Senate Bill Aims to Increase Energy Efficiency in Rural Areas
Posted on Mar 22, 2012 in Energy Savings Programs, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Senate Bill Aims to Increase Energy Efficiency in Rural Areas
Sponsors of the Merkley-Lugar Rural Energy Savings Program Act (RESPA) hope the proposed bill will improve energy efficiency efforts in rural America. RESPA would authorize the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to offer loans to rural electric coops, which, in turn, would use the added RUS funding to provide low-interest loans to customers for energy efficiency investments. You can read...
Colorado Coop’s Proposed Rate Structure Meets Protest
Posted on Dec 8, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Rates | Comments Off on Colorado Coop’s Proposed Rate Structure Meets Protest
A new rate structure proposed by Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) will increase costs to its residential customers. The plan would raise monthly base charges by 60 percent in order to pay higher rates imposed by DMEA’s wholesale power supplier. Critics of the proposed rate structure say it will negate investments made in energy use efficiency and unfairly allocate costs to...
Coops Avoid Public Protest by Picking Hard-Wired Smart Grid Technology
Posted on Nov 8, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Grid & Infrastructure | Comments Off on Coops Avoid Public Protest by Picking Hard-Wired Smart Grid Technology
Public protest over the health effects of wireless smart grid technology have largely left two electric coops in Vermont unscathed. Those coops have elected to use hard-wired smart grid technology instead of the wireless systems because the hard-wired systems are less expensive and better suited to their rural territories. Click here for the full story.
Coop Offers Members Shade Trees and CFLs to Save Energy
Posted on Sep 2, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs | Comments Off on Coop Offers Members Shade Trees and CFLs to Save Energy
Mohave Electric Cooperative and Bullhead City, Arizona, are teaming up to sponsor Operation Cool Shade. For a discounted price, this program offers coop members shade trees that can withstand desert conditions, and each tree also comes with a complimentary CFL. Operation Cool Shade is in its sixth year, and it is estimated that the program saves approximately 1.4 million...
Vermont Public Service Board Considers Privacy Implications of Smart Grid Technology
Posted on Jul 29, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Innovation/Efficiency, Technology | Comments Off on Vermont Public Service Board Considers Privacy Implications of Smart Grid Technology
As utilities in Vermont continue to implement various smart grid programs, the Vermont Public Service Board is evaluating the potential for both use and misuse of customer data. The CEO of the Vermont Electric Cooperative, David Hallquist, is focusing on cybersecurity, in particular, as the coop grows its smart grid program. Vermont Public Radio has been covering this...
Coop Members Save Money with Smart Grid Pilot Program
Posted on Jul 15, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Technology | Comments Off on Coop Members Save Money with Smart Grid Pilot Program
Participating members at Pedernales Electric Cooperative and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative have saved as much as nineteen percent on their electric bills as part of the coops’ smart grid pilot programs. Through a combination of technologies, members are better able to control the amount of energy they use and when they use it. Electric Co-op Today has more.
Coop Selects Roberts and Schaefer as EPC Contractor for the First U.S. Installation of a Dry Bottom Ash System
Posted on Jul 8, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Technology | Comments Off on Coop Selects Roberts and Schaefer as EPC Contractor for the First U.S. Installation of a Dry Bottom Ash System
Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc. has chosen Roberts and Schaefer, a subsidiary of KBR, to furnish engineering, construction and procurement services in connection with its installation of a new dry bottom ash system at its Palatka, Florida coal-fired generating facilities. According to a KBR press release, the new system is expected to make the facilities more efficient and reduce...
North Dakota Senator Introduces Energy Plan that Contains Incentives for Coops that Use Clean Energy
Posted on Jun 17, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on North Dakota Senator Introduces Energy Plan that Contains Incentives for Coops that Use Clean Energy
Senator Kent Conrad recently introduced the “Fueling U.S. Energy Leadership Act” or FUEL Act as a broad plan to address energy independence and to provide a means to improve the economy. Among other things, the Fuel Act contains incentives for rural electric coops that make use of various clean energy technologies. See Senator Conrad’s press release for more.
Renewable Energy Rebates Lowered in Arizona
Posted on Jun 16, 2011 in Energy Savings Programs, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Renewable Energy Rebates Lowered in Arizona
In May, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative’s (SSVEC) 2011 renewable energy program. The plan will lower rebates available for residential renewable energy installations due to lower costs associated with the units and their installation. SSVEC hopes the reduced incentives will provide SSVEC staff time to catch up on a backlog of...
New Hampshire Senator Seeks to Use Coop’s Efficiency Model Nationwide
Posted on Jun 13, 2011 in Corporate Governance, Energy Savings Programs, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on New Hampshire Senator Seeks to Use Coop’s Efficiency Model Nationwide
During a recent discussion regarding her new energy efficiency bill, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) highlighted the innovative cost-saving efficiency program used by the New Hampshire Electric Co-Op. Through the coop’s SmartSTART program, customers can pay for their energy efficiency improvements through their utility bills. The coop has found that program participants have cut...
Subscribe
