FAQ

What efforts is Cuyahoga County making to conserve energy in its many facilities?
Under Ohio House Bill 300 energy conservation measures have been undertaken by the County. These measures include the following:

a) Insulation of the buildings structure and systems within the buildings
b) Window tinting
c) Automatic energy controls system (s)
d) Replacement or modifications to HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)
e) Caulking and Weather-stripping
f) Energy efficient lighting
g) Variable Speed Drives
h) Efficient motors

What is electricity deregulation, and why is all this coming up now?
Effective January 1, 2001, Ohio law deregulated the generation portion of your electric bill. What this means for you is that for the first time you are free to choose your electric generation supplier. Previously, one utility company used to provide all part of your electricity including GENERATION (the production of electric at the power plant), TRANSMISSION (the poles that carry electricity from the power plant through the countryside) and DISTRIBUTION (the poles and wires used to deliver the electricity to your home).

A provision of this law allows consumers to authorize their local government to become a public aggregator in order to purchase power for their consumers. In this way, the consumer gains greater leverage in the marketplace.

The Electric Choice allows the following benefits:

Competitive Market for electricity just like you do for any other goods.
You will have the power to choose the company that supplies the generation portion of your electric service.
Comparison shopping will give you the opportunity to match a supplier to your individual needs and save you money.
Aggregation Electric Choice will give you the option of “aggregating” within a group, organization or community to purchase your electricity. An aggregator may be able to negotiate a discounted rate for electricity and other energy services.

To ensure that the transition to a competitive market is successful, the Ohio legislature set the target for participation at 20 percent of current electric utilities customer base by the end of 2005.

What is NOPEC?
Under the new state law, local governments may band together into an aggregation, or buying group. Nearly 100 communities in Northeast Ohio have formed an aggregation, which has been named the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC). Voters in these communities authorized this action in the November, 2000 Election, representing more than 450,000 electricity consumers, NOPEC is the largest such aggregation in the United States.

For more information on Electricity Deregulation, visit:Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council at http://www.nopecinfo.org or see Public Utilities Commission of Ohio website: http://www.puc.state.oh.us

What is a HVAC system?
All the components used to condition the interior air of a building. HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning System.

Should I leave my computer ON all the time, or turn if OFF when not in use?
Normally a typical computer draws around 100 Watts, or 2.4 kWh (kilowatt hours) per day. * Multiply this by your electricity rate per kWh to come up with the cost per day.

For example, leaving a typical computer ON all the time would cost about:
2.4kWh * 8.6 cents/kWh = 20.64 cents/day.