2015
AEP Ohio Program Saves Ohio Businesses Energy, Wins Award
COLUMBUS – AEP Ohio’s Continuous Energy Improvement (CEI) program, which saved businesses more than 40 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy last year, received the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance’s (MEEA) 2015 Inspiring Efficiency Innovation Award.
The CEI program, started in 2013, goes beyond the traditional capital investment projects to help participants enjoy sustainability, enhanced community perception and employee satisfaction. AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power currently has 34 participating customers throughout the state.
This innovative new program in Strategic Energy Management (SEM) is one of the first in the U.S. – and unique in the Midwest – to apply a full treatment of energy use in large industrial facilities. The goal is to engage the largest industrial energy users in an all-inclusive program that organizationally transforms the customer’s usage of energy.
“The CEI program is ideal to engage the entire customer facility. It also is an unparalleled tool to completely revamp industrial energy use. The low cost/no cost measures are achievable and drive energy understanding so eventually capital improvements follow,” said Michelle Cross, CEI Program Manager.
For each of the next two years, AEP Ohio will start four more groups to work through the CEI program. The program will expand to large manufacturers, small manufacturers, hospitals and universities.
“We are getting extremely positive feedback from customers about the CEI program,” said Cross. “In the past, customers only had their bills to predict usage. CEI has given customers metrics for savings that they’ve never seen.”
Stacey Paradis, MEEA interim executive director, said, “AEP Ohio is a long standing MEEA member. We are proud to recognize AEP Ohio for its unique approach to the Continuous Energy Improvement program in providing tools, coaching, structure and resources for their customers to achieve substantial energy savings.”
Bestowed annually at the Midwest Energy Solutions Conference (www.meeaconference.org), MEEA’s Inspiring Efficiency Innovation Award is presented to a nominee that has developed a new and innovative program, idea or policy in the Midwest.
DocumentIEA-2015_award-release_innovation_aep-ohio.pdf (126.57 KB)