BRIEFLY

City utility ranks 7th in energy savings

Glendale Water & Power was the seventh most effective municipal utility in the state last year when it came to influencing energy savings among its customers, according to a recent industry report.

The California Municipal Utilities Assn. ranked Glendale Water & Power among the top seven utilities in the state for the third year in a row for its energy-efficiency programs, such as rebates for less energy hungry appliances and free home savings audits.

For fiscal year 2007-08, public benefit programs through Glendale Water & Power produced annual energy savings of more than 70,000 megawatt hours, or enough to power 10,000 homes a year, according the utility. The conservation also produced $12.6 million in annual bill savings for participating customers.

Several critics have hammered on Glendale Water & Power’s relatively high electric rates as unfair, especially in a recession. Utility officials have since embarked on a five-year master plan to bring those rates down closer to the regional average.

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Agency nets award for Americana work

Glendale’s Redevelopment Agency received an award last week for its work on the Americana at Brand.

The retail-residential behemoth was given the Award of Excellence for mixed-use projects by the California Redevelopment Assn. at an event in Monterey. The project, one of the most controversial development proposals in Glendale history, was evaluated on a number of criteria, including economic viability, community participation, design and blight eradication.

The Americana has been cited numerous times by developers when pitching nearby proposals, and is expected to generate about $3.8 million in sales and property taxes annually, according to the Redevelopment Agency.