This sounds great, how do I sign up?
What is PECO WIND?
PECO WIND is a 100 percent pollution-free, wind-generated electricity product brought to you by PECO in association with Community Energy, the nation’s leading wind energy marketer. PECO WIND is generated right here in Pennsylvania by state-of-the-art modern wind turbines. The wind energy is delivered directly to the electricity grid that supplies most of the homes and businesses in the mid-Atlantic region. By participating in the PECO WIND program, you are supporting this new renewable source of electricity.
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What are the advantages of supporting PECO WIND?
Wind power is clean energy. Building and maintaining wind farms creates jobs and revenue for landowners and local communities. As more customers sign up, more wind farms will be built in Pennsylvania.
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Why does PECO WIND cost more?
The cost of producing electricity from wind energy is slightly higher than generating electricity from a conventional power source like coal or nuclear power. The price of wind energy is directly related to the cost of developing and constructing a wind farm and the seasonal production at wind power projects. Wind energy prices are 80% lower now than they were just 25 years ago. Voluntary products like PECO WIND help drive the development of new wind projects in Pennsylvania and the region by providing customer demand for this clean, abundant energy resource. As the wind energy industry continues to grow and meet our increasing energy demands, the price will become even more competitive.
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How does PECO WIND get to my business?
Imagine the electric grid is a giant bathtub being filled with electricity from many different faucets. Each faucet is a different generation source, like nuclear, coal, and wind. Every time you turn on a light switch, you drain a little electricity from the tub. Although buying wind does not mean that electricity is being delivered straight from the wind turbine to your business, it does mean that more of the electricity being put into the grid comes from wind, rather than other generation sources. By supporting PECO WIND you are reducing the need to generate electricity from other sources.
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Can my company benefit from tax incentives buy purchasing PECO WIND?
The customer of PECO WIND does not receive tax benefits or incentives for their purchase of PECO WIND.
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Can I use the wind energy purchase to declare emissions reductions?
The customer of PECO WIND does receive emissions offsets for their purchase. However, at this time, these credits do not have direct monetary value and cannot be used to satisfy federal, state or local, emission standards.
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What is the minimum purchase for a commercial customer?
The minimum purchase is 100 kWh/ month of PECO WINDsm. This minimum purchase would cost $2.54/ month. Each customer is encouraged to purchase according to their organization’s environmental objectives and business budget. By enabling customers to make a small purchase, PECO is making it possible for organizations of any size to demonstrate their support of regionally generated, emissions free wind energy.
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What are the special contact rates for PECO WIND?
PECO offers discounted pricing to PECO Wind customers who commit to buy 2,600,000 kilowatt hours per year of PECO WIND service for a term of two or more years. Pricing for special contracts varies with the volume and term of the purchase. Please contact your account manager for details.
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My corporation has multiple locations within the PECO territory, can I aggregate the purchase to receive better rates for PECO WIND?
To qualify for special contract pricing, you must commit to purchase at least 2,600,000 kWh per year of PECO WIND service under one account. We suggest that customers with multiple sites aggregate their PECO WIND purchase to the account for their largest site. For customers large enough to enter into special contracts at more than one facility, e.g., purchase 2,600,000 kWh per year at each of five facilities, the special contract pricing will be based on the cumulative purchase. Contact your PECO account manager for more information and help in figuring out how to structure a large purchase.
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What type of public relations benefits can I expect for my purchase of PECO WIND?
The PECO WIND team will work with our customers to highlight their PECO WIND purchases. The process for announcing a wind purchase is usually a cooperative effort between the PECO WIND team and the customer’s public relations group. Customers tend to receive more exposure for larger purchases or for purchases that are the first within an industry.
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Will my lights go out if the wind is not blowing?
No. PECO will still deliver the electricity you use each day. The only difference is that some of that electricity will come from a different place – a wind farm.
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Whom do I call if the power goes out?
PECO. PECO will continue to provide the quality customer care, emergency service, power line maintenance, and repair you already depend on.
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Will my current electric bill be affected by my purchase of wind?
When you sign up for PECO WIND, the additional cost will be added to your monthly PECO electric bill.
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Will there be a windmill at my facility?
No, PECO WIND energy is generated at commercial wind farms here in Pennsylvania – two in southwestern PA and one in northeastern PA. These wind farms create electricity and deliver it directly to the same electric grid as conventional sources of electricity.
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How is this different from just making a donation?
The cost associated with PECO WIND represents the difference between the cost of conventionally generated electricity and the higher cost of wind-generated electricity. The premium dollars go back to the wind farm to help them operate cost effectively. You are paying for real energy production. If you sign up for PECO WIND, you are paying for a specified number of kilowatt-hours of wind generation to be added to the local electric grid.
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Do wind farms have a negative impact on birds?
No, not when wind farms are sited properly. Some of the early wind farms, specifically Altamont Pass in Northern California, have resulted in the death of raptors, such as hawks and eagles. In these areas, birds of prey occasionally perch atop the wind turbines for a better view while hunting. Studies are now conducted to understand bird migration patterns to ensure the safe positioning of wind farms. Our sites have been found to be free of ground prey and bodies of water that attract birds, and are not within the hunting range of raptor nests or located on bird migratory routes. Furthermore, modern wind turbine designs are much more bird-friendly. For example, solid tubular towers are used to prevent birds from perching and the turbine blades rotate much more slowly than earlier designs.
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This sounds great, how do I sign up?
Signing up to receive PECO WIND is easy! Simply click Enroll to be transferred to our secure online enrollment form, or give us a call at 1-866-WIND-321. You’ll need your PECO account number in order to sign up. We look forward to serving you clean energy for years to come!
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