The city of South Haven is looking to reduce the community’s use of electricity, and it’s going to cost residents.
At this week’s meeting of the South Haven City Council, Public Works Director Dana Burd told members new state rules are requiring electric utilities to reduce consumption. Since South Haven has a municipal electric utility, that means some work for staff.
“So there’s wasted energy in the system in terms of older appliances, in terms of home weatherization,” Burd said. “So we’re proposing to work with the MPPA and a third party vendor to comply with this legislation. But the goal is to reduce about a percent and a half of our overall energy usage per year.”
Burd said energy-saving kits and free or discounted lightbulbs could also be offered to residents.
“It’s going to be a new program for the community. We’re going to have to put out a lot of information so people know how to access it. We’re going to be working with the company Franklin Energy. They’ll be sending out mailings to customers.”
The program isn’t free. The city council’s resolution says it will cost an estimated $360,000 to $390,000 per year for four years. Burd said that will result in a new surcharge for customers, although the amount hasn’t been worked out yet. That’s why the city is hiring a firm to help.
The council then approved an agreement with the Michigan Public Power Agency to implement the new required Retail Energy Improvement Program.
