Neighbors Powering What Matters

Community Energy: the benefit of North Alabama Electric and TVA working together
Community Energy

Community Energy—In Our Region, Power Means More

North Alabama Electric Cooperative (NAEC) is powered by a public power model — owned by and accountable to the people who live here. So the initiatives we invest in through our power model serve one purpose: helping our communities thrive.

Because we support public power, we all benefit from Community Energy. It’s the progress our model enables — like more job opportunities thanks to thriving and growing communities, outdoor recreation as a result of protected lands, cleaner energy sources, and much more.

A Partnership of Service

NAEC and TVA work together to power not just our homes and businesses, but our potential too — by combining efforts to help create a future we all believe in.

Working Together to Make Life in Our Community Better

Recreation and Job Creation

North Alabama Electric Cooperative and (NAEC) and TVA were founded on a mission to serve — through reliable and affordable energy, a safe and protected environment and thriving economic development.

Located in the lush, Appalachian foothills of northern Alabama, scenic Lake Guntersville offers relaxation and enjoyment for residents and tourists alike.

Fishing and bald eagle watching are just two of the many activities enjoyed at the lake by members of NAEC. Ongoing TVA stewardship of the watershed ensures that the water and surrounding lands remain accessible to the community by providing trails and blueways and aquatic vegetation management.

Covering 6,000 acres of public land along the Tennessee River, the lake was created when the Guntersville Dam was completed by TVA in 1939. The dam produces clean hydropower as part of TVA’s balanced generation portfolio and reduces flood damage for farmers, landowners and recreators along the shores. Partnerships enabled by NAEC customers allow TVA to protect and conserve the abundant cultural resources in the area as well.

NAEC serves several communities within Jackson and Marshall counties. Economic development of the area is a top concern for Bruce Purdy, general manager of NAEC. Competition with neighboring regions to win new industry can be competitive, but the partnership with TVA helps NAEC and the communities it serves compete, Purdy said.

Economic development isn’t just about building new manufacturing facilities. Providing educational opportunities for local students to learn in-demand job skills is also key to not only economic growth, but also ensuring that residents continue to reside in the community. With this in mind, Jackson County leaders held a celebrated ground-breaking ceremony in October of 2020 on the site of the new Jackson County Innovation and Career Academy, scheduled to be completed for enrollment by Fall 2022.

Purdy says TVA’s partnership was integral to the “state of the art” tech center, which will include a repurposed 66,000-square-foot building in Jackson County Industrial Park. Students will have the opportunity to study subjects to prepare them for the workforce that their home schools may not offer, such as AP computer science, agricultural science, cybersecurity, building construction, and cosmetology.

 

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Resources for Your Home, Business and Life

Our partnership makes helpful programs like these possible.

Education

North Alabama Electric Cooperative (NEAC) and TVA work together to support community-wide learning about energy efficiency, meet STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) objectives and provide opportunities to develop skills that can prepare students for careers in technical fields. 

TVA STEM Grants

Teachers in public schools that receive power from a TVA distributor can win STEM grants up to $5,000. In 2022 alone, TVA distributed $1 million, in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated, a TVA retiree organization, and the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. TVA gives preference to applications covering its primary areas of focus–environment, energy, economic development, and community problem solving.

NAEC is proud of 2019 TVA STEM grant awardees Bridgeport Middle School, Skyline High School and Stevenson Elementary School.

TVA EnergyRight® School Uplift 

Schools enrolled in TVA EnergyRight® School Uplift receive infrastructure upgrades to reduce energy costs and improve the quality of the learning environment. Heating, cooling and lighting improvements are the tip of the iceberg, however as the program’s focus is long-term learning for communities. Students and faculty at chosen schools receive behavior-based strategic energy management (SEM) training and learn easy, actionable energy saving tips and energy efficiency practices.  

TVA EnergyRight Educational Workshops

Eye Spy Energy Kids’ Workshop

TVA EnergyRight and NAEC partner to bring Spark, Bolt, Zap and their other EnergyRight Monster friends to elementary schools across the community, teaching students where energy comes from, how we use it and ways to save at home. Students can continue the energy-saving fun with their families using Eye Spy Energy Kits.

EnergyRight® Energy Monsters

TVA and local power companies partner up to bring EnergyRight® Energy Monsters workshops to schools to teach where energy comes from, how we use it and ways to save at home. Students can take home Eye Spy Energy Kits to continue the energy savings fun with their families.

Education

Recreation

TVA’s management of the Valley’s public lands and waterways provides many opportunities for Tennessee residents and tourists to participate in outdoor activities.

The NAEC community enjoys fishing and recreation on Lake Guntersville, which is supported by TVA’s environmental stewardship.

Reliability

NAEC partners with TVA to provide safe, reliable, clean power to service area members.

TVA supplies community energy to 153 local power companies and about 60 large industrial customers and federal facilities at the lowest feasible cost. Over half of the electricity generated by TVA comes from carbon-free resources. TVA’s diverse energy portfolio includes coal, gas, nuclear and hydroelectric plants as well as renewable resources. For over 20 years, TVA’s transmission system has achieved a reliability rate of 99.999 percent.

Reliability

Residential

NAEC partners with TVA to help customers make smart energy decisions and save money through TVA EnergyRight®.

Our partnership with TVA EnergyRight offers you resources to help with your home’s energy needs. From DIY energy-saving advice to finding a local contractor you can trust, TVA EnergyRight resources can help you improve your home’s energy efficiency and save money on your power bill.

As of August 2021, several customers in the NAEC service area had participated that year in TVA EnergyRight programs.

Community Energy - Residential