LAKEWOOD, Colo.—At an awards ceremony today at the South Dakota capital, several state agencies were recognized for their innovations in energy efficiency.
   

Western Area Power Administration presented the South Dakota State Energy Team with its Administrator’s Award for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The team’s accomplishments included investing more than $370,000 in energy infrastructure improvements over the last two years through a matching-grant program that pools state monies and then funds energy efficiency projects.
   

“South Dakota’s streamlined energy plan for state facilities, coupled with the innovative way to fund energy projects, is what sets them apart,” explained John Pankratz, an Energy Services specialist in Western’s Upper Great Plains region. “State agencies worked together to develop and then follow the plan. One step was to conduct lighting audits. That led to lighting upgrades based on project impact, system needs and available energy dollars.”

            Energy savings at state facilities resulting from this team’s work include:

• • Reducing connected load by 700 kW
• • Reducing total energy demand by 2.6 million kWh
• • Savings of more than $100,000 in annual energy costs

“State university facilities have benefited from the increased energy efficiency,” added Robert Tad Perry, executive director for the South Dakota Board of Regents. “The benefits are really two-fold—first we achieve greater energy efficiency and the resulting cost savings. But another end result is better lighting in our buildings for students, staff and faculty,” Perry said. “The Regents are committed to this effort, and have identified matching funds that will further leverage energy efficiencies undertaken by our six universities.”
    

Western customers who demonstrate significant achievements and commitment in energy efficiency or renewable energy can be nominated for this award. South Dakota’s Energy Efficiency team includes the state Department of Corrections, Capitol Complex, Board of Regents and Department of Human Services.
    

Western’s Upper Great Plains Region serves wholesale electric customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. Western sells and delivers an average of more than 12 billion kilowatthours of firm power generated at eight powerplants on the mainstem of the Missouri River. This power provides enough electricity to serve more than 3 million households. In FY 2002, Western sold South Dakota state agencies more than 120,000 MWh of energy costing $1.7 million.
   

Western also owns and operates nearly 100 substations and 7,800 miles of high-voltage transmission lines across this region to deliver this power to the cities and towns, Native American tribes, rural electric cooperatives, Federal and state agencies and irrigation districts that are its customers.