Carbon emissions have been a big concern by many in the news and radio which is said to be depleting the ozone layer. As of today, the coal based power plants are cleaner than ever. Much has and is being done to improve the emissions using the heat given off to generate additional power and even heat structures around the area. Fly ash, a waste product from burned coal is being sold to make concrete.

Even with all the improvements, the federal government has mandated that 25% of all energy will come from renewable sources by the year 2025. This includes Wind Power, Biomass, Ethanol and Refuse to name a few.

Producing renewable energy is not without a cost. You may have seen or will be seeing that North Itasca Electric Cooperative has been promoting energy conservation. The more we conserve, the longer we can postpone the need to generate additional power and construction of new power plants. We all need to do our part in reducing energy usage.

Some of you have off-peak electric or storage heating which helps those high peak hours when it comes to heating our homes with electric heat. Unfortunately, load control will be more this year than in the past for those on the dual fuel rate but will not exceed the hours printed in our program guide book.

Great River Energy, along with the 28 cooperatives it serves, will be doing all they can to keep the electric rates low despite the new government mandates. This summer, you will be hearing on the radio and television a request to reduce your energy consumption between 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Our cycled A/C program helps in saving energy and, at the same time, reduces the electrical cost to our members.

North Itasca Electric Cooperative will be campaigning throughout the year for compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Even though the federal government is mandating that all utilities contribute to energy conservation, we, along with the other cooperatives, have a head start on conserving energy. Conservation is not only good for the environment, it is also good for our members because CFL light bulbs use 75% less energy than a standard light bulbs and last 10 times longer.

You will be hearing about other conservation tips throughout the year.

I wish you all a great summer.