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GREEN News
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KEYS TO SELL 54 ACRES FOR LAND CONSERVATION
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 04/16/2008 ~ In a continuing effort to preserve environmentally sensitive lands in the Florida Keys, Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet voted on Tuesday to acquire more than 54 acres from Keys Energy Services (KEYS) as part of the Florida Keys Ecosystem Florida Forever Project.
The 54 acres are on the West side of Blimp Road on Cudjoe Key and are directly across the street from the former site of the Cudjoe Key Diesel Generation site where KEYS’ annual Tree Giveaway is normally held. KEYS has owned the property since the late 1960s.
“As owners and custodians of this valuable habitat, we felt the partnership with the State through the Florida Forever program was the best way to ensure the preservation of the habitat,” said Lynne Tejeda, KEYS General Manager & CEO.
The cost to the State to purchase the 54 acres from KEYS will be $1.9 million. KEYS will use the money from the sale of the property to perform soil remediation at KEYS facilities and storm-harden KEYS Service Building and Stock Island Generating Facilities.
The purchase is part of an accelerated plan by the State to preserve almost 12,000 acres along the Florida Keys, with over 6,500 acres of the project having already
been acquired.
The Florida Keys Ecosystem Florida Forever project stretches from South Key Largo to Boca Chica Key, encompassing parcels of West Indian plants and some of the largest remaining tracts of undeveloped hardwood hammocks. The habitats support more than 60 rare and endangered plants and animals, including the Lower Keys marsh rabbit, Key deer and white-crowned pigeon. This parcel will be managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Key Deer Refuge.
The 10-year, $3 billion Florida Forever program established by the Florida Legislature in 1999 conserves environmentally sensitive land, restores waterways and preserves important cultural and historical resources. For more information on the Florida Forever program, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/acquisition/FloridaForever/. For more information on KEYS other GREEN initiatives, visit www.KeysEnergy.com and click on the “Growing Greener Every Day” icon.
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KEYS GREEN PLEDGE DEMONSTRATES HOW SMALL STEPS CAN LEAD TO AN EVEN SMALLER CARBON FOOTPRINT
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03/28/2008 ~ In an ongoing effort to educate its customers about energy conservation, Keys Energy Services (KEYS) recently developed a web-based GREEN Pledge to allow participants to pledge their assistance in implementing greener practices.
The pledge covers five carbon reducing suggestions that can be easily implemented to help reverse global warming and reduce individual carbon footprints. Included in the pledge are suggestions to: replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs; reduce driving; weatherize homes with caulk and weather stripping; lower air conditioning thermostats; and maintain vehicle tires inflated and air filters cleaned.
“While KEYS continues to implement GREEN practices to benefit all of our customers, our online pledge demonstrates how individual small steps can lead to lasting change and a smaller carbon footprint,” said Lynne Tejeda, KEYS General Manager & CEO.
KEYS GREEN Pledge can be accessed by logging on to www.KeysEnergy.com, clicking on the Growing Greener Every Day icon and then selecting the GREEN Pledge option, or by logging directly on to http://www.keysenergy.com/green_carbonfootprint.php.
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KEYS UNVEILS SOLAR NET-METERING AT GREEN SYMPOSIUM
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03/17/2008 ~ Keys Energy Services’ (KEYS) General Manager & CEO, Lynne Tejeda, recently unveiled KEYS’ Solar Net-Metering option for customers wishing to install solar panels on their homes or businesses and interconnect to the electric grid. The announcement was made during the Government Going Green Symposium hosted by the Florida Keys Certified Public Manager chapter.
The net-metering option essentially allows KEYS to buy back excess energy produced by privately owned solar panels within KEYS service area.
“While solar panels are still costly and not yet affordable for all, KEYS’ net-metering option will help to ease the transition as customers go green,” said Tejeda. She added that, “customers should note that KEYS is not involved in the selling and/or installation of solar panels, but rather in the interconnection to the electric grid and buying back of excess power.”
As a public entity, KEYS is unable to recommend or promote solar energy contractors, however, customers are urged to visit the Florida Solar Energy Center at www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/ for more information.
KEYS’ customers wishing to interconnect their solar panels to the electric grid are urged to call KEYS at (305) 295-1080.
