PSNC Energy Offers Discounted Rate to Customers in ENERGY STAR Homes

PSNC Energy recently started offering a discounted rate for residential customers who qualify for service and whose homes meet the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR® for Homes qualification standards, or equivalent.

Homes that meet or exceed the ENERGY STAR rating qualify for Rate 102 (high efficiency residential service). As a result, homeowners pay $.05 per therm less than under otherwise applicable Rate 101.

This discount isn't automatic, however. You must mail, fax or email the ENERGY STAR certificate or equivalent documentation you received from your builder or third-party auditor to PSNC in order to qualify:

Builder/Commercial Group
PSNC Energy
PO Box 1398
Gastonia, NC 28053-1398
Fax: 704-810-3118
E-mail: PSNCBuilderGroup@scana.com

Should you have questions regarding the discounted rate, please contact PSNC directly at 1-877-776-2427. Otherwise, if you're interested in purchasing a highly efficient home in the Triangle and take advantage of this discount, please email or call me at 919-360-1285.

"If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." - Lord Kelvin

In my last post, I told you about the PowerCost Monitor by Blue Line Innovations. This week, I'd like to tell you about what Google is doing with regards to energy monitoring.

Google PowerMeter shows consumers their electricity consumption in a secure Google gadget. This is a relatively new product, so Google is still in the process of testing it with a number of utility partners in the US, India, Germany, and Canada.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, studies show that real-time feedback of your household's personal energy information is likely to save you 5–15% on your monthly bill. Even greater savings are possible if you use this information to see the value of retiring your old refrigerator, installing a new air conditioner or insulating your home. The potential impact of large numbers of people achieving similar efficiencies is even more exciting. For every six households that save 10% on electricity, for instance, we reduce carbon emissions as much as taking one conventional car off the road.

Unfortunately, Google's energy monitoring service is not available in NC yet. However, other monitoring services are becoming available, such as the free one launched by Piedmont Electric a few months ago that uses MyUsage.com.