Con Edison: public issues - con edison public issues

con edison public issues

Welcome to the Con Edison Public Issues site. Here you will find detailed information about company positions and testimony on current public issues, including events in which Con Edison has been mentioned in the news. We encourage you to use this page as a resource guide to learn about Con Edison's role in policy-making decisions affecting your home, your business, your community, and the environment.

Con Edison Investing $8 Billion to Strengthen Its Energy Delivery Systems

Con Edison anticipates that the peak demand for energy by its customers will increase by 10% over the next decade. To meet the energy demands spurred by this growth, Con Edison will invest approximately $8 billion in its electric, gas, and steam systems over the next three years.

Consolidated Edison Company of New York’s customers used 62,591 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity in 2007 which eclipsed the previous record of 61,608 GWh set in 2005. This level of use is more than 23% higher than the 50,837 GWh used in 1997. A gigawatt is a rate of energy production equal to 1,000 megawatts. Each megawatt is enough to power approximately 1,000 homes.

On August 2, 2006, Consolidated Edison Company of New York set a record for peak electricity demand, reaching 13,141 megawatts at 5 p.m., topping the record of 13,103 megawatts the company set on August 1. The New York Independent System Operator also reported a statewide peak-load record on August 2, 2006.

Con Edison first reached the 10,000-megawatt mark in 1988, topped 11,000 megawatts in 1997, broke the 12,000-megawatt barrier in 2001, and surpassed 13,000-megawatts in 2005. Peak electricity demand is the greatest amount of energy being supplied at a given time. One megawatt is enough electricity to power approximately 1,000 homes.

The The New York City Department of Planning estimates that the city’s population will experience significant growth by 2030. New York City’s PlaNYC outlines the dramatic growth expected in each borough. In addition to population growth, power use is rising because customers are using flat screen and plasma televisions, buying more computers, printers, scanners, and cell phone chargers, and other equipment for personal or business use. The company's infrastructure investments and improvements reflect Con Edison's commitment to continue providing the most reliable electric delivery system in the country.

As energy usage grows, one of the major energy investments needed is for new substations. This year, two new substations were opened – one in East Harlem and one in Westchester County. In 2007, Con Edison of New York brought its state-of-the-art Mott Haven substation on line, which can deliver enough electricity to power almost one million homes. By 2018, Con Edison plans to add 17 substations, representing the company’s busiest period of building during the past 30 years. Meanwhile, the local electricity distribution infrastructure will receive significant additions and upgrades. Con Edison plans to replace miles of primary distribution and secondary cable, replace thousands of network transformers, and replace circuit breakers throughout its service area.

Con Edison’s gas system is setting records as well. The months of December 2007 and January 2008 set a record for the highest natural gas throughput in Con Edison's history. In December 2007, 31.9 million dekatherms (Dth) moved through Con Edison’s system, breaking the previous highest monthly throughput mark of 29.68 million Dth set in February, 2007. Con Edison distributes natural gas to 1.1 million customers in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Westchester County. The company has nearly 4,300 miles of gas mains and 377,000 service pipes transporting an average of about 225 billion cubic feet of natural gas a year.

Con Edison operates the world’s largest district steam system, with an installed capacity of about 13 million pounds per hour. The system comprises 105 miles of mains and service pipes, providing steam for heating, hot water, and air conditioning to thousands of commercial and residential establishments in Manhattan. Con Edison continues to make significant investments in its steam infrastructure and plants. These investments maintain the high reliability and efficiency of the steam system, which also provides significant environmental benefits. Were it not for the steam system, annual CO2 emissions would be increased by the equivalent of emissions from 350,000 passenger cars driven for one year. The steam system also supplies the equivalent of 375 megawatts of air-conditioning load, which otherwise would require another power plant and associated electricity distribution equipment.

Shaping New York Energy Policy

Con Edison plays a key role in shaping New York energy policy. As a way to help our customers and other energy market participants understand current energy issues and Con Edison's proposals to address those issues, the company has submitted several policy recommendations to the State Energy Planning process . This process was instituted in March 2008 by executive order of Governor Paterson to create a state energy plan focused on appropriate energy supplies and managing energy demand for the future. More information is available at the state energy plan Web site http://www.nysenergyplan.com

Policy Recommendation Documents:

Comments on these proposals are welcome via e-mail at corpcom@coned.com.

Information and Tips on Saving Energy and Controlling Costs

We encourage our customers to prepare for every season, and one good way is by exploring your energy choices through the PowerYourWay program and find a supplier that meets your needs. You can also save 7% on energy supply costs for two months through our Power Move program. To get started, visit www.poweryourway.com.

In addition, consumers can also visit the following Web sites for more information and tips on saving energy and controlling costs:

With ENERGYguide, you can learn how to lower your energy bills by replacing equipment in your home or business, changing the way you use energy, or selecting a different electric or gas supplier. You will also learn how your choices impact the environment.

The U.S. Department of Energy Web site provides a wide range of energy efficiency and conservation tips for homeowners.

The New York Energy $mart program is a partnership between the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York Public Service Commission.

The New York Public Service Commission Web site offers consumers a number of ways to help control energy costs.

The Alliance to Save Energy offers consumers information to help save money and increase comfort through energy efficiency.

The American Gas Association (AGA) provides consumers with resources to help them lower their monthly heating bills.

Transformer Efficiency Standards

Con Edison joined a number of the country’s other largest utilities recently as a signatory to a letter urging the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to adopt more-stringent energy efficiency standards for electric distribution transformers. The majority of the distribution transformers in use on the Con Edison system already meet the proposed higher standard and have been operating at that level for many years.

In the letter to the Secretary of Energy, the companies argued that more efficient transformers would not only save energy and cut pollution from power plants but would save the companies money, and thereby help to lower energy costs for their customers. According to DOE’s own analysis, the benefits would exceed the costs by $11.1 billion nationally over 28 years.

In addition, DOE’s analysis shows that adopting the higher standard will save 459 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, reduce peak load by 6,600 megawatts, and eliminate 252.3 million metric tons of associated carbon dioxide emissions, 70.9 thousand tons of nitrogen oxide emissions and 4.5 tons of mercury emissions between 2010 and 2038.

Because the transformers the utility industry installs under these standards will be in use for many decades, it is important to make sure the national minimum standards achieve as much cost-effective savings as possible. Con Edison supports using appliance and equipment standards to save customers money on energy bills and help slow the rate of peak electric demand growth.