Prince Frederick, MD – For the fifth year in a row, Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) is being recognized for energy conservation through participation in the Demand Response Program sponsored by CPower, an energy management company. The school system will receive a check for $47,828 from CPower and an equal amount of credit on future electric bills from the Southern Maryland Electric Company (SMECO).
CPower works with SMECO and other utility companies to administer their load control programs to ensure affordable power during peak demand times, which typically occur during the summer. To avoid paying for higher priced energy at times of high demand on the electric grid, large consumers, such as CCPS, are asked to reduce their energy use for several hours during the day in order to offset the increased demand. As compensation for our participation and performance, CCPS annually receives a credit from SMECO based on the actual amount of decreased consumption, as well as a matching check from CPower.
The money received will be reinvested in schools to make them more energy efficient, including installing energy-efficient fixtures and upgrading HVAC controls.
CCPS has reduced its overall consumption of electricity by 8.9% since 2008 by installing energy-efficient equipment and encouraging people to change behaviors to conserve energy.