But the savings continue. These opportunities are leading to unusual partnerships. From Connecticut to Washington to California, management and staff of innovative water, wastewater, electrical, and gas utilities, both publicly and privately owned, are hammering out combined water and energy efficiency programs. And while there is an up-front capital cost in meetings, memos, and management, the payback can come quickly. When the capital investment is split, each utility's dollars go twice as far, reaching more homes than possible without a partnership.
Some utilities share a single plan for marketing, installation, evaluation, and advertising.
They invent the wheel once. Like an investor with a diversified portfolio, a water efficiency program with broad support fares well when the economy is ailing. For example, when the San Diego Water County Authority exhausted its program funding for a short period, San Diego Gas and Electric covered its costs in the interim, to maintain program continuity and preserve the relationship with a private contractor. Public relations . Bound For Efficiency Utility partners do not literally exchange dollars as they divide program responsibility.