After becoming the first municipal utility to earn PEER certification in 2015, EPB continued to improve grid performance. In 2021, the utility earned Gold recertification, having the largest number of customers served by a PEER-certified municipal utility in the United States.  Through their PEER recertification, Chattanooga has achieved the most resilient and reliable certified utility power grid in the United States.

One of America’s largest publicly‐owned electric power providers, EPB is committed to create a more sustainable community and improve their customers’ quality of life with reliable energy and sustainable initiatives in their operations. Through the opportunities identified during the PEER v1 Certification process, EPB is now providing community-friendly solutions such as renewable energy options (Solar Share or community solar) to improve the energy mix & offset environmental impact, and energy conservation programs to reduce energy costs for their customers and also as a measure to encourage customer engagement in their sustainability journey. These initiatives have helped EPB achieve an Energy Efficiency and Environmental (EE) Index score of 60, much higher than the State of Tennessee’s EE Index score of 44.

In addition to the above programs, the implementation of grid-scale battery energy storage systems, power quality improvement systems, and advanced monitoring and control systems made EPB achieve energy savings of 10 million units per year and cost savings to the tune of $2.6 million per year. These measures have helped Chattanooga EPB to mitigate about 3000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, which is equivalent to 972 cars being taken off-road in a year. Learn more about the City of Chattanooga’s sustainability journey in the case study.

Read more about EPB's Smart Grid PEER recertification and how it positively impacts Chattanooga sustainable business goals. Download the Recertification Case Study.