Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) is a customer-owned cooperative providing electricity to more than 137,000 customers, making it one of the largest electric co-ops in the nation. SMECO launched its residential energy efficiency programs in 2009, and, along with other utilities supporting EmPOWER Maryland, is making great strides toward achieving its energy efficiency goals. SMECO is receiving ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence recognition for its successful delivery of ENERGY STAR Certified Homes, Certified Products, and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) programs. Key 2015 accomplishments include:

• Incentivizing more than 500 ENERGY STAR certified homes, resulting in 1,000 megawatt hours (MWh) saved and an increase of six percent over the market penetration reported in 2014.
• Employing a multimedia outreach strategy to promote ENERGY STAR certified homes that resulted in more than two million media impressions, and transitioning to ENERGY STAR Version 3.1.
• Promoting ENERGY STAR certified lighting and appliances products, as well as appliance recycling, through its Products Programs, and delivering around 23,000 MWh savings as of the third quarter of 2015, and driving consumer awareness about the benefits of ENERGY STAR lighting by generating nearly seven million impressions thorough a range of outreach and educational activities.
• Collaborating with other Maryland utilities and industry stakeholders to advance the EmPower Maryland HPwES program. In 2015, the HPwES program provided hands-on training on performing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) diagnostics, afterward HPwES contractors were encouraged to utilize HVAC partnerships to create better work scopes for customers.