Chattanooga, TN (July 19, 2018) – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and Governor Bill Haslam have recognized EPB of Chattanooga as a Pursuit of Excellence Winner for its leadership in environmental stewardship.

During the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award ceremony, state officials recognized EPB’s pilot program that measures energy and water usage in each of its buildings and tracks performance of recycling materials that would have otherwise been disposed of in area landfills.

“These awards highlight what’s being done in Tennessee to preserve our natural resources, protect public health and the environment, and enhance our quality of life,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. “I applaud all of the 2018 winners for their continued work to make their respective industries and passions more sustainable.”

TDEC recognized EPB’s success of recycling field metals, vegetation waste, the performance and value of fiber optic equipment, smart grid efficiencies and employee transportation methods. Since 2016, EPB has reduced carbon emissions by 3,340 tons through smart grid efficiencies, recycled 1,797 tons of field metals and 2,869 tons of vegetation materials by grinding wood chips produced from trimming trees and making it available to customers.  TDEC also noted EPB’s offering Solar Share, a community solar program, and Home Energy Upgrade, an energy efficiency program for qualifying income customers.   

“EPB’s commitment to environmental stewardship is the result of our employees’ passion and working together in pursuit of efficiencies and value for our customers and community,” said EPB CEO and President David Wade. “We share a commitment to improving quality of life for all of our neighbors.”

About EPB

Established as an independent board of the City of Chattanooga in 1935, EPB is a municipally-owned utility that provides electric power and fiber optic communications services as a means of promoting economic development and enhancing quality of life across the local area.

EPB serves more than 170,000 homes and businesses in a 600 square-mile area that includes greater Chattanooga, as well as parts of surrounding counties and areas of North Georgia.

In 2010, EPB became the first provider in the United States to deliver up to 1 Gig (1,000 Mbps) internet speeds utilizing a community-wide fiber optic network that provides access to every home and business in its service area. In 2015, EPB became the first, and to date, only American ISP to make up to 10 Gig (10,000 Mbps) internet speeds accessible to all of its residential and commercial customers as a standard offer.

EPB has also utilized its community-wide fiber optic network to deploy the most advanced and highly automated smart grid power management system in the nation. In recognition of EPB’s groundbreaking infrastructure, the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are utilizing EPB’s smart grid as a national model for researching and developing best practices. EPB is also the first major power distribution utility to earn the USGBC’s PEER certification for having a highly automated, modernized electric power grid.