The Conserve & Save^® Refrigerator and Freezer Recycling Program, servicing Austin Utilities (AU), Owatonna Public Utilities (OPU), and Rochester Public Utilities (RPU), is back by popular demand. The program, which had an incredible response during 2011, is set to begin May 15 and will continue through October 31, 2012 or until funds are exhausted.

Through this program, which is managed by a local Minnesota based company Appliance Recycling Centers of America Inc. (ARCA), participating utility customers who turn in operating but energy inefficient secondary refrigerators and freezers will be eligible for a $35 incentive for each qualifying appliance, with a maximum of two units per program life. ARCA will perform the in-home collection of qualifying refrigerators and freezers and properly recycle the units locally in Minnesota.

“Our goal is to continue to improve energy efficiency in Rochester by encouraging our customers to remove spare, working refrigerators and freezers from service while also offering a value service and a $35 incentive”, says Stephanie Humphrey, RPU Residential Account Representative. “Recycling appliances leads to a reduction in both energy consumption and emissions of ozone depleting substances and greenhouse gases.”

In order to qualify, the refrigerator or freezer must be 10-30 cubic feet, operating secondary unit, in working (cooling) order, and owned by an RPU customer with a valid account number. The appliance will be picked up, free of charge, inside the customer’s home from the address listed on the billing account.

To participate in the program, please call 1-877-341-2259 or visit www.rpu.org.

About ARCA

ARCA (www.ARCAInc.com), one of the nation’s largest recyclers of major household appliances for the energy conservation programs of electric utilities, currently provides services for 200 utilities in the U.S. and Canada. Toxic chemicals and environmentally harmful materials such as ozone-depleting refrigerants, PCBs, mercury and oil are carefully recovered in the decommissioning process for recycling, destruction or disposal, preventing them from contaminating soil, air and water resources. The Company is also the exclusive North American distributor for UNTHA Recycling Technology (URT), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of technologically advanced refrigerator recycling systems and recycling facilities for electrical household appliances and electronic scrap.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 47,000 customers. Water customers number more than 36,000. RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive. Current initiatives include energy and water education, renewable generation, and smart grid applications.

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Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) today announced that it is expanding its Home Energy Report program to all residential electric customers.  The program, which has been piloted to 25,000 RPU customers, is now available to all residential electric customers.

The Home Energy Reports program is designed to help customers better assess their electric consumption, and most importantly, find additional ways to lower monthly bills by reducing energy use.  Customers will receive the reports monthly, via both traditional mail and through an online web portal.

RPU has been running this program since 2010 and has found that customers save on average 2.1% on their monthly electricity bills. The program has helped save RPU customers over 6,758 MWh of energy, over $650,000 on their electricity bills.

“We are excited to provide this service to all of our residential customers,” said RPU General Manager Larry Koshire. “Through the expansion of the Home Energy Reports program, RPU strives to continue to display our commitment to providing our customers with the information and insights needed to reduce energy usage and monthly bills.”

Developed by Opower, the Home Energy Reports combine behavioral science with cutting-edge data analytics to provide customers with detailed information and insights on their household energy usage. The reports include usage history comparisons, goal setting tools, and progress trackers. Through the program’s online portal, customers can further interact with their energy usage information, review a larger library of additional efficiency tips, conduct an automated 30-second home energy audit, develop a savings plan, and more. In addition to the Home Energy Reports, Opower also provides a social application called Opower Social for users to share their energy usage and savings through social media channels such as Facebook. All of these features are designed to help customers actively engage with their energy information and make smarter choices about their energy use.

The Home Energy Reports program has been successfully deployed at numerous utilities across North America, delivering between 1.5 and 3.5 percent in average energy savings to customers.  To date, the Home Energy Reports program has saved American families and businesses over $90M on their energy bills and later this year will hit 1TWh of energy savings, enough to remove 100,000 households from the grid. 

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 49,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 37,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include fuel cell research, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

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Sign up today to attend a free Neighborhood Energy Challenge workshop on March 5. Learn about how to save energy in your home and then sign up for a discounted energy audit. At the last NEC workshop, there were over 90 attendees. Make sure you don’t miss your spot, sign up today!

Reserve your spot at the workshop by contacting Ashley Robertson at 888.734.6365 or arobertson@mncee.org.

• Monday, March 5, 2012 6:30 p.m.
  Gibbs Elementary School
  5525 56th St NW

Don’t know what to do with those old or non-working holiday lights? Are they a wadded mess with missing and broken bulbs? Are you making the switch to energy efficient LED holiday lights? Don’t toss your old holiday lights in the trash. Instead, recycle them!

RPU is participating in the Recycle Your Holidays™ program, which is a seasonal program created by the Recycling Association of Minnesota. This program employs over 200 individuals with developmental disabilities at vocational centers throughout the state of Minnesota. Every bulb of the light strand is dismantled by vocational center clients and then properly recycled in Minnesota.

Just drop off your unwanted light strands at RPU’s Service Center this holiday season starting November 15 and running through the end of January.

And don’t forget…if you upgrade to new, high-efficient LED holiday lights, RPU will give you a rebate of up to $12 per string! According to the Department of Energy, running LED holiday lights on one 6-foot tree for 12 hours per day for 40 days can save 90% or more energy when compared to traditional incandescent holiday lights.

What is accepted:

·         Holiday lights – incandescent or LED (working or non-working)

·         Electric cords

·         Telephone cords

·         Appliance cords

·         Computer cords

What is NOT accepted:

·         Rope lighting

·         Cord adaptors

·         Battery packs

Three dates for Neightborhood Energy Challenege workshops in 2012 have just been announced.

January 9, 2012
Jefferson Elementary

February 7, 2012
Bamber Valley Elementary

March 5, 2012
Gibbs Elementary

Click here for more information or to sign up