www.dcseu.com
Reducing energy use puts money back into the pockets of residents and business owners as well as contributes to the Mayor’s Sustainable DC goal to cut citywide energy use 50% by 2032.
Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 05, 2013
The DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), the District’s resource for energy efficiency, was honored today by the D.C. City Council for its work helping District residents, businesses, and institutions reduce their energy costs and carbon footprints.
The DCSEU is a utility with a difference: instead of selling electricity or gas, it provides energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions.
Over the past year, the DCSEU prevented more than 45,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. As its Annual Report details, the DCSEU helped residents and businesses conserve 50,000 megawatt hours of electricity -- equivalent to the power used by 6,000 homes for one year. Working with District-based contractors, the DCSEU installed solar-power capacity for more than 750 low-income homeowners and residents of affordable housing around the city.
“We can’t change a person’s rent, but we can help to reduce that second highest monthly cost -- energy bills,” said Ted Trabue, Managing Director of the DCSEU. “Reducing energy use puts money back into the pockets of residents and business owners as well as contributes to the Mayor’s Sustainable DC goal to cut citywide energy use 50% by 2032.”
The DCSEU works with residents in every Ward and with businesses of every size and stripe to promote energy efficiency at every scale, from whole building rehabs down to replacing a single light bulb. It helped customers of Annie’s Ace Hardware in Petworth save energy in their homes with discounted compact fluorescent lights and provided rebates that made it possible for Union Kitchen to upgrade to energy-efficient equipment that will keep costs down for years to come. The end goal is market transformation: a lasting, citywide shift toward more sustainable sources of energy.
“The DCSEU is transforming the way people in the District think about and manage their energy costs,” said Cliff Majersik, Executive Director of the Institute for Market Transformation, one of the DCSEU’s local partners. “With programs that help everyone from large institutions to small business owners, and homeowners and renters alike, the DCSEU is making a positive impact across the District."
While other states like New Jersey and Delaware have sustainable energy utilities, the DCSEU is unique in its aim to truly transform the market by creating green jobs for District residents, fostering economic opportunities for District-based businesses, and committing 30% of its annual budget to improving energy efficiency in the low-income community.
After two years, the DCSEU is an operational example of how an energy efficiency utility can meet the needs of a community and provide deep economic benefits. As many cities and states across the country look for ways to meet ambitious sustainability goals, the DCSEU is poised to be an inspirational model for how energy efficiency utilities can deliver savings and support economic development.
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About DCSEU. The District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) helps residents and businesses in DC save money and energy. Since 2011, the DCSEU has delivered financial incentives, technical assistance, and information to tens of thousands of District renters, homeowners, and businesses, helping them to save millions of dollars on their energy costs. Visit http://www.dcseu.com for more information.
