Public Power - January/February 2009 - (Page 43)

Green Energy Energy Efficiency Seminars: Reaching Out to the Community By William Atkinson commitments are standard in the electric utility industry. “If you build a transmission line or generating station, you finance it, and you pay it off over a long period of time,” said Larry Mansueti, director of state and regional assistance for the Office of Energy Deliverability and Energy Reliability of the U.S. Department of Energy. “You need to have the same long-term view of energy efficiency. There is no sense throwing a bunch of money at energy efficiency programs one year, then pulling the plug the next. You have to stay with it, year after year.” Long-term requiring Cleveland Public Power to meet certain advanced and renewable energy goals by 2015, 2020, and 2025. Jackson envisioned this as an opportunity to “build a green city on a blue lake.” By 2015, for example, CPP must have at least 15 percent of its power supply portfolio from advanced energy sources. “To move toward this goal, one thing we are doing is starting to look for other advanced energy sources, such as cogeneration,” said Henderson. To make Jackson’s vision a reality, Henderson has turned to his energy and conservation unit for events that can help customers keep their energy demand down. For many, this can come with merely changing devices in their homes, such as using more effi- the community, the unit partnered with Home Depot last year to offer four information clinics on energy efficiency and conservation. Experts from Home Depot organized and planned the content and presented the seminars, said Henderson. Each seminar was offered at three Home Depot stores in Cleveland. They publicized the programs via bill stuffers and other methods. The first clinic examined a “whole house” approach to energy conservation, with an emphasis on technology such as timers, thermostats and dimmers. The second clinic targeted energy conservation using methods to enhance, upgrade, and/or replace windows. The third dealt with the benefits of compact fluorescent bulbs. The The first clinic examined a “whole house” approach to energy conservation, with an emphasis on technology such as timers, thermostats and dimmers. Cleveland Public Power in Ohio understands this concept. In business since 1906, CPP is the largest municipal power utility in Ohio, serving more than 80,000 customers. CPP began its foray into renewable and advanced energy efforts when Ivan Henderson became commissioner of the utility two years ago. “One of my goals was to blend in new energy sources, especially those that were local, in order to cut our dependence on the grid,” he said. He started with the addition of a dedicated staff to specialize in energy efficiency and conservation. In 2008, Mayor Frank Jackson put forth legislation www.APPAnet.org cient air conditioners and compact fluorescent bulbs, both of which are to be offered free or subsidized by CPP in events this summer. For others, this initiative can be an opportunity to review their home energy expenditures and better understand the larger efforts they can make to lower electricity demand and their energy bills. “We are proud to be a public electric power provider,” said Commissioner Ivan Henderson. “We are committed not only to providing reliable service to our customers, but also to looking for opportunities to educate and better serve the community.” As a service to customers and fourth seminar focused on helping participants prepare their homes to conserve energy during the winter. “About 15 to 25 people showed up to each seminar,” said Henderson. “We also got some good reaction from participants. Some of them reported that, after having used some of the ideas presented in the early seminars, they have seen their utility bills reduced.” ❚ January-February 2009 43 http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - January/February 2009

Public Power - December 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions Heat or Eat? Achieving Excellence in Nuclear Operations Training Grand Ambitions for Wind Power Visions of Green Carbon Trading Across The Pond Reliability Green Energy Customer Service DEED Hometown Connections Parting Shot

Public Power - January/February 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.