|
Departments » Buildings and Public Property » Electricity Savings
Electricity Savings
Electricity Savings
City switches providers to save taxpayers' money
With significantly higher electricity rates from AmerenCILCO now in effect, the City of East Peoria is actively seeking ways to reduce its costs, subsequently saving taxpayers' money.
Electricity Provider
One way the City of East Peoria is saving money involves switching to a different electricity provider. On Jan. 16, 2007, the East Peoria City Council approved an energy agreement with Sempra Energy Solutions to provide electricity to city-owned facilities. The 23-month contract will save city government $87,500 annually, or $167,708 (16.5%) during the life of the agreement.
Sempra will provide electric power to all city-owned facilities including City Hall, the Public Safety Building and the individual fire stations, EastSide Centre, and the Public Works Department and its water treatment plants. Local provider AmerenCILCO will remain as the electricity distributor, and the city will still purchase its natural gas from the company.
A significant advantage of the Sempra contract is that the company will charge the city a fixed price per kilowatt hour. The result will be no price spikes during peak usage, such as when city facilities depend heavily on air conditioning in the summer.
Lighting Upgrades
The City of East Peoria received a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation for lighting upgrades at the Police Department and at the individual fire stations. The grant is awarded to communities seeking to reduce their energy usage.
The power usage from an LED bulb is significantly lower, at .7 watts of power, compared to the 30 watts of power used by an incadescent bulb. The upgrades are anticipated to save the city 42 killowatts per hour, approximately $10,000 per year.
Other Approaches
The City is taking a proactive approach to energy savings in other ways, such as the use of LED lights. The City's LED exit lights have resulted in a reduction from 30 watts to .7 watts per exit light. In addition, LED bulbs are now being used in traffic lights throughout East Peoria. Other energy-saving measures include placing occupancy sensors in restrooms and upgrading air circulation units in City facilities. The occupancy sensors are activated by both infared heat and motion - the lights automatically turn on when someone enters the room and turn off after a set amount of time. The air circulation units are being upgraded to be more energy efficient. The City has additionally made steps toward gaining effeciency from looking at its garage door seals to the type of insulation inside the buildings.
|
