It's easy to forget that electricity isn't a natural resource. It takes fuel and manpower to make electricity so convenient. And though it's affordable, it's not free. Using electricity wisely conserves resources, avoids emissions, and saves money.
Our responsibility is to provide electricity to anyone who wants it, whenever they flip the switch. We must have enough power plants at the ready for times when everyone wants power, during hot days in summer or cold days in winter. Energy efficiency programs not only lower the total amount of energy used, but also lower the peak amount needed, reducing the need to build more plants.
EarthCents energy efficiency programs help our customers save energy and money while reducing greenhouse gases. Introduced in 2008, EarthCents comprises a set of standing and new programs—and educational efforts—to reduce residential and commercial electricity consumption.
EarthCents
Energy Efficiency Programs
From 1990-2008, Southern Company programs have reduced peak demand for electricity by 3,258 megawatts. That's enough energy to power 465,000 homes (assuming 7kW/home average) and 8.3 percent of the peak demand in 2008. More on annual carbon dioxide reductions »
Southern Company plans to spend $1 billion on energy efficiency and demand control programs between now and 2020—programs that will reduce peak demand by an additional 1,000 megawatts. Programs include:
Residential
2%
reduction in annual energy bill
Energy Checkup home energy evaluation
Our energy experts help customers find improvements and low-cost ways to reduce energy use through free energy audits in person, online, or by mail.
32%
reduction in heating cost
Low income weatherization
We offer assistance to low-income families to permanently reduce energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient.
15%
reduction in annual energy bill
Energy Select/SmartPower
We offer smart thermostats and programming to help customers save money and reduce energy demand during peak periods.
40%
reduction in heating and cooling cost
Geothermal heating and cooling
Geothermal heating and cooling has been labeled by the Department of Energy as the most energy efficient, environmentally friendly system available today. Incentives are being offered in some areas.
75%
reduction in water heating cost
Solar thermal water heating
A pilot program with incentives that puts the Sun to work is being offered in Florida.
Direct load control
We offer incentives for customers to grant us control of their heating and air conditioning units so we can cycle them on and off during peak-demand times and reduce peak electricity use.
EarthCents Home
EarthCents Home certification will assure high-performance exceeding ENERGY STAR® standards and state building codes.
Homebuilder programs
We work with home builders to ensure construction includes optimal energy efficiency choices.
ENERGY STAR®
Southern Company supports the EPA/Department of Energy program to reduce energy consumption and protect the environment through energy efficient practices and products.
Smart Meters/Smart Grid
4.4 million Smart Meters will be in residential and commercial service by 2012. The meters will hook into a Smart Grid that will improve our abilities to track outages, restore lines, and stay safe.
Commercial/Industrial
24%
reduction in heating and cooling cost
Commercial geothermal heating and cooling
We offer incentives in some areas to help reduce the cost of geothermal heating and cooling systems, so our customers can save energy and money.
Real-time pricing
Real-time pricing reduces peak demand for electricity by giving commercial and industrial customers information on use and pricing.
Interruptible load
High-volume businesses that can reduce electricity use for brief periods of time can reduce their monthly power costs and help us lower peak demand, delaying the need for additional generation. Managing demand during peak periods helps us keep electricity generation reliable and affordable.
Commercial construction programs
We're offering free expert help to contractors, architects and building owners on how they can build energy efficiency into their projects. The best time to go green is before the hammer hits the first nail.
EarthCents brochure (PDF 300KB) »
Memberships
- One of the founding members and on the board of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, which promotes energy efficiency in the Southeast, and is a Founder-Level Associate member of the Alliance to Save Energy.
- Among more than 60 leading energy organizations that worked with EPA and Department of Energy to develop a National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency.
- Joined the Electric Power Research Institute's national energy efficiency initiative, in 2007, to help develop smart appliances with energy management technology. (See also Energy Efficiency Regulatory Structures, a report on the need for regulatory structures to encourage sustainable energy efficiency investments.)
- Member of the Edison Foundation-Institute for Electric Efficiency, a group focused on advancing energy-efficiency and demand response practices, ideas, and experiences in the power business.
