4.75 percent
Amount residential and commercial customers of Idaho Power pay as an "energy efficiency rider" on their monthly bills. The Boise, Idaho-based utility uses the revenue from the surcharge to finance programs aimed at reducing energy consumption during peak-demand periods. Those efforts, in turn, slow the need for new power plants, according to "Why Is a Utility Paying Customers?" in The New York Times. About half of the nation's utilities run a program similar to Idaho Power's.
Idaho Power residential customers recoup the monthly 4.75 percent surcharge by choosing from among a number of energy-savings programs. The A/C Cool Credit Program, for example, pays them $7 each month in exchange for the utility being able to cycle their air conditioners off and on a few days during summer months. Under the Home Improvement Program, customers earn 15 cents for every square foot of insulation they install in their attic, a weatherizing move that will lower their energy bills year-round.
—Daniel DiClerico
Essential information: Get more advice on saving money and energy from our Energy Saving & Green Living guide. Also, if you need to replace your heating system and air conditioner(s), find out whether these appliances are eligible for a rebate through the $300 million cash for clunkers for appliances program, which is active in some states now and will start in others over the coming months.
Our brand new A/C stopped working on day 2 of cycling for the summer. The lights on the Cool Credit device showed that the A/C should be running after the cycle ended, but the low voltage interrupt didn't reset. Instead of the $21 savings, we ended up with a $68 bill from our heating and A/C company to disconnect the Cool Credit device.
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