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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.