The company plans to install two fuel cell systems at the plant to produce enough power and heat to meet 30 percent of the site’s needs. The fuel cells also will serve as a backup electricity source during power outages.

Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical process to produce electricity, heat and water. Since they don’t produce the emissions of traditional power plants, some scientists maintain that the fuel cell technology has the potential the potential to reduce petroleum use and decrease greenhouse gas emissions suspected of contributing to global warming.

“The fuel cell systems at our Elmsford facility will help us further our environmental commitment to our local communities, reducing our carbon footprint and our use of the local power grid,” said Ron Lewis, vice president of supply chain for Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Coca-Cola Enterprises said the fuel-cell installation in Elmsford is one of several environmental initiatives that the company has undertaken in the New York metro area. Others have included the purchase of 20 hybrid electric delivery trucks and an investment in water-saving technology at its New York production plants.

The company added that it may eventually add fuel cell technology at other production plants within its network of 431 facilities in North America and Western Europe.

UTC Power, a unit of United Technologies Corp., will own and operate the fuel cells under a 10-year energy services agreement with Coca-Cola Enterprises.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority said that it is providing $2 million to support the project. The authority, established by the state in 1975, provides energy technical and financial assistance to businesses.

It took 18 months and more than 2,000 workers to complete the $1 billion project that involved building a pipeline 30 inches in diameter from Corning to Ramapo.

The pipeline is expected to help meet the growing energy demand in the New York metro area by significantly expanding the supplies of natural gas for businesses and homeowners.

The project was built by Millennium Pipeline Company L.L.C. of Pearl River.

“This is an historic day for New York state and the Northeast,” Millennium President Dick Leehr said. “Many years of hard work and planning, permitting and eventual construction have finally come to fruition, enabling Millennium to deliver much-needed natural gas supplies as we enter the peak of the 2008-09 winter heating season.”

Construction of the pipeline started in June 2007, but most of the work took place this year.
While more than 90 percent of the pipeline was built within or next to existing pipeline rights-of-way, some of the most challenging work occured in Rockland County. Steep slopes and rocky terrain along the Rockland route required workers to blast away rock.

Even though the pipeline has started operating, land restoration and environmental monitoring work will continue in 2009.

“It is gratifying to see that a major collaborative effort involving skilled union workers from local communities and around the country, government officials at all levels, customers, partners, contractors, vendors and many other organizations came together to achieve this common important goal of meeting the region’s growing energy needs,” Leehr said.

The pipeline will use various pipeline interconnections to bring more natural gas to New York from Canada.

Pipeline customers include Consolidated Edison of New York, KeySpan Energy Delivery Long Island, Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation and Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation.

That’s because the average hotel television runs six to eight hours during a typical day. Guests commonly waste even more energy when they leave their rooms without turning off the sets.

Looking to cut its energy bills, White Plains-based Starwood is embarking on an ambitious program that could see it install at least 80,000 energy efficient TVs at its North American hotels. Starwood anticipates that the payoff could be a $12 million reduction in energy costs over seven years.

Starwood may invest as much as $100 million in the TVs.

The typical hotel room with one television and three light bulbs uses about 455 watts of energy daily, according to Philips. Replacing these with Philips SmartPower TVs and energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs can reduce the energy use to 153 watts.

“This is a defining agreement for us, and is indicative of the fundamental change in mindset we have implemented around procurement and sourcing, and the partners we want to work with to achieve this,” said Paul Davis, senior vice president of global sourcing at Starwood. “Philips has shown us that it is easy to simultaneously provide our guests with the very latest technology while making a sound business decision that significantly impacts costs and reduces energy consumption.”

Spano said a survey conducted by the county’s Department of Consumer Protection showed the average price has dropped to $2.78 a gallon. That’s a drop of 46.3 cents from a survey conducted Oct. 6. Prices have dropped $1.69 a gallon from their high in mid-July, he said.

The survey tends to underestimate the actual average cost of fuel oil in the county. That’s because many of the higher-priced dealers refuse to provide their prices when the county’s inspectors call them.

“Some customers, particularly seniors who were worried that there was no end in sight to the cost of oil, locked in rates over the summer when they were at their peak – about $4.50 a gallon, Spano said in a statement released by his office. “These consumers are now locked into sky-high prices, even though much lower-priced heating oil is available.”

Spano wrote to 69 home heating oil companies in the county asking them to “be sensitive to customers in this situation.”

He said that he understands that many oil companies bought oil at the higher prices, but he believes companies may have “some leeway” in pricing and should do what they can to help customers, particularly those on fixed incomes.

Under the contract, granted through competitive bids, ConEdison Solutions will provide efficiency upgrades, including  lighting, motors and controls at NYPA plants in Westchester and New York City.

Services will include conducting feasibility studies, evaluating existing and proposed systems, developing designs, purchasing equipment, installation, supervision of installation and commissioning of equipment, said White Plains-based ConEdison Solutions, a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison Inc.

The amount of the contract will be based on costs associated with individual projects and has yet to be determined, said ConEdison Solutions spokeswoman Christine Nevin. However, the contract’s value is estimated to be in the “low millions,” she said.

The higher utility costs could be an added burden for households already struggling with rising food and energy prices, including gasoline prices over $4 a gallon.

Con Edison, which serves 3.2 million customers in New York City and Westchester, said higher oil and natural gas are to blame.

“Fuel prices have gone up exponentially as anyone who has passed a gas station knows,” said Chris Olert, a spokesman for Con Edison.

Producing electricity from natural gas has gotten more expensive with natural gas prices up 39 percent this year. That can have a significant impact on Con Edison and its customers because about 43 percent of the power used in its service territory is generated from natural gas. Oil-generated power, which accounts for about 6 percent of electricity consumed in the region, also is more expensive with petroleum prices soaring to new records.

Con Edison buys most of that electricity from other suppliers and distributes it to local customers.

“Our objective is to get the best deal we can for customers,” Olert said.

The higher bills also include a rate increase of 4.7 percent approved by the state Public Service Commission in March.

Olert suggested that customers turn to conservation to keep their utility costs manageable. Con Edison offers a list of energy saving tips at www.coned.com/customercentral/energysavings.asp

“If you use less, you pay less,” Olert said.

SmartWatt, which provides services and products for reducing energy consumption, has offices in the Albany area and Rochester.