According to the Baltimore City Department of General Services (DGS), the City will receive more than $400,000 as a result of participation in BGE's energy capacity savings program. Designed for customers to reduce the drain on the power provider during times of peak electric demand, the program provides alerts from BGE.
DGS reduces demand by activating backup generators at seven City facilities, including the Back River and Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plants, the Charles Benton and Abel Wolman buildings, and pumping stations at Jones Falls, Leaking Park and Dundalk. The agency's conservation efforts pay off handsomely with the City receiving a credit of more than $34,400 each month.
Last year, the program saved the city $38,000. Savings this year, however, have grown to 10 times that amount, with the agency already reporting savings of $300,000 this year through the implementation of utility bill audits and more than $5 million annually saved through other initiatives including energy performance contracting, installation of LED traffic lights and the waste-to-energy cogeneration facility at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Other energy conservation efforts currently underway include, evaluating the use of biofuels in City boilers and the weatherization of fire stations with replacement windows and new roofs.
Writer: Walaika Haskins
Source: Baltimore City Department of General Services