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By Liz Enbysk

SGN Managing Editor

 

Electric utilities take their share of grief. There's the smart meter angst. Complaints about electricity rates.  Customers upset about response times after storm-caused power outages. Often the good things utilities are doing take a backseat. So as we approach Valentine's Day, we thought we'd take a moment to show a little love for utility programs that are helping customers and the planet.   Below and on page 2 are five utility programs that caught our attention; please use the Talk Back form at the bottom of the page to tell us about others that you think deserve a little love.

 

Bluegrass Energy – This rural Kentucky coop's website features a very cool tool that helps homeowners calculate how much money they could save on their electric bill by implementing small changes. As you click through the energy savings home tour, standard items inside and outside a typical home are highlighted – from lamps to appliances, even landscaping. When you click on an item you can calculate potential savings and see how little changes can add up to savings.

ComEd (and others in the Energy Impact Illinois alliance) – They've put together some high comedy in their series of YouTube videos, TV ads and website featuring The Tale of Two Bills. Big Bill and Little Bill appear to be two regular guys who show Chicago-area residents some ways they can make their homes more energy efficient. It's fun stuff with a message – you can get your own little bill (from your utility, that is). Watch episode 1, Meet the Energy Bills >>

 

Eugene Water & Electric Board – Customers of this Oregon utility volunteer to pay a little more on their utility bills to support renewable energy through EWEB's Greenpower program. Now EWEB has $100,000 collected that it wants to reinvest in a grant that will fund a high-impact renewable energy program or project that benefits EWEB customers. Tax-exempt organizations and academic or public agencies are eligible to submit proposals by the Feb. 27 deadline. This spring Greenpower customers will get a ballot so they can vote for their favorite proposal. It's a nice way to give customers a voice. Learn more >>

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Talk Back to the Author

Current Comments (3)

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Valentine's Day or Tax Day?

If the utility wants to implement a new technology then they need to pay for it using what they have.. they need to budget just like each family does when we decide to buy something new. But no, they go crying to the PUC for a "rate" hike which comes out of the family units pay. This is absurd to go pat them on on the back when in reality this is forced liability... they build junk and we pay for it. When they are able to build product and new features without asking the building operator to pay for it.. then it will be time to pat them on the back... Until then, we are forced to pay taxes.. I hardly believe this to be a good valentine for the electric user.

mike trust - 02/10/2012 - 07:54

Making Progress!

Jesse, Thanks for exposing and sharing these innovative ways that utilities are using to reach the consumer. I'm hopeful that a readily accessible clearinghouse of these types of efforts can be created so they can be effectively leveraged by other utilities that need to find ways to get through to their customer base in an engaging and meaningful way. Creating a shared repository that exposes these types of efforts will help those that have small budgets to do a HUGE educational job. I have written a piece that tries to do something similar to what you have done in terms of shining a light on some efforts that will help us all in the long run. Keep up the great work! http://www.smartgridspeak.com/battling-smart-grid-negativis-the-360-consumer-energy-approach/

Andy Fitzpatrick - 02/10/2012 - 11:41

Another National Grid Love Story

I would encourage everyone to visit www.green2growth.com and learn about their Community Summit that was held in Worcester, MA this fall. It is changing the way the utility deals with local communities. You can watch the videos on the site or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDkm3ldRxok to meet some of the young people who attended the event discuss what they learned and how it has changed how they think about energy.

Judith Schwartz - 02/10/2012 - 16:21

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