El Paso Electric is deeply engaged with the community. In a recent show of support for community development, EPE’s new president and CEO, Kelly Tomblin, kicked off The Bridge Accelerator’s 7th cohort by sharing the company's vision with an honest conversation about “The Innovation in Energy”.
El Paso Electric is a regional utility company that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity services to 384,000 homes and businesses between the Rio Grande valley in west Texas and southern New Mexico. EPE's electricity stretches far and wide from Hatch to New Mexico, Van Horn, and two connections to Juarez, Mexico.
Among El Paso Electric’s facilities is a 15.8% share in Palo Verde’s Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona, 7% interest in the Four Corners Station in New Mexico, the Rio Grande Power Station, the New Man Power Station and the Copper Power Station in El Paso.
El Paso Electric’s Commitments to Environmental Sustainability
At El Paso Electric, Jessica Christianson is the Vice President of Sustainability and Energy Solutions. Since her arrival, EPE has been doubling down on campaigns to reduce reliance on unsustainable energy sources.
One of the most exciting campaigns revolves around recycling energy-sucking refrigerators. The old fridges are characterized as vampires for the Halloween season.
The reality is that older refrigerators are massive drains on the energy sector. In fact, fridges are typically the most energy-expensive appliance in any given home.
Today, as many as one-third of household refrigerators are more than 10 years old, so they’re highly inefficient. So much so that those 70 million people who own old fridges are paying $4.4 billion annually in energy costs.
Old fridges are not just expensive from a sustainability standpoint but also to the people who own them, which is why EPE has been running a campaign where residents who get rid of their old fridges can receive $70 towards a new one.
EPE is also highly vocal about all kinds of household sustainability initiatives, including the benefits of going solar, food security, using LED bulbs, reducing energy usage, and much more. One quick visit to their LinkedIn page shows the many initiatives EPE has been developing and promoting in the interests of sustainability and carbon neutrality.
What Does Carbon Neutral Mean?
Sustainability and carbon neutrality have been top commitments from El Paso Electric and, as such, have been high priorities on EPE’s strategic annual agenda.
One of EPE’s endeavors has been a major push toward carbon neutrality for regional businesses and households
But many may still ask themselves what does carbon-neutral mean, and what is the difference between carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability?
Carbon neutrality refers to a state of net-zero carbon dioxide being emitted from households and businesses to balance carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The vast majority of Americans want the country to take more steps to become completely carbon-neutral by 2050. Another 31% would be pleased to see fossil fuels phased out completely.
In response, EPE and its intrepid team of sustainability experts are working to make sustainable solutions more accessible. One way of doing this is by ensuring that there are simultaneously no financial losses for those industries that would not otherwise be able to make the push toward going green.
Community Economic Development with El Paso Electric
One of the ways that EPE is highly invested in community economic development is through its sponsorship of The Bridge Accelerator’s binational supplier development program.
EPE is committed to learning about and understanding economic development impacts and opportunities in the border region, also often known as the Borderplex. The El Paso district grew by 2.9% or $121.3 billion in November of 2021 – a growth that’s expected to rise even more.
EPE and Technology Hub understand that there’s economic growth as usual, and then there’s smart growth that considers the future we’re building towards.
The Bridge Accelerator has phenomenal partners that contribute to the community in important ways; if you’re interested in getting involved as a participant or sponsor, reach out to us at Technology HUB.
