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| Week of Nov. 30, 2003 |
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NEW YORK: Peak Load Management Program Registers Gains— With a 25
percent increase in customer locations and a 17 percent rise in energy
savings on summer days of greatest electricity use, NYPA's Peak Load
Management (PLM) program concluded its fourth year in September with plans
to expand in the future. NYPA business and governmental customers at more
than 75 locations in New York City switched off lighting; adjusted air
conditioning; shut down non-essential elevators, fans, pumps and motors; or
turned to their on-site generators to earn more than $2.4 million in
incentives while helping to ensure the reliability of the state's electric
grid. Participating customers receive $40 for each kilowatt of electricity
they commit to save when called on during the high-demand June-September
period. Although this summer's cooler weather triggered only five PLM
"event" days, the increased participation resulted in average electricity
savings on those days of 67.5 megawatts (mw), up from 57.7 mw a year ago.
NYPA customers statewide also committed to reduce their peak energy use by
more than 500 mw upon request under the New York State Coordinated Demand
Reduction Program. LEWISTON: Niagara Project Modernization Moves Ahead— Employees at NYPA's Niagara Power Project have completed work on the 10th of 13 turbine-generator units to be overhauled as part of the facility's $300 million modernization and upgrade. Refurbishment of the next unit is scheduled to begin in early January. The 2,400,000-kilowatt project, the state's largest generating facility, has produced some of the least expensive electricity in North America since starting operation in 1961. Averaging one overhaul per year (the job is scheduled to take 42 weeks for each unit), the Power Authority is on track to have all 13 turbine-generators replaced by its targeted completion date of November 2006. The effort is designed to extend the life of the project by replacing its original, 40-year-old equipment. NEW YORK: Climate-Control Upgrades Under Way for Schools— In a further effort to provide a healthy learning environment, the Power Authority is upgrading the climate-control systems at 69 city schools where it replaced old, polluting coal-fired furnaces with clean natural gas- or oil-fueled boilers. The New York City Board of Education requested the additional work and is providing $35 million in funding. So far, NYPA has completed improvements at about half of the schools, including reconstruction or replacement of piping and installation of new steam traps, pneumatic thermostats, control valves and related equipment. When completed in 2004, the climate-control projects will save the schools a total of about $1.4 million a year. Over the last several years, the Power Authority replaced coal furnaces at 78 city school in all under a program funded by Gov. George E. Pataki's Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act and a separate NYPA initiative. BAYSIDE: Energy-Saving Lighting Brightens Queensborough CC— Following up one of its earliest energy-efficiency projects, NYPA returned to Queensborough Community College (QCC) this summer and fall to retrofit 2,900 additional fluorescent and incandescent lights with new fixtures, providing energy savings and better illumination. QCC obtained further savings through NYPA's installation of occupancy sensors in classrooms, offices, restrooms and common areas. A decade ago, the Power Authority performed nearly 2,000 lighting retrofits at the City University of New York campus in northeastern Queens. QCC will save more than $133,000 a year in energy costs from the lighting upgrades and an additional $25,000 annually from NYPA's installation of an energy-efficient electric motor two years ago. The college also anticipates savings of more than $37,000 a year from a computer upgrade project to be implemented by NYPA by year's end. ALBANY: Governor Pataki Named Energy Executive of Year— Gov. George E. Pataki has been honored as the Energy Executive of the Year by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), a non-profit professional society with more than 10,000 members in 77 countries. In recognizing the governor for the award, the AEE cited various initiatives he has championed to further energy efficiency. The association noted that the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the New York Power Authority and the Long Island Power Authority commit a total of $280 million annually to reduce energy costs and support energy-efficiency and renewable energy programs. The AEE also cited, among other actions, the governor's issuance of Executive Order 111, which directs state agencies, departments and authorities to reduce their buildings' energy use by 35 percent relative to 1990 levels and to purchase 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010. "New York State, under the leadership of Governor Pataki, is a leader in the promotion of energy-efficiency initiatives," said Fredric Goldner, the AAE's president. "We are proud to honor him for the policies and programs he has initiated." HERE AND THERE: Keep Cool Program Saving Money, Energy— For the fourth consecutive year, Gov. George E. Pataki's Keep Cool incentive program has encouraged tens of thousands of New Yorkers to turn in their old, inefficient air conditioners for new ENERGY STAR®-rated models. While the final statewide numbers from the summer program are not yet available, NYPA customers in the state's municipal and rural cooperative electric systems turned in 1,039 air conditioners, receiving a $35 bounty for each old appliance they replaced with a newer energy-saving model. As part of the effort, NYPA has partnered with the state Public Service Commission, the state Energy Research and Development Authority and the Long Island Power Authority to promote public awareness of ENERGY STAR air conditioners, refrigerators and other applianceces. WHITE PLAINS: Local Resident Named Woman Achiever— The Power Authority has selected Helen Eisenfeld, director of cost control and electric transportation in its Energy Services and Technology unit, as its Woman Achiever of the Year for 2003 in recognition of her efforts in guiding NYPA's clean transportation programs. A local resident, Eisenfeld is based in NYPA's White Plains office. She was selected for the award from among Power Authority staff members at projects and offices throughout the state. Eisenfeld was one of the more than 75 women honored by their employers at the Salute to Women Achievers Luncheon, sponsored by the Academy of Women Achievers of the YWCA of the City of New York at the New York Marriott Marquis in Manhattan on Nov. 20. In the Community: The Power Authority offered demonstration rides in an electric vehicle on the opening night of Capital Holiday Lights in the Park, a NYPA-co-sponsored fund-raising event benefiting the Albany Police Athletic League, Albany, Nov. 24….Carol Rodino, community relations manager, spoke to the Saquoit Rotary Club on the Power Authority's programs in New York State, Nov. 19….Sobeida Cruz, community relations director, made a presentation to the Somers Rotary Club on NYPA's initiatives in the lower Hudson Valley, Nov. 18….Carol Simpson, senior community relations representative, gave a Basics of Electricity presentation to the Colton-Pierrepont School, Nov. 14….NYPA presented a contribution to the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Foundation and the Mount St. Mary's Hospital Foundation as part of its support for area hospitals and volunteer fire companies, Nov. 12 and 14. |