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KEYS SPONSORS NATIONAL THEATRE FOR CHILDREN PRODUCTIONS AT AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE ENERGY CONSERVATION
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 12/03/2007 ~ Educators and parents are constantly striving to find ways to engage children in learning. Keys Energy Services (KEYS) is providing a solution to this challenge with a touring theatre show called The Energized Guyz. This fast-paced, action-packed live educational program involves kids and presents lessons in a way that kids enjoy and helps children remember what they have learned long after the show is over. KEYS is sponsoring The Energized Guyz in area elementary schools FREE OF CHARGE. Using colorful sets and characters in humorous situations, The Energized Guyz is designed to teach young people the concepts and importance of electrical efficiency and energy conservation
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KEYS SPONSORS GREEN AREA AT LODGING ASSOCIATIONS ANNUAL TRADE SHOW AND HOSPITALITY EXPO
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 11/09/2007 ~ Keys Energy Services (KEYS) will be sponsoring the first ever 'Green Area' at the Lodging Association's annual Trade Show and Hospitality Expo on Thursday, November 15th, from 11:00 - 3:30 p.m., at the new Beachside conference center in Key West.
“We commend KEYS for their support in helping present this special 'Green Area' at our show this year,” said Lodging Association President, Jodi Weinhofer. She added that, "with the push towards energy and resource conservation as well as green lodging certifications, the ‘Green Area’ will feature vendors with new products and ideas to inspire businesses to be creative in conservation methods."
KEYS will also be a panelist at the ‘Green Lodging Panel Discussion’ at the General Membership luncheon the following day, Friday, November 16th, at the Beachside Resort. “We are very excited that KEYS, FKAA and Waste Management will also be participating in this discussion of how the business and lodging community can help conserve our resources” said Weinhofer.
New hospitality products and better solutions to management challenges from advertising to business supplies to cleaning will be on display at the Lodging Association of the Florida Keys and Key West Annual Trade Show & Hospitality Expo on Thursday, November 15th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the new Beachside Resort and Conference Center in Key West.
The show is open to the Florida Keys lodging, hospitality and business community whether they are members of the Lodging Association or not. Owners, managers and employees can see new products and be involved in the decision making for their business. Over 45 exhibitors from local, state, and national businesses that supply goods and services to the hospitality industry are expected to attend.
To pre-register for the show, hospitality industry owners, managers, and employees should contact the Lodging Association at (305) 296-4959 or emailing executiveoffice@keyslodging.org. Or they can simply register the day of the show.
There is no cost to attend the trade show.
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ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TRANSFORMERS ARRIVE
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 10/22/2007 ~ The 100 “environmentally friendly” electric transformers recently approved by the Utility Board have arrived and will soon be installed throughout Keys Energy Services’ (KEYS) service area.
Electric transformers traditionally utilize a mineral oil-based coolant, which is derived from petroleum, when transforming power to the necessary voltage level. The new “environmentally friendly” transformers will utilize coolants derived from domestically grown soybeans – a renewable energy source.
The new transformers are a part of a test program that KEYS’ staff will monitor and use in its determination when purchasing future transformers.
“Assuming the test program proves the field performance of the new transformers,” said Lynne Tejeda, KEYS General Manager & CEO, “I anticipate KEYS will be able to grow its green transformer program and replace outdated, petroleum-based transformers as units near the end of their use.”
Currently, an electric transformer utilizing a mineral oil-based coolant costs $1,168.00. An “environmentally friendly” transformer utilizing soybean derived coolants costs $1,246.00.
The Board previously added a business priority to its Strategic Plan at their May 23rd meeting to deal with the issue of climate change. The newly adopted priority calls for KEYS staff to “develop a plan to reduce atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases while considering the rate impact on KEYS’ customers.”
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BOARD APPROVES PURCHASE OF BIO-DIESEL FOR KEYS’ FLEET; GIVES GO AHEAD FOR SOLAR ENERGY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
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 10/22/2007 ~ The Utility Board approved a memorandum of understanding between KEYS and Reef Relief for a joint solar energy demonstration project being developed between the two agencies at their regular meeting on Wednesday, October 10th.
KEYS staff and Reef Relief are working to submit a grant proposal to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection seeking funding for approximately $100,000.00. The funding will assist both agencies in the design, purchase, and installation of a 10 kilowatt* solar photovoltaic array.
The array would be owned by and sited at the Reef Relief Environmental Center in Key West and KEYS staff would help to maintain the system. Reef Relief staff would work as the educational arm for KEYS on solar energy.
“At the Center,” said Tejeda, “KEYS customers and visitors to the Florida Keys could view an interconnected solar energy project and learn more about the benefits and the how-to of such a project.”
