Nationally, energy used by water and water resource recovery plants accounts for 35% of municipal budgets. At water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), electricity use accounts for 25% to 40% of the operating budget. According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, electricity prices for commercial and industrial sectors in the Eastern U.S. have increased 8% and 11%, respectively, over the past year and the cost is projected to increase even more in 2015. Figure 1 (below) depicts the states where a choice of electricity suppliers is available to utilities. States that have given utilities a choice of energy provider provide flexibility and an approach to obtaining electricity savings. Competitively bidding these services is an opportunity to both lock in electric rates at lower levels and also provide more predictability for budgeting purposes. This cost-reduction strategy has been shown to save as much as 30% of the annual electrical budget.
展开▼
