March 31
Ameren Missouri to Provide $200 Million in Rebates, Incentives
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
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Ameren Missouri plans to roll out 25 programs over the next three years that provide $200 million in total rebates and incentives for residential and business customers. The proposal, filed with the Missouri Public Service Commission, focuses on helping customers use energy more efficiently and save money, educating them on controlling their energy use. In addition, it includes $67 million in expanded programs for income-eligible customers and social service agencies.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many residential customers’ energy usage to increase substantially, and during this time Consumers Energy looked for a way to help their customers save energy and money while also reaching their own clean energy goals. The Michigan utility’s Clean Energy Plan aims to eliminate coal and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 – not an easy task!
ElectriCities of North Carolina Inc. has named two new members to its executive team. Kathy Moyer is the organization’s new Chief Operating Officer, while Andy Fusco has been named Chief Strategy Officer. As Chief Operating Officer, Moyer will oversee all of ElectriCities’ power supply and distribution operations. Moyer has over 28 years of experience in electric utility operations.
After five years of work, ComEd announced last week that all 131,600 streetlights it owns in northern Illinois have been installed and upgraded to smart LED light fixtures, providing brighter and more reliable light and major energy savings. While some will focus on the safety aspects of the clearer light, it’s also worth noting that the effort will save more than an estimated 79 GW hours of energy annually.
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Industry News
In New York City, the path to decarbonization runs through apartments. The city has more than two million rental housing units, most in high-rise or multistory buildings. Buildings at large account for nearly three-quarters of citywide emissions, and many building owners face potential fines if they don’t comply with tough carbon-cutting targets starting next year.
The strategic location of electric vehicle charging stations could help solve some of the impediments to more widespread adoption of the technology, according to a study by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The study set out to address and find potential solutions to two problems posing obstacles to more widespread electric vehicle adoption.
Electricity generated from renewables surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday, March 27. Renewables also surpassed nuclear generation in 2022 after first doing so last year. Growth in wind and solar significantly drove the increase in renewable energy and contributed 14 percent of the electricity produced domestically in 2022.
Updated energy efficiency standards for window unit air conditioners and portable air purifiers are expected to save consumers approximately $1.5 billion annually on their electricity bills, the U.S. Department of Energy said last Thursday. Rules covering air purifiers come into effect in 2024 and were finalized under a consensus agreement among manufacturers, efficiency and consumer advocates, states and utilities.
