Clarksville Department of Electricity (CDE) becomes Green Certified

Montgomery County, TN – On Monday afternoon, October 7th, Clarksville Department of Electricity (CDE) became the first City Department to earn Clarksville-Montgomery County Green Certification.

CDE has supported the CMC Green Certification Program since it began in the spring of 2011 when they agreed to give presentations about energy savings as a part of the program’s workshops.

In early 2012, Jim Manning, administrative manager, made the decision that CDE would participate as a city department. The new energy services manager, John Jackson, continued working on the project.

After cutting the ribbon, Montgomery County Mayor Carolyn Bowers and Clarksville Mayor McMillan asked Jackson what they did to earn certification.

Jackson explained, “We have improved our recycling efforts. We had been doing some recycling but have made it more convenient for all employees. We have a hybrid bucket truck on order and are looking at fuel efficiency more closely as we replace outdated vehicles. We recently performed an energy efficient lighting upgrade and we have an energy management system in place that regulates thermostats during occupied an unoccupied periods. Another project is to begin offering customers paperless billing in 2014. This will greatly reduce the amount of paper and ink we use.”

Not only has CDE been doing their own conservation practices but they work diligently to educate others in the community to do the same. They present at the CMC Green Certification workshops as well as at businesses in the community that request their involvement in helping employees understand what they can do to reduce their electricity usage at home.

Superintendent Brian Taylor added, “We have always encouraged our employees to use energy efficiently. Participating in the CMC Green Certification Program takes us to another level with recycling, waste management and all other areas that help us to be better stewards for the environment.”

CDE Lightband is a municipal electric and broadband services provider serving approximately 65,000 electric customers and 14,000 broadband customers within the city limits of Clarksville, TN.

If your business has an interest in learning more about the Clarksville-Montgomery County Green Certification Program email Michelle Newell at manewell@mcgtn.net or call 931.245.1867.