Customers reduce carbon footprint by 6,800 tons

Efficiency Works, an energy efficiency program operated by Platte River Power Authority among its member cities has reduced carbon emissions by more than 6,800 tons through various initiatives.

PRPA is the wholesale supplier for its owner-cities of Loveland, Fort Collins, Estes Park and Longmont. In a press statement, the utility said that about 1,700 homes and 500 businesses have participated in Efficiency Works. The carbon reduction estimate is based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emission rates for the Rocky Mountain region.

Efficiency Works is a collection of utility efficiency programs that together have invested nearly $80 million in the owner communities by offering carbon reduction incentives, home and business assessments, energy advising and more.

“I’m proud of the significant strides made by Efficiency Works in 2023,” Raj Singam Setti, chief operating officer for innovation and resource strategy integration, said in a written statement. “Through collaboration with our owner communities, we have incentivized residences and businesses to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions while reinvesting millions in our owner communities over the past decade.”

Efficiency Works expanded offerings in 2023 beyond traditional energy efficiency programs to help customers contribute to the region’s energy transition. This expansion included shifting residential initiatives toward building electrification to help customers transition from natural gas to electricity for heating purposes. They also expanded customer information on electric vehicles and introduced an EV public charger incentive for commercial customers.

Since 2014, commercial and residential customers have reduced their electric usage by more than 215,000 megawatt hours, PRPA said, equivalent to the average annual energy consumption of nearly 25,000 homes in the owner communities or reducing carbon emission by more than 113,000 tons.

In 2024, the utility will create opportunities to help customers integrate distributed energy resources, such as rooftop solar and battery storage into the virtual power plant that is under development. The virtual power plant is a key part of Platte River’s plan to maintain the reliability of an increasingly renewable energy portfolio.