Conservation Steps for Florida's Big Utilities Approved

Jul 22 - Palm Beach Post

The state Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved mandatory energy conservation measures for the state's major utilities.

The five-year goals, which are required under the Florida Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, are a blueprint for the utilities to set up conservation programs. The ultimate purpose is to avoid building more power plants, which are costly and release damaging emissions into the environment.

One example is the Business On-Call program of Florida Power & Light Co., the utility arm of Juno Beach-based FPL Group Inc. (NYSE: FPL, $64.12).

Under the program, FPL temporarily stops running a company's air- conditioning system for brief periods during the summer and credits the company's monthly electric bill. During the shut-offs, the company uses a generator to run the air conditioning.

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, as well as the Washington- based Alliance to Save Energy, gave the PSC a report that called into question some of the measurements used to determine whether a utility's conservation goals are sufficient.

- Palm Beach Post Staff Reports