Tennessee Valley Authority
TVA, Power Distributors Mark 25,000 In-Home Energy Evaluations
August 22, 2011
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Valley Authority and local power distributors today announced the completion of 25,000 In-Home Energy Evaluations completed since the program’s launch in March 2009.
The program provides expert evaluations, energy saving recommendations and up to $500 in reimbursements when qualifying home improvements are made. To date, TVA has spent $6.8 million on reimbursements, which consumers leveraged to make more than $54 million in home energy efficiency improvements.
“We made a long-term commitment to improve the visibility and adoption of energy efficiency in homes throughout the Tennessee Valley,” said Bob Balzar, TVA vice president of Energy Efficiency and Demand Response. “The untold story behind the program is the economic boost it is bringing to communities. In addition to saving money on power bills, consumers are supporting their local economies through the audits and home improvements.”
Balzar attributed the program’s steady growth to strong support from the power companies across the TVA service area. Requests for audits tripled in the second year of the program, and nearly 8,000 more requests are expected by the end of September. The average home improvement reimbursement is $462.
“The local distributors of TVA power have made this milestone a reality. We are very grateful for their support,” Balzar said. “We will continue working closely with them to develop an ambitious, but achievable, strategy to increase our energy efficiency portfolio. We’re looking forward to trying new ideas and deploying new programs in the near future.”
The TVA board of directors identified energy efficiency as a key element in reaching TVA’s vision to become a national leader in cleaner, lower-cost energy by 2020. To support that vision, the board directed TVA’s Energy Efficiency and Demand Response team to adopt its own ambitious goal – to become the Southeast leader in increased energy efficiency by 2020.
Programs like In-Home Energy Evaluations, weatherization assistance and EnergyRight Solutions for Business achieved a nearly 470 gigawatt-hour reduction in energy use over the past 18 months - enough to power nearly 40,000 American homes for an entire year.
“Energy efficiency is the cheapest means available for providing increased capacity for the TVA system,” Balzar said. “Every kilowatt saved through energy efficiency efforts is one that doesn’t have to be generated at a TVA power plant.”
The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states at prices below the national average. TVA, which receives no taxpayer money and makes no profits, also provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists utilities and state and local governments with economic development.
Media Contact
Mike Bradley, Knoxville, (865)632-8860
TVA Media Relations, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000