City of Stillwater advises residents about company promising clean energy to electric customers
Released:Oct 30, 2017
MEDIA RELEASE
(STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA / Oct. 30, 2017) – Recently, energy advocate companies have been inviting Stillwater residents to purchase green energy certificates or to allow them to take over electric customers’ billing and payments process. One energy advocate company’s website states: “Sit back and relax. [Company] is constantly finding new ways to save you energy and money and we’ll make sure you know if there’s a better deal out there.”
According to Deputy City Manager Dan Blankenship, “Absolutely no one has access to the City of Stillwater’s electric system but us. They can’t save you energy or money. In fact, these companies typically are charging customers around 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour in addition to the City’s electric rate.”
As for “clean energy,” Blankenship explained that the Stillwater Utilities Authority (SUA) is a full requirements customer of the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA). That means that the SUA must purchase and resell electricity solely from GRDA. GRDA is the largest public power provider in the state and has a diverse portfolio of generation resources, which include wind, solar, hydroelectricity, natural gas and coal generation.
This means that Stillwater customers are receiving green energy every day at no additional cost. In fact, 20 percent of the energy supplied by GRDA in 2016 came from renewable sources including wind, solar and hydroelectric generation.
These third-party companies are sending Stillwater residents emails, letters or social media posts stating they can ensure 100 percent of electric usage is covered by clean wind energy by setting up an online account to purchase the “clean” energy. However, this is simply not true.
Blankenship added, “We are a public power community. That means as customers you own Stillwater’s electric service. We are here to assist you and to answer questions about your city utilities, rates and provide billing and payment information.”
If you are a City of Stillwater electric customer with questions or concerns about your service, call Utility Customer Service at 405.742.8245.
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For media inquiries, contact the Office of Marketing and Public Relations at 405.742.8219 or email news@stillwater.org.
