Chartwell’s 2021 awards in outage communications, restoration are open for submissions

By Suzanne Haggerty, Senior Manager of Customer Engagement –

It seems like the only thing we can reliably expect in 2020 is the unexpected. Wildfires. A relentless hurricane season. A global pandemic. Eight-plus months of a wardrobe consisting of three pairs of yoga pants, five T-shirts liberated from industry conference booths and one pair of gray Nikes that are definitely on their last microlayer of rubber.

OK, OK. I understand that some of you have been wearing sweatpants instead of yoga pants. No judgment.

One thing the utility industry can reliably expect twice a year is the launch of Chartwell’s Best Practices Awards competition.

The original awards of their kind for utilities, Chartwell’s Best Practices Awards recognize excellence and innovation among electric and gas utilities with respect to projects, programs and service initiatives.  

The 2021 Chartwell Best Practices Awards in Outage Communications and Outage Restoration are now open for submissions. The awards will be presented at PowerUp: Chartwell’s Outage Conference, June 7-9 at the Westin New Orleans. 

Three utilities will be awarded during the conference with gold, silver and bronze recognition. Winning utilities will be notified in February 2021. A representative from each utility that wins a gold, silver or bronze award agrees to present on the winning effort at the conference, providing an opportunity for other utility professionals to learn from the innovations of their peers. 

Last year’s winners and finalists included Ameren Missouri, Con Edison, Snohomish County PUD, Hydro One, Hydro-Québec and Southern California Edison. You can read more about their winning efforts in Chartwell’s Insight Center by clicking on each utility’s name. For more information on an Online Insight Center membership, contact Tim Herrick.

The deadline for submission is Wednesday, Jan. 27, so toss on a fresh pair of yoga pants/sweatpants and rally your team. In the meantime, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about the competition. Just send me an email.