- "Diamond" member of the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium. This group seeks to expand awareness and use of geothermal heat pumps, which have the potential to use 25 percent to 40 percent less energy than traditional heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
- Participating as a cosponsor of an energy efficiency project with McKinsey & Company to determine the barriers to implementation of opportunities to capture EE.
What EarthCents Means to Customers, Shareholders, and Employees
Gulf Power CEO Susan Story, who oversees energy efficiency programs for Southern Company, discusses EarthCents.
Watch Video »
Smart Meters
Smart Meters read electricity use and generate bills without sending workers door to door. But that's just the beginning. The meters also enhance response times for service requests and curtail the number of Southern Company vehicles on the road, reducing pollution and traffic while saving fuel. The meters also better detect the source of outages, shortening restoration time, and detect electricity thefts. More than a million meters are already on duty; all told, 4.8 million automated electric meters will be in homes and businesses across Georgia, Alabama, and the Gulf Coast.
Down the road, customers will gain online access to energy use information from the meters so they can better manage the electricity they use, and perhaps take advantage of time-of-use rates.
CFLs
Southern Company supports the use of energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. We back the ENERGY STAR "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign, an EPA- Department of Energy nationwide effort to change incandescent bulbs to CFLs. Georgia Power has been named a 2008 Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award winner for helping Georgia lead the nation in pledges. See the running tally of greenhouse gas emissions savings.
Other Initiatives
Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles - Through the Electric Power Research Institute, Southern Company and other utilities are assisting GM to plan for plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2010. We're helping establish charging and energy use standards. We're also assessing how plug-in hybrid vehicle adoption would affect the distribution grid.
Southern Company was among the nation's first utility companies to receive new hybrid diesel-electric bucket trucks. Four trucks were evaluated in a pilot program aimed at lowering fuel costs and emissions. Southern Company continues to use the trucks along with light-duty hybrids, and has placed an additional order for more.
Energy Efficient Lighting - Demonstrations of energy-efficient LED street and area lights will be conducted at four Southern Company sites in the fall of 2008. We've also installed energy-efficient, electronic ballast, dimmable, high-bay lighting at Southern Company labs and at a customer site in Georgia.
Electric Power Research Institute Energy Efficiency Demonstrations - Southern Company is participating in demonstrations of several hyper-efficient residential and commercial technologies, including variable flow residential heat pumps, residential ductless heat pumps, and heat pump washer/dryer systems.
Residential Heat Pump Water Heaters - These units extract heat from the surrounding air and pumps it to heat domestic water. Heat pump water heaters are about 2.5 times more efficient than conventional electric water heaters and 4 to 5 times more efficient than gas water heaters. By using less energy, the units reduce emissions and costs. In 2008, we're demonstrating new heat pump water heaters at 20 residential homes to evaluate maintenance issues and conduct load research.
HPWHs Southern Company is evaluating AirGenerate HPWH technology by conducting lab and field evaluations for residential applications. Recently (October - November, 2008) installed 20 Residential AirGenerate HPWHs across all Southern Company operating company locations to evaluate and demonstrate the technology in the field. Four out of these 20 units are installed in Gulf Power area. These units will be evaluated over 12-month period to compare efficiency against manufacturer's claims, document and provide feedback to manufacturer on maintenance issues, and generate load research data for internal profitability analysis.Industrial Heat Pump - We're helping customers with technologies like a 500-ton system that captures waste heat from condensers to deliver 150 degree hot water for the facility. And an electric hybrid desiccant that dehumidifies building ventilation air using less than 50 percent conventional compression HVAC technology.
UV for Material Finish Curing - Using only 20 percent of the energy typically used, UV light is being demonstrated for industrial material final finish curing of liquid, powder, and adhesive coatings.
LEED Certifications
Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power recently opened two child care centers meeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™ standards. LLEED is the nationally accepted third-party benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
The power delivery training center in Alabama is also LEED-certified. We're making use of sustainable and energy efficient building practices we recommend to our customers, like light-colored roofing to reflect the sun, use of natural light indoors, photo sensors to dim or raise the lights as needed, and low-flow faucets.
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