The City of Tonkawa and its power supplier, the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA), have presented a check for $13,218 to Tonkawa Public Schools for recent energy efficiency improvements throughout the district.
The rebates were presented as part of the Demand and Energy Efficiency Program (DEEP), administered by OMPA.
Pictured, from left, are Josef Schrader, Oklahoma LED; Ken Smith, Tonkawa Mayor; Lori Simpson, Superintendent Tonkawa Public Schools; Jerry Shelton, OMPA Energy Services Manager; and Tonkawa City Clerk-Treasurer Nancy Skipper.
A series of lighting fixtures were upgraded to high-efficiency LED lighting in school facilities. The enhancements are expected to reduce the district’s energy demand by 135 kilowatts.
DEEP assists OMPA’s 42 members with their qualified customers to reduce electric service energy demand and costs. The program provides rebates to commercial and industrial customers – including schools and government buildings – that implement retrofits that reduce their demand at peak times. Projects include changing out lighting, HVAC, refrigeration, commercial food service equipment, pumps and motors for more energy-efficient equipment.
These energy improvements help OMPA delay the time in which it needs to add expensive generation capacity.
For 2016, OMPA awarded 69 DEEP rebates statewide for a total of $164,640 with an estimated reduction in energy demand of 1,056 kilowatts.
Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) is a municipal joint-action agency created for the purpose of providing an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of electrical power and energy to Oklahoma’s municipally owned electric systems. The Authority presently serves 42 municipally owned electric systems in Oklahoma. As a consumer-owned public power entity, OMPA is owned by the member cities it serves.
