PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Ashleigh Clark, City of Edmond Marketing & Public Relations Manager, 359-4531
OMAG Receives Rebate Checks Totaling $120,402.00
for Installing A Geothermal Heat Pump System
Glenn Fisher, Edmond Electric Director, and Cindy L. Holman, Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) General Manager, presented Pam Polk, Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG) Board of Trustees Chair, with rebate checks in the amounts of $66,890.00 and $53,512.00 for the installation of a geothermal heat pump system at OMAG’s new offices, 3650 South Boulevard, on April 27th on behalf of the City of Edmond and the OMPA Board of Directors. The rebate checks were made available because of City of Edmond’s participation in OMPA’s Oklahoma Comfort Program (OCP) and OMPA’s WISE Rebate Program. Drake N. Rice, OMPA Director of Member Services, and Palma Lough, OMPA Member Services 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. Customers like OMAG who are designing new buildings can participate in the program, too. 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 will provide customers with rebates of up to $1,000 per ton for qualifying GHP installations. Second, in participating cities, this is in addition to the current OMPA WISE Rebate of $800 per ton for qualifying GHP installations. 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.
Commercial and residential 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.
According to its website, “The mission of the OMAG is to be the premier risk financing and loss prevention service provider for Oklahoma municipalities.”
OCP and this publication are financed in whole or in part by funds from the Stimulus State Energy Program (SSEP) as administered by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.
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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