Available sources of renewable energy go largely untapped
SUN SENTINEL
The Sunshine State receives enough rays to power every home from Key West to Pensacola. It sits close to a powerful ocean current, which could generate electricity. And it could draw on wind to light up homes.Yet these sources of green energy are largely untapped.
2009 Marks Banner Year for FPL’s Service for Customers
JUNO BEACH, Fla. – (Business Wire) In a difficult economy, Florida Power & Light Company (NYSE: FPL) helped tens of thousands of customers save money on their electric service while delivering improved service reliability and keeping its typical residential customer bill below the national average and the lowest in the state in 2009.
FPL continued to lead the way on helping customers save money on their bills through energy efficiency, providing more than 63,000 on-site Home Energy Surveys, 15,000 online Home Energy Surveys and 86,000 phone Home Energy Surveys for customers free of charge so far this year.
FPL was one of only six utilities in the U.S. to receive Edison Electric Institute’s National Key Accounts Customer Service Award for outstanding service in energy efficiency. The company’s incentive rebates helped more than 85,000 customers save money by reducing the up-front costs of energy-efficiency upgrades that, in turn, decrease their monthly electric bills. For example, FPL contributes up to $2,100 toward the cost of upgrading residential central straight-cool air-conditioning and heat-pump units, depending on the size and efficiency, which can save customers more than $1000 a year on their bills.
So far in 2009, FPL has provided customers with incentive rebates for almost 60,000 higher-efficiency air-conditioning units, 13,000 duct repair jobs and more than 12,000 other energy-efficiency improvements, including ceiling insulation, BuildSmart installation assistance for new homes, and low-income home weatherization.
FPL also stepped up its efforts to help customers in need with enhanced communication and outreach for its ASSIST program, which connected more than 110,000 families with agencies that provided financial assistance in 2009.
“We recognize that many of our customers are struggling in a difficult economy. We’re committed to helping them. Our typical bill is the lowest out of 54 utilities in the state and 10 percent below the national average. But beyond this, our efficiency programs can help each and every customer who wants to save money,” said Florida Power & Light Company President and CEO Armando J. Olivera.
Low bills haven’t compromised reliability. According to recently released data covering the years 2004 through 2008, FPL customers benefited from the most overall reliable service in the state. This year, FPL delivered 99.98 percent service reliability, which is 47 percent better than the national average, while it continued investing to make its infrastructure even stronger and more reliable.
In 2009, FPL was selected by the Department of Energy to receive a $200 million stimulus grant to help fund Energy Smart Florida. This project will help the company continue making the electrical grid “smarter” in the coming years by deploying smart meters for customers and incorporating an unprecedented level of intelligence into the transmission and distribution systems that serve millions of Floridians to further improve FPL’s service.
In addition to the Edison Electric Institute award, FPL’s customer service team picked up four other major national honors in 2009. Most recently, FPL tied for first in the national 2009 E SOURCE Gap and Priority Benchmark survey for value provided by its representatives, scoring especially well in the critical areas of being trustworthy and communicating effectively during emergencies.
Earlier this year, E SOURCE scored FPL’s Interactive Voice Response self-service system the best in the nation. Global technology leader Pitney Bowes ranked FPL’s Bill Print Operations No. 1 in the Southeast for machine and operator efficiency, and the worldwide PA Consulting Group honored FPL employees with an unprecedented sixth consecutive ServiceOne Award for exceptional customer service.
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with nearly 11,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are well below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and the No. 1 energy efficiency program among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.
Florida Power & Light Co.
Helena Poleo, 305-552-3888
Programmable thermostat a big help with energy efficiency
Since I am considering purchasing a home with a heat pump instead of the electric baseboard heat I had previously, I have some questions. The heat pump seems to be using more energy than the electric now that we are in the heating season. I have verified this by comparing kilowatt usage between the two and calculating per square footage. I was told that heat pumps were more energy efficient. Are they? Some of the vents are pointed toward the walls, which are cold to the touch, and some are not. Is there a proper way for them optimize the warm air coming out or does it matter? I have the temperature set at 65 degrees at night and 69 degrees during the daytime. Of course I wear a sweater during the day but did not need to do this with the electric heat. Can I bump up the heat the full 4 degrees difference at once in the morning or should I perhaps do two degrees at a time? Do you have any tips to optimize the efficiency of the pump other than routine maintenance and filter changes? Can you recommend a Web site for further info? The ones I found are too technical for my brain cells. Thanks for any help you can give.
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