Con Edison: Energy NY - Energy NY - Meeting the Environmental Challenge

how con edison is addressing new york’s energy and environmental issues

Meeting the Environmental Challenge

Operating under the defined climate-change principles below, Con Edison will:

Work with the federal, state, and local governments, and other stakeholders to address climate change.
Maintain an inventory of the company’s direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Consider the potential impact of business decisions on GHG emissions.
Pursue improvements in energy-efficiency in our operations to reduce our GHG emissions.
Advocate, promote, and support energy-efficiency improvements among our customers.
Support new technology development in coordination with other key industry stakeholders.
Support development of renewable sources of energy and other generation that reduce emissions, including GHGs.

As part of its environmental initiatives, Con Edison is an active participant in the stakeholder process that developed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI. RGGI is a cooperative effort by Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to develop the first mandatory cap on carbon emissions, and a trade program for carbon. Con Edison supports RGGI as a model for the development of a national initiative.

As a region, New York generates 8% of our nation’s power but has 5% of the emissions. New York City, compared with most other parts of the country, actually is a model of energy efficiency. The city’s population density of 26,000 residents per square mile helps to make it more energy efficient than many other areas of the United States, where offices and homes are spread out over larger areas. Average residential electricity consumption in New York City is substantially below the national average. New Yorker’s use of mass transit is unparalleled throughout the rest of the country. Including Metro-North and the Long Island Railroad, daily transit ridership in New York City is greater than the next five largest transit systems in the U.S. combined.

For the book How Green is Your City?, the independent research firm SustainLane compiled its U.S. City Rankings based on how the largest 50 cities compared across areas such as renewable energy, use of alternative fuels, green buildings, local food, public transportation use and “walkability,” housing affordability, along with overall sustainability planning and management. New York City placed sixth in the rankings, and the study highlights the many positive qualities that set New York apart from many other cities. The review noted that New York is densely populated, with an exceptional mass transit system, a diversity of local businesses that are easily accessed by foot, large areas devoted to parks, and the largest urban gardening program in the nation, with more than 700 community gardens.

Con Edison is committed to the pursuit of environmental excellence. We know that mitigation efforts may be costly. However, we also believe that the longer we wait to act, the greater the cost – in dollars, and to the environment. So efforts to mitigate global warming not only make good environmental sense, they also make good business sense.

Con Edison’s plans to address climate change issues include:

Integrating climate change and global-warming principles into our business planning.
Publicly agreeing to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions.
Expanding our energy-efficiency programs.
Expanding our customer outreach and education, and we are linking our activities and our customers’ activities to climate change.
Advocating programs that are proactive and balanced. Specifically, we advocate programs that are national and mandatory; that involve all business sectors, not just the energy sector; that promote energy conservation; that are market based and provide a cost for carbon emissions; that promote technology developments; and that provide recognition for voluntary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Con Edison supports growth in the use of green power from hydro, wind, and other renewable sources, which are available to energy customers throughout New York State. Con Edison is working with utilities, vehicle manufacturers, battery manufacturers, and others, to help develop a joint strategy for adding large numbers of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to our grid and to the electric grids of other utilities. Hybrid and electric-powered vehicles are among the promising technologies that can help reduce vehicle emissions within New York City, and thereby have a positive effect on the health and quality of life for all New Yorkers.

Con Edison works with organizations such as Per Scholas, a South Bronx-based technology recycling service that provides reconditioned computers to low-income families and schools. Since 1997, Con Edison has reduced hazardous waste generated from daily operations by 75%. Since 2004, a growing percentage of the Con Edison fleet has been running on biodiesel fuel, and today, all Con Edison trucks run on this more environmentally friendly fuel. The company has also been testing gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.

Recent studies show that if all U.S. households viewed and paid their bills electronically, it would save 18.5 million trees - avoiding 2.2 billion tons of toxic air pollutants, 1.7 billion pounds of solid waste, and saving 15.8 billion gallons of precious water. Con Edison’s e*bill is a secure way for customers to receive, view, and pay their bills on-line. To encourage customers to take part in this program, Con Edison will donate $1 for every customer who signs up for the e*bill program to a nonprofit tree planting fund. For customers living in New York City, the company will donate to Trees New York, and for customers living in Westchester County, donations will be sent to Friends of Westchester Parks, Inc.

The Power of Green, Con Edison’s green campaign, provides consumers with valuable information and ways to practice the intelligent use of energy. The Power of Green Web site encourages consumers to think about the way they use energy and encourages them to make small changes that get big results. Customers are given 100 different ways to both use energy-efficiently and save money. In addition, customers are introduced to the many energy efficiency and load-reduction programs offered by the company. The site also educates consumers of all ages to the key terms and issues necessary to help them make the informed “green” choices that will help reduce waste, conserve energy, and cultivate a better future for generations to come.

Because the future and the environment belong to our children, the Con Edison Kids Web site introduces a number of energy-related concepts to children of all ages. Kids utilize the interactive site and games to learn about such things as sources of energy, safety, global warming, and valuable energy-savings tips.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Con Edison and its predecessor companies have been meeting the energy needs of New Yorkers since before the Brooklyn Bridge spanned the East River. The company built the electricity, gas, and steam infrastructure that has fueled and sustained the area's growth for more than 180 years. Reliable energy has been, and remains, one of the cornerstones of the region's economic and social well-being.

Looking ahead, Con Edison’s EnergyNY plan recognizes the need to meet New York’s energy needs while fulfilling our responsibilities as good stewards of the environment. Con Edison supports new technologies that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company is working with all levels of government to address climate-change issues. Con Edison is improving the company’s energy efficiency and working with its customers to improve theirs. Con Edison supports renewable sources of energy, and other forms of generation, including clean decentralized sources. Con Edison is committed to meeting New York’s energy needs in a safe, reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible manner.

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