In order to submit a completed grant proposal, a memorandum of understanding between KEYS and Reef Relief was needed to define the scope of the project and the responsibility of each of the entities. If Reef Relief receives the grant funding, a formal agreement between KEYS and Reef Relief will be brought to the Utility Board for approval.
The regular meeting of the Utility Board took place at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 10th, in the Louis Carbonell Board Room of the William Arnold Service Building, 1001 James Street, Key West.
*Kilowatt – A unit of electrical power equal to 1,000 watts.
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BIO-DIESEL NOW ON TAP AT KEYS ENERGY SERVICES
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 10/25/2007 ~ Keys Energy Services’ (KEYS) fleet of 33 diesel vehicles are now running on bio-diesel*.
The Utility Board recently approved the purchase and use of a 5-percent bio-diesel blend in KEYS’ fleet of 33 diesel vehicles for an estimated annual cost of $97,456.00 or $2.44 per gallon at approximately 40,000 gallons per year.
The 5-percent bio-diesel blend will reduce sulfur emissions from 500 parts-per-million** (ppm) to 14.25 ppm and green house gases emitted from diesel vehicles by 5-percent. The 5-percent bio-diesel blend will also save KEYS approximately $7,200 a year in fuel costs.
“While bio-diesel is still a relatively new fuel source, KEYS’ staff feels confident that the 5-percent blend will further our green initiatives and not adversely affect the performance of KEYS’ fleet of diesel vehicles,” said Lynne Tejeda, KEYS General Manager & CEO. See added that, “as our confidence with bio-diesel increases, so too could the bio-diesel blends that we use in our fleets.”
While various blends of bio-diesel are available in the market, KEYS staff learned that manufacturer’s warranties on vehicles made in or before 2006 would become void if bio-diesel was utilized at a volume greater than 5-percent.
* Bio-diesel - Refers to a diesel-equivalent processed fuel, derived from biological sources (i.e.: soybean oil) which can be used in un-modified diesel-engine vehicles.
** Parts-Per-Million – A term used to explain very dilute concentrations of substances. Just as percent means out of a hundred, parts-per-million or ppm means out of a million.
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UTILITY BOARD TO LOBBY STATE AGENCY FOR SUPPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVES
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06/22/2007 ~ The Utility Board approved a resolution seeking support from the Florida Municipal Power Agency* (FMPA) on various climate change initiatives at their regular meeting on Wednesday, June 13th.
The Board previously added a business priority to its Strategic Plan at their May 23rd meeting to deal with the issue of climate change. The newly adopted priority calls for Keys Energy Services’ (KEYS) staff to “develop a plan to reduce atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases while considering the rate impact on KEYS’ customers.”
KEYS staff developed numerous action plans to support the new business priority, including efforts to lobby FMPA to establish renewable goals. The approval of the resolution formalizes the Board’s expectations of FMPA on the issue of climate change and provides a strong mechanism for communicating such expectations to FMPA staff and its Board of Directors.
Within the resolution, the Board urges FMPA to:
- Adopt an appropriate percentage goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, achievable by 2020.
- Commit to studying alternative fuel sources during Fiscal year 2008 and implementing use of appropriate sources beginning in Fiscal year 2009.
Additionally, the Board requests that FMPA:
- Immediately consider identifying, and financially supporting, a renewable demonstration project in Key West.
- Provide the necessary expertise to conduct a preliminary feasibility study of constructing a waste-to-energy facility in the Florida Keys.
- Assist KEYS staff in identifying potential grant funding for a waste-to-energy project.
The regular meeting of the Utility Board took place at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 13th, in the Louis Carbonell Board Room of the William Arnold Service Building, 1001 James Street, Key West.
* The Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) is a wholesale power company owned by 30
municipal electric utilities – including KEYS. FMPA provides economies of scale in power generation and related services to support community-owned electric utilities. The members of FMPA serve approximately 1.9 million Floridians. FMPA’s members include Alachua, Bartow, Blountstown, Bushnell, Chattahoochee, Clewiston, Fort Meade, Fort Pierce, Gainesville, Green Cove Springs, Havana, Homestead, Jacksonville Beach, Key West, Kissimmee, Lake Worth, Lakeland, Leesburg, Moore Haven, Mount Dora, New Smyrna Beach, Newberry, Ocala, Orlando, Quincy, St. Cloud, Starke, Vero Beach, Wauchula and Williston.
