Supporting clean, renewable energy not only is easy, it soon will cost less.

Utah Power announced that on May 1, it will reduce the price of Blue Sky renewable wind energy from $2.95 per 100 kilowatt-hour block to $1.95. 

Utah Power launched Blue Sky in 2000 to give customers a choice in how their energy is produced, and to allow them a part in creating demand for renewable energy resources. The program gives customers the opportunity to buy wind energy in 100-kilowatt-hour block increments, in addition to their regular monthly electric bill. More than 10,600 have signed up systemwide.

"We’re hopeful that the new, lower price for Blue Sky will spur more signups," said Bill Edmonds, Utah Power’s director of environmental policy. "We lowered Blue Sky’s price because of greater customer participation, improved technology and the reduced cost of acquiring renewable power."

Edmonds pointed out that Blue Sky purchases are made in addition to the renewables that Utah Power already places into its system. "For example, we recently announced plans to add 1,400 megawatts of new wind and geothermal resources into our energy mix in the next 10 years," he said.

Due to increased customer participation in all the company’s renewable offerings, Utah Power’s parent company, PacifiCorp, received national recognition for its renewable power efforts. Last February, the U.S. Dept. of Energy ranked PacifiCorp third in the nation for the number of customers signed up for renewable power, and sixth for the amount purchased. Today, PacifiCorp has more than 21,000 customers participating in renewable power options.

In Utah, nearly 5,384 customers have signed up for Blue Sky, and more than 10,600 have signed up systemwide.

Buying a 100-kwh block of Blue Sky each month for a year has the same positive environmental impact as planting a third of an acre of trees or not driving a car for 1,800 miles. Since the program’s inception, Blue Sky customers have purchased more than 44 million kilowatt-hours of wind energy – enough to serve 3,600 homes for a year. These purchases have prevented more than over 30 tons of carbon dioxide.*

To sign up for Blue Sky, call 1-800-842-8458 or e-mail bluesky@pacificorp.com . Customers also can sign up on line .

Utah Power cannot guarantee that electricity from a particular facility will flow directly to a customer’s home or business. However, the company will deliver to the regional grid an amount of renewable energy equal to the amount of a customer’s block purchase. All Blue Sky purchases help support renewable energy generation.

* Calculations are based n an independent analysis completed by the Northwest Power Planning council and EPA data.