The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) today approved FirstEnergy’s three-year energy efficiency and peak demand reduction portfolio plan. FirstEnergy designed the plan to reduce electric consumption among customers and meet annual energy efficiency benchmarks established for 2010 to 2012.
“The Commission approved FirstEnergy’s plan on the grounds that the projected savings achieved through conservation will exceed program costs,” stated PUCO Chairman Todd A. Snitchler. “The plan incorporates input from a wide range of stakeholders and allows FirstEnergy to proceed with its statutory obligations under Ohio’s energy law.”
Senate Bill 221, passed by the General Assembly in 2008, requires Ohio’s electric utilities to reduce energy demand by 22.2 percent by the year 2025. Utilities must develop portfolio plans and meet annual benchmarks to measure their progress.
FirstEnergy’s portfolio plan includes a fundamentally redesigned version of the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) program suspended by the PUCO in 2009. The plan also offers incentives to customers who take steps toward increasing energy efficiency. The following programs are among those included in the plan:
•Appliance turn-in program – Offers residential customers a monetary incentive and free pick up and disposal service for second refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioners. The incentive for this program is set at $50 initially, with a reduction to $35 six months after the launch of the program.
Courtesy Of WOIO.COM
