Energy Efficiency Plan for Santee Cooper, SC

The midlands show promise of making South Carolina more energy efficient with their $113 million dollar plan.

By the staff out www.charlestonbusiness.com

Santee Cooper plans to spend more than $113 million on energy efficiency programs and promotions designed to encourage customers to save electricity.

On Monday, the utility’s board approved the initiative as a step toward achieving its goal of generating 40% of its energy from conservation and non-greenhouse gas emitting resources by 2020. This particular measure is designed to help the utility exceed the conservation and energy efficiency component of the goal.

If customer participation meets expectations, the initiatives will save more than 208 million kilowatt hours annually when the programs are fully launched, Santee Cooper estimates.

Specifically, the board approved plans to:

• Continue promoting energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs for residential customers and expand promotions to commercial customers;

• Encourage residential and commercial customers to replace older, inefficient refrigerators by offering rebates for Energy Star-rated models;

• Help residential customers improve the energy efficiency of their existing homes or construct new energy-efficient ones.

These new initiatives and savings are in addition to Santee Cooper’s current energy efficiency programs that include low-interest energy efficiency loans, free in-home energy audits, free on-line energy audits, commercial thermal energy storage and many other programs.

In a separate action, the board approved a $2 million increase to Santee Cooper’s Low-Interest Loan program, expanding it from its current limits of $3.5 million on loan to $5.5 million. This increase allows Santee Cooper to continue the popular program, which offers customers an affordable way to pay for energy efficient improvements such as installing energy efficient heat pumps, adding an optimum amount of insulation, and installing energy efficiency windows.

“We know the burden is on Santee Cooper to design programs that meet customers’ needs while also helping them save energy. These programs will help our customers change their habits and their energy infrastructure, resulting in long-term benefits for us all,” said Santee Cooper President and CEO Lonnie Carter.

Santee Cooper’s progress in developing renewable energy, conservation and energy efficiency programs is part of its long-term plan to meet South Carolina’s energy needs. That plan also includes the addition of new base load generation, such as the controversial $1.25 billion coal plant the utility plans to build in rural Florence County.

The state anticipates 1 million more residents by 2025.

“Our job is to make sure that the lights stay on across South Carolina, in a low cost, reliable, and environmentally friendly manner. These energy efficiency programs are one part of the overall solution,” Carter said.

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