The Queensland based council has joined Ergon Energy’s Demand Management Pilot Program, to help customers save $7 million on power bills and cut 42000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
Townsville council has volunteered 170 small sites into one demand project aiming to deliver 20 megawatts of demand reduction by 2015.
Ergon Energy will be able to supply 7000 more average Townsville homes on its existing network.
Townsville councillor Vern Veitch told Government News the council will predominately be communicating with its community on the project, while Ergon handles the “technical stuff”.
Mr Veitch said the council’s main role was to educate the community on changing its behaviour in energy consumption.
“If we can get the community to change their behaviour, it will reduce the amount to their power bill,” he said.
“The project will reduce council costs compared to “business as normal”.
An Ergon spokesperson said the pilot program was conceived in 2005 with the funding to proceed secured and approved in 2009 and has been rolling out since then.
“Ergon Energy employs the expert resources to identify the demand reduction opportunities,” the spokesperson said.
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