ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., presented 15 North Carolina communities with Public Power Awards of Excellence at ElectriCities’ 2023 Annual Conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The awards reflect public power’s strategic priorities, recognizing exceptional achievement during 2022 for the following categories: Future-focused, Strengthen Public Power, Provide Superior Power, Customer-centered Innovation, and People.
The celebration shouldn’t end there. That’s why we’re sharing more about each award category and highlighting a few of the communities whose efforts stand out. As you learn about the endeavors in public power communities throughout our region, it becomes clear that excellence lives here.
The Strengthen Public Power Award celebrates communities that build public and political support for public power.
These communities educate their public power customers, local elected officials, and state and federal decision-makers about the value public power provides, including exceptional reliability, local jobs, and community investment.
2022 Winners:
- Albemarle
- Apex
- Fayetteville PWC
- Granite Falls
- Greenville Utilities Commission
- Hamilton
- Kinston
- New Bern
- New River Light and Power
- Rocky Mount
- Wilson
The City of Rocky Mount Strengthens Public Power through unique interactions in the community.
Each year, Rocky Mount Energy Resources plans a large Public Power Week celebration at the community’s annual Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down. This two-day festival in downtown Rocky Mount includes live music, a barbecue competition, vendors, community, and family activities.
Energy Resources helps sponsor the event and sets up several stations there to educate the community on electricity safety, electric meters, energy audits, energy efficiency, weatherization, and load management.
The Energy Resources team advertises the Public Power Week activities in the City’s monthly newsletter, on social media, in the local newspaper, on the City’s Government Channel TV19, on the City’s digital billboard, and in radio spots and television commercials.
Rocky Mount also uses those and other communications channels to educate its energy customers year-round on topics such as energy conservation, storm preparation and safety, and the difference between customer-owned equipment and utility-owned equipment. On social media, Energy Resources shares photos and stories of employees participating at school events and career days, being recognized at special events, participating in safety training, and working to keep the community powered.
Representatives from Energy Resources attend City Council meetings to share the department’s significant achievements.
The Town of Granite Falls Strengthens Public Power by educating and advocating to state legislators.
The Town Manager visits the area’s representatives in the General Assembly at least twice per session and calls or emails them as needed to advocate for public power and to communicate issues impacting the utility or its customers.
The Town of Granite Falls invites legislators to attend at least one Town Council meeting per year to discuss happenings in the General Assembly. Doing so enables Town representatives and state legislators to build relationships instead of communicating only when something is needed.
Continue learning about the excellence that lives here by reading about the Future-focused Award, the Provide Superior Power Award, the Customer-centered Innovation Award, the People-focused Award, and the communities that exemplified them in 2022.