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PEC focused on environmental stewardship, seeks member input on goals
4/13/2012 4:27:30 PM
As Earth Day’s 42nd anniversary nears on April 22, Pedernales Electric Cooperative is again reminded of its strong commitment to environmental stewardship, as well as its continued efforts to advance conservation activities and member education, environmental responsibility and the use of renewable technologies.
“At PEC, we recognize our responsibility as environmental stewards,” CEO RB Sloan said. “We actively encourage our members to reduce their electric use and make conserving electricity a part of their daily lives by offering free energy audits, rebates, conservation tools and educational workshops.”
Last year, the Co-op spent $1.9 million on educational conservation initiatives and rebates. PEC’s conservation representatives performed more than 300 member energy audits, and more than $960,000 in rebates were given through the Co-op’s HVAC Rebate Program. The program is designed to help members make their homes more efficient, with rebate amounts varying for the new systems installed. PEC’s Commercial Lighting Rebate Program, which rewards commercial members for upgrading to efficient lighting, paid out more than $80,000 in rebates.
“We have also incorporated more renewable energy, which currently represents a solid percentage of our power mix,” Sloan added.
At the end of 2011, around 21 percent of PEC’s power came from a mix of renewables, which also included PEC members’ renewable generation equipment interconnected to the Co-op’s grid. In 2011, PEC saw an increase in member interconnections, which mirrors growth in both state and national trends as individuals look to renewable technology to help reduce electric demand. Today there are 149 Co-op interconnections with a 624 kilowatt total capacity.
PEC is always looking to hear members’ ideas on Co-op initiatives, especially environmental goals. Currently, PEC is seeking feedback on proposed revisions to the Co-op’s 2008 goals for energy efficiency and renewable energy. The revisions, proposed by PEC’s Board of Directors at its Feb. 20 meeting, are part of the Co-op’s effort to redefine the goals. The proposed goals and related fiscal impact statements are posted at the Co-op’s website, www.pec.coop/feedback. PEC will accept online and mailed-in feedback on the goals through May 10, 2012. Comments must be postmarked no later than May 10 and should be sent to PEC Feedback, P.O. Box 1, Johnson City, TX 78636.
The Co-op hosted a member forum on April 2, and video from the forum, which featured guest speakers, presentations and member comments, is available at www.pec.coop/feedback.