Kansas City Power & Light, in a historic shift for the utility, filed plans recently with Missouri regulators to sell less electricity, reports Steve Everly at the Kansas City Star. The company, like other utilities in the region, has depended on selling electricity to recover its costs and earn a profit. Building more power plants was the gauge for its success. Its conservation efforts, such as rebates to customers for buying energy-efficient air-conditioners, were pilot programs and not part of the utility’s long-term plans. But the company says it’s time for a change, for energy efficiency to take on a more serious role. So its latest plan takes advantage of new Missouri regulations that make it possible for utilities to curb consumption and not be penalized financially. And customers, though they might pay higher rates initially to help cover the upfront costs of conservation efforts, are expected to eventually see lower rates after the efficiencies start paying off. The combination, say the utility’s officials, convinced them that for the first time energy efficiency should have an official place in its business plans.
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Less power, more profit: Kansas City utility plan shifts to efficiency. Kansas City Power & Light, in a historic shift for the utility, filed plans Thursday with Missouri regulators to sell less electricity. The company says it’s time for a change, for energy efficiency to take on a more serious role. Kansas City Star
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