The past year has seen a huge surge in interest about global energy resources, as costs have increased for everything from the gasoline that fuels our cars to the electric power that lights our homes and businesses. Our views have been tinted by two “green” filters: the impact on the money in our wallets and on our environment.
Seen through both filters, the importance of energy efficiency has never been more important. The less fuel we consume and less power we use, the more money we keep in our pockets and the lower our impact is on the environment.
In 34 Florida communities and more than 2,000 communities around the country, “public power” systems are taking a leadership role in energy efficiency, delivering on a promise to provide reliable electric power that is both affordable and environmentally responsible. With the start of the 23rd Annual Public Power Week on October 4, now is an ideal time to reflect on the contributions of municipal utilities such as the City of Ocala Utility Services, and the ways in which we can all achieve aggressive efficiency goals.
Energy efficiency is not that difficult, but it requires awareness and diligence. Awareness of the steps consumers and utilities can take to conserve energy, and diligence to take and continue action. For homeowners, this can include simple actions, such as keeping the thermostat at 78-80 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter, installing compact-fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, regularly replacing air conditioner filters and weather-stripping doors and windows.
Across the state, public power utilities are taking additional steps, developing programs to educate and motivate consumers to conserve, adopting higher efficiency standards and promoting the use of energy-efficient appliances.
The focus on conservation is just one example of how public power utilities continue to play an integral role in their communities, protecting residents’ access to electricity while remaining sensitive to costs.
Public power utilities such as the City of Ocala Utility Services are operated by local government, providing electricity as a public service and at a reasonable cost. Public power systems provide many hometown advantages:
- They are driven by public service, not profit;
- They exist to serve fellow citizens, friends and neighbors. Loyalty is to customers – not to increasing dividends for international investors;
- They involve everyone in decisions, with policy boards that hold regular open meetings;
- They are accountable to citizens – not to a board of directors in a distant city or state; and,
- They return revenue to their communities, helping cities to provide for essential services while maintaining low tax rates.
Please join us in celebrating Public Power Week and give thanks to utilities such as the City of Ocala Utility Services, which have been making Florida lives more powerful since 1898.
Florida Municipal Electric Association represents the unified interests of Florida’s 34 public power communities that provide power to more than 3 million business and residential consumers.