Energy Cooperative of America

— NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT CONTINUED EXPANSION

With 7,500 members in 10 utility territories across New York State and Pennsylvania, Energy Cooperative of America is proudly celebrating its 20th anniversary, a surprise to skeptics who didn’t believe a not-for-profit energy company could survive in the profit-first industry.

Building on these two decades of success, ECA is launching a new brand campaign titled Positive Energy. A nod to the company’s core values as a not-for-profit energy supplier, the campaign expresses Positive Energy as the type of energy that ECA runs on, being a company that genuinely cares about its customers and the welfare of the area’s economy. In positioning itself this way, ECA also poses the question: Why pay more when you can get the same thing — and with better customer service — for less? Partnering with Rochester-based advertising firm JAY Marketing & Communications for brand creative and media services.

Transparency. Honesty. Accountability. Flexibility. These are some of the guiding principles steering ECA’s direction, allowing them to provide the superior service and savings with which they’ve become synonymous. Since the company’s inception, they have saved members $46 million dollars, thanks to its “strength in numbers” strategy, which has consistently outperformed the regulated utilities in New York, and by keeping overhead and marketing costs at a minimum, instead relying on positive word-of-mouth from satisfied customers.

When the mission isn’t about stock value or the company bottom line, but rather about providing customers gas and electricity at the lowest possible cost, there are no conflicts between shareholders and customers, no impediments to passing along the greatest possible savings in a deregulated market. Driven to succeed in this fashion is what sets ECA apart from the competition and will allow it to remain the best source for low-cost energy.

“I’m proud to work with an organization that has a 20-year legacy of serving the community by providing low cost energy with the highest level of service,” says Joseph Mascaro, Energy Cooperative of America’s Executive Director.  “As a not for profit, the Energy Cooperative of America is competitive while maintaining its commitment to the people and businesses it serves.”

And as the only truly not-for-profit retail energy marketer and service provider in the energy industry, Energy Cooperative of America has no reason to charge above-market rates. In fact, everything in its open-book business model is geared toward delivering the best prices and greatest benefits to members.

The Energy Cooperative of America (ECA) is reaching out to you to gauge interest in an exciting new electricity market concept - Community Solar.  Recent changes in New York State energy policy now allow entities like ECA to develop large scale solar projects to deliver clean power directly to nearby communities.

The Energy Cooperative of America is partnering with SolarPark Energy to develop the first community solar project in New York State.  Located in Grand Island, this project will serve up to 400 homes and small businesses across WNY starting in early 2017.  Benefits include:

*      10 Year Fixed rate for Clean, Solar Energy

*      You own a % of the solar project's output

*      No roof-top system!  No Hassles!

For further details and to pre-register (with no obligation) please click the link below and indicate your interest on ECA's web site.

Pre-Registration Link: http://solar.ecamerica.org/WebEnroll/cdg

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL CO-OP MONTH

The advantages of cooperative membership and recognize the benefits and values co-ops bring to their members and communities.

Unlike other businesses, cooperatives are member-owned and not-for-profit.  The cooperative difference defines who we are and what we can achieve: we are looking out for our members’ best interest.

At the Energy Cooperative of America (ECA), we are proud to announce the launch of our brand new company logo, as part of our ongoing evolution as an Energy Supply Cooperative providing excellence to our members and furthering the evolution of our company brand.

Energy Cooperative has grown and evolved over the last 18 years, and we felt it was time for a change. We are proud of our history. After a long creative process, we have chosen an identity that captures the essence of our industry position and graphically gives a visual presence that matches our name and commitment to our members. Our logo reflects who we are today and symbolizes our dynamic future. That’s why our new logo retains our core elements, the lightning bolt and gas fuel, into one icon. The new logo colors reflect the Energy Cooperative of America’s commitment to energy efficiency, sustainability and technology.

Visit www.ecamerica.org to see our new branding in full operation.

Last month, the spike in natural gas costs cause prices to skyrocket for statewide electricity customers.  Between the cold winter and the surging demand for natural gas which is largest fuel source to generate electricity in NYS.

The dreaded Polar Vortex put the State into a temporary deep freeze.  Both NYS and PA set state records for electricity usage on January 7th which in fact broke the previous winter peak usage.

National Grid has just introduced a tool for all Residential customers to view a ESCO Cost Comparison vs. National Grid supply costs.  Just log in to National Grid website to see your cost savings reports.  Link to the website:

LED, ( light emitting diodes ), is the cutting edge lighting technology. While available for limited applications for some time, continued improvements and reduced first costs result in a light source which now is a viable option for many lighting projects. Lighting manufactures continue to offer a greater selection of fixtures for both residential and commercial use.

     As the technology continues to improve, LED is beginning to replace fluorescent and metal halide light sources. With its extreme energy efficiency, LED lighting can reduce energy consumption by over 50 % vs. alternate designs. An added benefit is the avoided maintenance as manufactures offer extended warranties of 5 – 10 years based on the type of fixture and application. Beyond the energy savings, the maintenance benefits are notable especially for areas with difficult access for servicing the light fixtures.

     With the emergence of LED, both the local utility companies and NYSERDA, ( New York State Energy Research and Development Authority ), are offering incentives to offset the installation costs. It is imperative to initiate discussion during the design phase of a project to verify incentive qualification. For large scale projects, custom rebates are based on the total energy avoidance vs. prescriptive, “ per fixture “ incentives.

Through this program,businesses impacted by Sandy,Irene and Lee are eligible for grants of $50,000 or more to help replace physical items such as machinery, moveable equipment, inventory, furniture and fixtures, as well as help with the day to day expenses entrepreneurs need to run their businesses. Further, the Program is able to provide grants to reimburse businesses that already purchased these physical items to get their business back up and running.  In both cases, the grants would cover "unmet need" above and beyond those covered by insurance proceeds, grant programs and other government resources. Please contact SBDC office at 1-845-356-6065 to start your application.

To learn about corporate tax credits, loan programs and utility rebate programs connected to energy-efficiency measures,

please click below to read about incentives and policies for PA