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Idaho Power rewards District 5 for energy conservation

Idaho Power recognized ITD’s District 5 for its commitment to energy efficiency with a sizable check Friday (July 29).

The $29,446 incentive was for the district’s energy efficient lighting project at its District 5 Headquarters in Pocatello. ITD earned the incentive through Idaho Power’s Easy Upgrades program, a cash incentive program that pays for qualifying energy-saving improvements to commercial and industrial buildings.

The program offers incentives for upgrades to lighting and lighting controls, HVAC systems, motors, building shells, plug loads and food service equipment.

Energy efficiency upgrades will save the department about $10,220 in electric bills per year. That equates to an approximate savings of 192,840 kilowatt-hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 15 average-sized Idaho homes for one year.

“Energy efficiency and using energy wisely benefits everyone. It helps preserve our resources, can help our customers save money, and helps us continue to provide reliable, responsible, fair-priced energy, today and tomorrow,” said Mike Stokes, Idaho Power customer representative. “Because of ITD’s proactive actions on energy-saving upgrades, they will reduce their energy costs and improve the efficiency of their systems.”

Replacing all of the D-5 Headquarters light fixtures and installing new energy efficient eco-fluorescent light tubes is generated savings of more than a $1,100 on the April/May electricity bill and were $800 less on the May/June bill when compared with the same months the previous year, said Wayne Curtis who oversaw the conversion process.

Idaho Power’s “Building Efficiency for Commercial Construction” program also provides a financial incentive for converting to the new lights. District 5's Brian Poole (right in above photo) received a four-foot, $29,446 rebate check from Idaho Power's Mike Stokes.The rebate will cover about 80 percent of the costs of purchasing and installing the new fixtures.

The federal government requires conversion to the new fluorescent tubes by 2012, Curtis explains. Investing early enabled the district to take advantage of the rebate program.