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Money Saved, Coal Not Burned: Six Month Update on Electric Aggregation

Written by David Robinson on . Posted in City Council, City Identity, Household Impact, Sustainability

Over 19 million pounds of coal not burned.*  And savings of nearly $64,000.**  These are the bottom-line results for the first six months of Worthington’s community electric aggregation program (as of December, 2019, there were 4,257 participating households). 

As the reader will likely remember, in November of 2018, Worthington residents approved (by an impressive 75% margin) to authorize City Council to implement a community electric aggregation program (https://davidrobinsonblog.com/2018/11/a-resounding-yes-for-clean-energy-savings-issue-39/).  Following this authorization by the public, Council worked with the consulting firm Energy Alliances to select a program based on three pillars: 1) save money, 2) buy 100% clean energy REC’s, and 3) allow for a no-cost opt-out option at any time for any participant.  We were able to achieve those goals in the 2-year contract we selected, and the initial results are positive as indicated above.  

Stay tuned for further sustainability and clean-energy initiatives, including Pete Bucher’s efforts on efficiency, and my proposal to create a residential PACE program that will empower many homeowners to install solar systems in a financially attractive manner (https://davidrobinsonblog.com/2019/09/solar-for-worthington-homes-residential-pace/).

* Total of 19,397,584 pounds.  Based on total electricity consumption of 24,898,669 kWh, using the the EPA’s greenhouse gas equivalency calculator: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator.  The calculator is explained here: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gases-equivalencies-calculator-calculations-and-references

** Actual savings were $63,788.75.  This calculation is based on total kWh purchased, and the difference between the aggregation rate of $0.05069/kWh vs. AEP Ohio’s Standard Service Offer rate of $0.05491/kWh (as of December, 2019).

David Robinson

David Robinson lives in Worthington with his wife, Lorraine, and their three children—one who attends Kilbourne Middle School, one who attends Phoenix Middle School, and one who is a graduate of the Linworth High School Program and Otterbein University. David is President and co-owner of Marcy Adhesives, Inc., a local manufacturing company. David has served on Worthington City Council since January, 2018, and is deeply committed to 1) advancing resident-centered policies, 2) supporting responsible development that enhances our unique historic character, 3) endorsing environmentally sustainable practices for both residents and city operations, 4) promoting the safety and well-being of all residents, and 5) preserving the walkable, tree-filled, distinctive, friendly nature of our neighborhoods.