Santee Cooper celebrates one year anniversary of “Reduce the Use South Carolina” energy efficiency program
September 19, 2010
Launches two new initiatives to save customers money and energy
MONCKS CORNER, SC – September 19, 2010 – Santee Cooper today celebratedits one year anniversary of launching its “Reduce the Use SouthCarolina” energy efficiency campaign. The goal of this 10-year-longcampaign is to substantially reduce the use of electricity and improveenergy efficiency among its 163,000 direct serve residential andcommercial customers through rebates and programs.
Since the beginning of our efforts, Santee Cooper customers have made changes to save
49.4 million kilowatt hours of electricity, enough energy to power 3,700 households per year. They’ve done this through participation in the seven initiatives Santee Cooper has launched in this first year. Those initiatives and rebates include:
1. a Refrigerator Rebate initiative for residential customers ($35-$110 rebate)
2. a Refrigerator Rebate initiative for commercial customers ($35-$110 rebate)
3. a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb distribution initiative for residential customers (free)
4. a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb distribution initiative for commercial customers (free)
5. a Smart Energy New Homes ENERGY STAR® initiative for homebuilders ($1600 rebate)
6. a Smart Energy New Homes initiative for homebuilders ($1000 rebate)
7. a Smart Energy Existing Homes initiative for residential customers ($600 rebate)
“We are thrilled to see our customers take advantage of our rebates and programs to reduce their use of electricity in their homes and businesses,” said Marc Tye, vice president of Conservation and Renewable Energy. “This is just the beginning. We have many more Reduce the Use initiatives we’ll be launching in the near future.”
In fact, Santee Cooper today is launching two new initiatives to help customers save money and save energy.
The first, a heat pump program, is for residential customers and offers rebates of up to $700. When customers participate in the Smart Energy Existing Homes program ($600 rebate), and choose to add a 15 SEER heat pump with quality installation, they will receive an additional rebate of $50. They may receive the rebate for up to two heat pumps, bringing the total rebate to $700.
For customers who choose to only install the 15 SEER heat pump with quality installation, they will receive a rebate of $150. They may receive the rebate for up to two heat pumps, bringing the total rebate to $300.
The second program, a water heater program, is for residential customers and offers a $35 rebate for purchase of a 0.93 EF (Energy Factor) electric water heater.
Full details on these new initiatives, as well as all our existing Reduce The Use programs, are available at www.ReducetheUse.com
The comprehensive “Reduce the Use South Carolina” energy efficiency campaign includes a total of 42 energy efficiency initiatives to help achieve 209 million kilowatt hour savings annually, by 2020.
Approved in concept by the board of directors in February of 2009, the $113 million campaign encourages Santee Cooper customers to rethink their energy consumption habits and take steps to reduce the amount of electricity they use. This funding is in addition to the monies already being spent on the utility’s existing energy efficiency programs, which have been ongoing for more than 25 years. To learn more about energy saving tips and information on energy efficient initiatives and rebates, visit www.reducetheuse.com.
Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s state-owned electric and waterutility, and the state’s largest power producer. The ultimate source ofelectricity for 2 million South Carolinians, Santee Cooper is dedicatedto being the state’s leading resource for improving the quality of lifefor the people of South Carolina. For more information, visit www.santeecooper.com.
