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 retail 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.