAR-1	Resume
PNM Exhibit JAR-2	PNM Smart Meter Customer Sentiment Survey, 2019
PNM Exhibit JAR-3	PNM Grid Modernization Message Testing Survey &
	Report, October 2021
PNM Exhibit JAR-4	PNM Residential and Small Business Grid Modernization
	Insight Survey and Focus Groups, May 2022
PNM Exhibit JAR-5	DEFG Customer Insights & Advisory Firm Study on
	Prepay
PNM Exhibit JAR-6	Customer Education and Communication Plan

Self-Verification

i

DIRECT TESTIMONY

OF JULIE A. ROWEY

NMPRC CASE NO. 22-00058-UT

1	I. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

1. Q. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, POSITION AND BUSINESS ADDRESS.
2. A. My name is Julie Rowey. I am the Vice President and Chief Customer Officer for
3. Public Service Company of New Mexico ("PNM" or "Company"). My address is
4. 414 Silver Avenue, SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102.

6

1. Q. PLEASE SUMMARIZE YOUR EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND DESCRIBE YOUR JOB DUTIES.
3. A. I have 20 years of experience in the electric and natural gas utility industry and over
4. 35 years of experience leading marketing and customer experience teams for
5. utilities, financial services, and publishing industries. I was appointed to the role
6. of Vice President, Chief Customer Officer in 2020. Previously, I was appointed as
7. PNM's Executive Director of Customer Marketing in 2018 and was responsible for
8. overseeing the commercial and industrial customer organization and the energy
9. efficiency mass market organization. In that role, I implemented a customer
10. marketing vision along with supporting initiatives to create and deliver strategy and
11. programs.

18

1. My previous roles in the utility industry include Vice President of Marketing for
2. Summit Utilities, a multi-state natural gas utility, where I oversaw the customer
3. service and marketing organizations, and Director of Customer Experience &
4. Marketing at Southern California Edison, one the nation's largest investor-owned

1

DIRECT TESTIMONY

OF JULIE A. ROWEY

NMPRC CASE NO. 22-00058-UT

1. electric utilities, where I led marketing and communications as well as the state of
2. California's smart energy brand, Flex Your Power. My educational background and
3. professional experience are summarized in PNM Exhibit JAR-1.

4

1. Q. PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS VICE PRESIDENT
2. AND CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER.

7 A. My current responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the customer

1. experience at PNM and overseeing customer operations, including the customer
2. contact center, meter reading, customer interconnections, billing, credit and
3. collections, and customer marketing.

11

1. Q. HOW IS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE GROUP SUPPORTING PNM'S
2. GRID MODERNIZATION PLAN?

14 A. Interactions with customers, and providing them with service options, is

1. fundamental to any grid modernization plan. The customer-facing technologies
2. will empower customers to take a more proactive role as energy partners with PNM
3. by increasing customer visibility to energy information (such as usage, bills, and
4. service content) and enabling enhanced customer optionality (such as pricing, clean
5. energy, energy efficiency, and electrification).1

20

1 See the Guide for PNM's Grid Modernization Implementation, prepared by EnerNex, at 1 (September 30, 2022) ("Guide"). This Guide is attached to the Direct Testimony of PNM witness Laura Sanchez at PNM Exhibit LES-2.

2

DIRECT TESTIMONY

OF JULIE A. ROWEY

NMPRC CASE NO. 22-00058-UT

1 Q. HAVE YOU PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED TESTIMONY IN

1. REGULATORY PROCEEDINGS?
2. A. Yes, I have testified in state regulatory proceedings before the California Public
3. Utilities Commission in support of general rate cases and several energy efficiency
4. proceedings. I also testified in New Mexico Public Regulation Commission
5. ("NMPRC" or "Commission") Case No. 20-00237-UT, supporting PNM's
6. transportation electrification plan.

8

1. Q. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR DIRECT TESTIMONY?
2. A. I explain the importance of the customer perspective in the development of PNM's

11 grid modernization plan. I provide an overview of the customer-facing

1. technologies included in PNM's plan.2 Also, I describe PNM's customer
2. engagement activities to-date, and PNM's plan to continue engaging customers as
3. the Company implements its grid modernization plan and utilizes these new
4. capabilities.

16

2 PNM's Grid Modernization Implementation Plan for years 1 through 6 is attached to the Direct Testimony of PNM Witness Laura Sanchez as PNM Exhibit LES-3.

3