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UTILITY BOARD APPROVES CLIMATE CHANGE BUSINESS PRIORITY
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05/24/2007 ~ The Utility Board approved the addition of a climate change business priority to Keys Energy Services’ (KEYS) Strategic Plan at their regular meeting on Wednesday, May 23rd.
During the Board’s Strategic Planning workshop on April 18th, previously adopted strategies were reviewed and approved to remain in place for Fiscal Year* 2008. The Board also discussed the need for a new strategy to address and formalize KEYS’ response to climate change.
“Climate change is an issue that is important to many of our customers,” said Lynne Tejeda, KEYS General Manager & CEO. She added that the Utility, “must be prepared to respond to this issue.”
The business priority approved by the Board asks that KEYS, “develop a plan to reduce atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases while considering the rate impact on KEYS’ customers.”
Preliminary action plans developed by KEYS’ staff to implement this business priority include:
- Developing an education program to help customers learn about climate change and what they can do to help.
- Identifying customer assistance programs and determining their feasibility of implementation.
- Implementing “Green” initiatives for KEYS’ facilities and operations.
- Lobbying the Florida Municipal Power Agency** (FMPA) to establish renewable goals for all of it member utilities.
Tejeda added that, “while the business priority may now be official, it has long
been the unofficial policy of the Utility to promote energy conservation programs and services such as our FREE Home Energy Surveys and annual Tree Giveaway, which to date has allowed KEYS to give more than 30,000 native shade trees to our customers to help cut their cooling costs and conserve energy.”
The new climate change business priority will join the five original business priorities that the Board adopted in August 2006, they include:
- Developing a methodology to operate with flat or declining sales.
- Creating a stable, capable, committed work force.
- Maintaining reasonable long-term reliability levels compared to industry benchmarks and improving customer’s perception of reliability.
- Maximizing benefits to KEYS from FMPA.
- Maintaining high levels of customer service and satisfaction.
The regular meeting of the Utility Board took place at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 23rd, in the Louis Carbonell Board Room of the William Arnold Service Building, 1001 James Street, Key West.
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COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS LIGHT UP KEYS’ OFFICES & CONSERVE GREEN HOUSE GASES
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 05/18/2007 ~ Keys Energy Services (KEYS) recently replaced 35 incandescent light bulbs in the Board Room of its Service Building with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.
The new CFL bulbs will save the Utility nearly $4,000.00 in energy costs over the life expectancy of the bulbs and will conserve approximately 15,750 pounds of Green House gases.
While CFL bulbs cost more than their incandescent counter parts, KEYS paid $12.69 for each of the 35 dimmable CFL lights compared to $1.30 for a standard incandescent bulb, one CFL bulb alone lasts longer than six incandescent light bulbs. KEYS estimates that given the usage of the Board Room the 35 CFL bulbs will last over seven years and will pay back on their initial investment in just over ten months of use.
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L.E.D. TECHNOLOGY STOPS TRAFFIC AND HELPS CONSERVE ENERGY
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04/19/2007 ~ Light Emitting Diode (LED) traffic signals, which were originally installed on 17 traffic lights along US Highway One and now cover almost all of Keys Energy Services (KEYS) Service Area, are conserving over 140,000 Kilowatt-Hours* (kwh) of energy per month when compared to their incandescent counterparts.
KEYS, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) and the City of Key West Engineering Department, oversaw a multi-year project to install battery back-up systems on 17 traffic signals along US Highway One to provide a minimum of eight hours of continuous, uninterrupted service in the event of a power interruption. The LED traffic signals were installed in conjunction with this project to further conserve the life of the battery since regular incandescent traffic signals would have consumed too much energy and reduced the overall life of the battery.
Given the success of the US Highway One traffic signal project, KEYS has replaced nearly all of the remaining 60 traffic signals it maintains from Key West to Big Pine Key with LED technology to further build upon its contributions to reducing energy consumption.**
Electrical load requirements of LED lights are 10-percent of that of incandescent lights. Additionally, LED lights produce a more even, easy-to-see light, and have a longer life.
Prior to the LED traffic signal project, the 78 traffic signals that KEYS maintains within its service area consumed over 160,000 kwh of energy per month. Those same traffic signals now consume just over 27,000 kwh per month.
* A Kilowatt-Hour (kwh) is a common unit of electric energy consumption, and the basic unit of electric energy. 1,000 watts consumed for one hour equals a single kilowatt-hour.
** Only the 17 traffic signals along US Highway One have battery back-up capabilities, the remaining 60 traffic signals are solely utilizing the LED technology with no battery back-up capabilities.
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