By John R. Marks III
September 17, 2012

Tallahassee Utilities is the fourth largest municipally owned utility in Florida, and the 25th largest in the nation. It provides electric service to over 114,000 customers in Tallahassee and the surrounding region, while consistently maintaining one of the lowest operational costs in the state. I take great pride in the quality of service Tallahassee Utilities provides to our customers and the forward thinking approach we have adopted to solve the energy demands of the 21st century.

When I first took office nearly ten years ago, I knew the important role technology and innovation would play in giving our citizens a choice in how they consume electricity and how our utility would respond to those choices. As such, we began investing in smart grid technologies long before the concept took off nationally, making Tallahassee Utilities the first in the nation to implement full smart grid and smart metering functionality for its electric, water, and gas utilities. As a result, our customers now benefit from enhanced control, flexibility, and cost'saving options that can only be achieved through smart grid enabled programs.

In recognition of these efforts, among many others, Tallahassee Utilities is the proud recipient of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) 2012 E.F. Scattergood System Achievement Award. This prestigious award recognizes Tallahassee Utilities as the top public utility in the nation for its work in enhancing the prestige of public power utilities through sustained achievement and customer service. Tallahassee Utilities was nominated for the American Public Power Association’s highest distinction by the Florida Municipal Electric Association, with a key component behind the nomination and eventual selection being the innovative functionality of smart grid enabled programs.

In addition to the E.F. Scattergood Award, Tallahassee Utilities was honored with the 2012 APPA Energy Innovator Award, and Tallahassee was named the 2011 Most Livable City in America by The U.S. Conference of Mayors. These notable achievements were due to the success of innovative new programs designed to enhance the quality of life for our residents. One such program, Neighborhood REACH, targets underserved, low-income neighborhoods and provides a variety of basic energy efficiency measures including weather'stripping, caulking, HVAC air filters, showerheads, CFLs—all free of charge. So far, over 2,800 homes have participated in the program, with neighborhood outreach continuing through autumn 2012.

Another popular program enabled by the smart grid system is a Nights and Weekends rate structure, which allows customers to lower their electric costs by shifting electric usage to off-peak hours at a reduced rate. Since introducing the program, more than 2,000 residential utility customers have taken advantage of the new plan and have saved a net total of over $80,000 on their utility bills. In response to the popularity of Night and Weekends, Tallahassee Utilities is developing additional rate options for residential and commercial customers to further reduce energy consumption and cost.

Thanks to innovative applications enabled by the smart grid, Tallahassee is on track to use less energy in 20 years than is currently being used today, all without sacrificing customer service or satisfaction. According to a July 2012 survey, 90 percent of respondents indicated that they considered the utility service they receive as good or excellent. Additionally, 95.5 percent of respondents found the service representatives to be very courteous and professional.

By empowering customers with the knowledge and tools needed to make smart choices, and focusing on efficient public utility management and best practices, Tallahassee Utilities is poised to continue setting the standard of excellence for both public and private owned utilities in Florida and across the nation.