PRESS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Philip Johnson, Ponca City Energy General Manager, 767-0405
Lindsay Receives Rebate Checks Totaling $20,394 for Installing Geothermal Heat Pump Systems
On September 17th, Ponca City Energy General Manager and Cindy L. Holman, Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) General Manager, presented homeowner Winston Lindsay with rebate checks in the amounts of $11,330 and $9,064 for the installation of geothermal heat pump systems in his home on behalf of the city and the OMPA Board of Directors. The rebate checks were made available because of the city’s participation in OMPA’s Oklahoma Comfort Program (OCP) and the city’s and OMPA’s WISE Rebate Program. Cindy Heidlage, Ponca City Energy Administrative Secretary, and Palma Lough, OMPA Energy Services Specialist, also attended the presentation.
OMPA’s OCP uses funds from the Stimulus State Energy Program (SSEP), as administered by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, to provide residential energy audits and rebates for Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP) systems. This program officially ended on September 14, 2012. OMPA administers the project, with assistance from the Geothermal Resources Council. ClimateMaster Inc., a large Oklahoma-based manufacturer of GHP equipment, provides in-kind contribution to the project in the form of staff time, training for the public and professionals involved in the installation of GHPs, program promotion and other benefits.
When considered with other current incentives for GHP installations, GHP systems have never been so attractive. First, OCP provided customers with rebates of up to $1,000 per ton for qualifying GHP installations. Second, in participating cities like Ponca City, the WISE Rebate is also available for qualifying GHP installations at $800 per ton. And third, a Federal Tax Credit of 30 percent of the system cost (with no upper limit) is available to residential customers for qualifying GHP installations.
Residential and commercial customers who install GHP systems benefit from lower heating and cooling costs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, GHP systems can save customers 30 to 50 percent off the costs of heating and cooling compared with older systems. In addition, GHP systems help OMPA member cities lower their electricity peaks in the summer and add winter load (when electric energy is at its cheapest). Both of these improve the load factors of the member cities and lower the cities’ bills from OMPA, as well as lowering the Authority’s operational costs, which mitigate future rate increases.
OMPA is a state governmental agency created by the legislature to serve cities and towns that own and operate their electric distribution systems and is governed by the members. The Authority presently serves 39 municipally owned electric systems in Oklahoma and is a non-appropriated state agency which is owned by the member cities it serves.
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