Abstract
Making the business case for sustainability is far easier for large utilities that have either investors or a significant customer base pressuring particular actions. The business case is more difficult when those drivers are absent, as is the case for small non-investor-owned utilities (non-IOUs). For large non-IOUs, there is still pressure to respond to stakeholders and an extensive customer base, but it is more challenging to promote sustainability inside smaller organizations, such as rural electric cooperatives. Hoosier Energy, located in Bloomington Indiana, has been implementing programs to support its communities since its founding in 1949 but has only recently begun to frame these programs as continuous improvement. It took the development of a plan for new headquarters facilities to help bring all the pieces together into a theme that made sense for Hoosier Energy. The Hoosier Energy story is presented as an example of garnering support for a comprehensive program within a generation and tranmission cooperative .
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Notes
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Information from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association website: http://www.nreca.coop/about-electric-cooperatives/co-op-facts-figures/.
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NRECA website on facts and figures http://www.nreca.coop/about-electric-cooperatives/co-op-facts-figures/.
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The IOU average size is 540,000 m.
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Co-ops have an average of 57 % of their customers as residential versus 43 % commercial and industrial. IOUs serve 36 % residential and 64 % commercial and industrial.
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Hoosier Energy 65th Anniversary/2014, 65 YEARS OF COOPERATIVE PARTNERSHIP An Illustrated History of Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, Published by Hoosier Energy.
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During the first year of operation of the education center, any student who came into the center could submit their idea for a name for the “environmental turtle” mascot. The winning name, Freshwater Fred, was chosen by three judges from Indiana’s Departments of education, natural resources, and environmental management
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Significant information has been included from Hoosier Energy Resources. They include the Hoosier Energy newsletter “Energy Lines,” the Hoosier Energy website (http://www.hepn.com), and Hoosier Energy 65th Anniversary book, 2014.
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Hoosier Energy studies have shown that improved heating systems and insulation of homes often results in members being able to heat and cool their homes to more moderate temperatures rather than reducing their energy consumption. In essence, they are choosing to spend the same amount for energy while being able to live more comfortably.
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Touchstone Energy Homes information can be found at: http://www.touchstoneenergy.com/homeprogram.
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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
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Reilly, M. (2016). Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.: The Rural Cooperative Perspective. In: Fox, J. (eds) Sustainable Electricity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28953-3_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28953-3_10
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