Pine Bluff, Ark. – The Arkansas
Department of Correction earned a $119,345.40 rebate from Entergy Arkansas, Inc.
for participating in a program that provides incentives for commercial and
industrial customers to upgrade their facilities with more energy-efficient
equipment.
The Department of Correction retrofitted all its lighting at its Tucker, Varner,
Cummins and Wrightsville units. The upgrades have reduced electrical load at
those four sites by 848 kilowatts.
Department of Correction Director
Larry Norris accepted the check from Troy Castleberry, region manager, Entergy
Arkansas C&I Accounts, at a ceremony today at the Pine Bluff facility.
“The ADC is grateful to Entergy for
offering this program. It is a fantastic way to make our facilities more energy
efficient while saving taxpayer dollars. Times are tough, and we have to make
sure every penny counts,” said Norris. “Obviously, high quality lighting is
critical to our correctional facilities, and we are very pleased with these
upgrades. They really have made a difference inside the institutions.”
In addition to reducing electricity
usage by more than seven million kilowatt-hours, the project will save the
Department of Correction of half a million dollars annually. More than 10,200
light fixtures were retrofitted or replaced at the four facilities. The power
savings is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants by over 9.5
million pounds.
The Department of Correction project
was made possible by a measure approved in 2007 by the Arkansas Public Service
Commission. Known as the Quick Start Program, the program accumulates a fund by
adding $0.00027 per kWh onto all Arkansas large and commercial customers’ energy
bills. A portion of that fund is earmarked to be used as an incentive to large
customers to replace inefficient equipment with more efficient equipment.
“Entergy Arkansas believes that
encouraging our customers to use electric energy efficiently is good for the
environment,” said Richard Smith, Entergy’s manager of Utility Business
Development & Support. “It makes electricity bills more affordable for the
long-term and is a key component in our strategy for meeting customer demand for
electricity. The presentation of this check today highlights that customers,
utilities and regulators are effectively working together for the good of all
Arkansans.”
In 2008 Entergy Arkansas successfully
launched its Large Commercial and Industrial Quick Start Programs, including the
Energy Solutions Program and the Standard Offer Program. Since then, 45
companies have received more than $1,743,929.75 in incentives from Entergy
Arkansas.
The Large C&I program is implemented
for Entergy Arkansas by CLEAResult Consulting. For more information about the
program, please visit
www.entergy-arkansas.com/your business/managed_accounts.aspx.
Entergy Arkansas, Inc. provides
electricity to almost 684,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Corporation is
an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and
ret ail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plant s with
approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the
second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers
electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
and Texas.
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