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"Energy Watch" Conservation Campaign Returns For Third WinterThe mayors of the Municipality of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna and Kenai Peninsula boroughs have designated Wednesday, October 19th, as a test date to see how much consumption residents can shave off during two hours in the evening.Related Content
Step outside and you get that sinking feeling of dread: winter is not far away. And we'll all have to crank up the heat. It's not summer any more. But once again, three Southcentral mayors are encouraging residents not to overdo it, either with electricity or heat, both of which are almost entirely generated by Cook Inlet's reduced supply of natural gas. A month from today, Southcentral residents are being asked to reduce their energy consumption as much as possible, for two hours in the evening. The mayors say it will be a test of the region's capacity for averting an energy emergency. "We've been working with our partners for three years now in the Mat-Su and Kenai Peninsula to inform the public about what they might be called to do on a dark and cold winter night if natural gas pressure falls to the point where deliverability is in question,” said Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan. “No one here thinks we're likely to find ourselves in that situation, but it's always better to be prepared just in case." The energy watch campaign is intended to foster a sense of individual responsibility in energy conservation. The mayors of the Municipality of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna and Kenai Peninsula boroughs have designated Wednesday, October 19th, as a test date to see how much consumption residents can shave off during two hours in the evening. They say it will give some indication of the collective capacity to cut back on usage if low pressure in the natural gas system threatens to crimp transmission. "As you replace your appliances, be sure they have an energy rating that conserves as much as possible how much energy we're going to use,” said Mayor Dave Carey of Kenai. An executive from a power trade organization says she cut her utility bills 40 percent by purchasing a new refrigerator and taking other measures. "Of course, I'm in the power business, so I knew it was going to help, but even I was shocked at the difference that it did make,” said Marilyn Leland, executive director of the Alaska Power Association. But with improved projections for natural gas exploration in Cook Inlet, will the mayors be able to create the sense of urgency necessary to show actual conservation gains?" Sullivan said: "The gas storage facility won't come on-line until 2012. And while there's been some new discoveries, not enough really to create the kind of volume that'll keep the pressure in the system up at a level that we'd like to see. So I think the winter of 2011-2012 really is a critical juncture for us." So even with a jack-up rig now in place in Cook Inlet, the mayors are cautioning against short-term complacency. Mat-Su Mayor Larry DeVilbiss says these kinds of educational campaigns do work. He says that despite a growing population, power consumption in the borough has dropped the past three years.
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Coal said on Tuesday, Sep 20 at 5:08 PM
that power plant they are building in anch should be burning coal
74107034Anonymous said on Tuesday, Sep 20 at 8:51 AM
The power consumption has dropped in the last three years due to the energy rebate program from AHFC. A new fridge didnt cut power usage by 40 percent. Support the energy rebate program and we wont have to have to be on alert.
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