City of McKinney Plugs in First Electric Vehicle to City Owned Charging Network
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DALLAS--May 13, 2011: The City of McKinney’s first electric vehicle (EV) plugs into its very own EV charging station today at the city’s Roy and Helen Hall Library downtown provided through the TXU Energy EV Accelerator ProgramSM.
“McKinney has a reputation for being a leader in sustainable practices. Public-private partnerships like this one with TXU Energy are important to us as we continue to grow our sustainable mission without negatively impacting our budget or allocating additional tax dollars to projects like this”
This station is one of the city’s four planned charging stations. The remaining charging stations will be located at the McKinney Senior Recreation Center, as well as the office buildings for the Development Services and Public Work departments. The TXU Energy EV Accelerator ProgramSM helps customers like the City of McKinney ‘jump-start’ their adoption of EVs and associated charging stations.
In addition to installing the charging stations, TXU Energy worked with the City of McKinney to secure a grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, who is funding the conversion of three existing city vehicles, Toyota Prius hybrids, into plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
“We see interest from cities in electric vehicles, and we try to provide solutions our customers and communities want,” said Jim Burke, chief executive officer for TXU Energy. “We intend to be a leader in the movement toward greater use of electric vehicles because it’s important for our customers, it’s important for Texas, and it makes good business sense.”
“McKinney has a reputation for being a leader in sustainable practices. Public-private partnerships like this one with TXU Energy are important to us as we continue to grow our sustainable mission without negatively impacting our budget or allocating additional tax dollars to projects like this,” said McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller. “By making charging stations convenient for residents and using hybrid electric vehicles in the city fleet, McKinney continues to lead the way and expand our commitment to the environment and sustainable growth, while reducing expenditures in other operational areas associated with fleet use. With the ability to utilize Department of Energy Grant funding provided to the city for projects related to energy conservation as well as monetary rebates from TXU Energy for this program, not only are we conserving energy, we are also conserving financial resources.”
The City of McKinney’s sustainability programs are led by the Office of Environmental Stewardship. Currently, the community is creating a sustainability plan and implementing projects from a recent Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant of more than $1 million received from the Department of Energy (DOE). The projects have been open to community input through a series of meetings and include a renewable demonstration project, a bicycle study, an urban canopy study and a water conservation program.
TXU Energy is providing $150,000 in rebates to the City of McKinney through its Brighten GreenBackSM program of energy saving solutions. This includes the TXU Energy EV Accelerator ProgramSM and various energy efficiency incentives. These rebates to the city are included in a four-year contract the city recently signed with TXU Energy for electricity service.
Brighten GreenBackSM, an energy savings solution from TXU Energy, gives businesses incentives for making a positive impact on the environment.
With Brighten GreenBackSM funds, business customers can invest in and modify their facilities when they sign up on or renew a 12-month minimum term commodity contract. These funds are above and beyond what could be received from local transmission and distribution utilities. And, business customers can make modifications, including through the EV Accelerator Program, that save energy and money now and in the future.
For more information about TXU Energy business products, visit TXU. For more information on McKinney’s green programs, visit McKinney Texas.
About TXU Energy
TXU Energy is a market-leading competitive retailer that provides electricity and related services to approximately 2 million electricity customers in Texas. TXU Energy offers a variety of innovative products and solutions, allowing both its residential and business customers to choose options that best meet their needs, including exceptional customer service, competitively priced electricity service plans, innovative energy-efficiency options, renewable energy programs and other electricity-related products and services. Visit TXU for more information about TXU Energy.
About McKinney
McKinney, Texas, is unique by nature. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., McKinney has a current population of more than 127,500. Incorporated in 1848, the city is located 30 miles north of Dallas and is the county seat of Collin County. McKinney offers rolling hills, lush trees, a historic downtown square and unique neighborhoods and developments, and it was recently ranked as the #5 Best Places to Live by Money Magazine. Visit the city’s Web site at McKinney Texas .
