Energy

The Kansas Corporation Commission approved a set of energy efficiency programs for Evergy customers last week. The state currently ranks 49th nationwide for its energy efficiency policies and programs, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

Evergy says Missouri customers need to choose from four new time-based payment plans by this October or will automatically be defaulted into one. Under the default plan, power used from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in summer months will cost four times more than other hours.

Evergy executives hope to grow profits by 6% to 8% a year through a combination of cutting costs, increasing prices and selling more electricity.

Historic redlining and lack of green spaces in the Kansas City metro means that, even in the current heat wave, some people will experience temperatures at least 11 degrees warmer. These heat islands are driving up energy costs and causing public health concerns.

The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities voted to increase electricity and water rates for Wyandotte County, but residents say they are already overburdened by high utility bills.

Variable rate time-of-use pricing will soon be inescapable for Evergy customers in Missouri. In one billing plan, the top rate will be roughly four times as expensive as the base rate, forcing consumers to pay close attention to the way they buy and use electricity.

The utility, which serves 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, is drawing criticism from environmental groups for keeping open its oldest coal plant. Evergy also said that Kansas City's clean energy goals are “incredibly aggressive” and too expensive.

The Keystone was built with extra safety measures, yet it split open under run-of-the-mill pressure levels that less rigorously designed pipelines regularly withstand.

In February 2021, Texas and wide swaths of North America were shut down by Winter Storm Uri, which caused massive blackouts and left millions of people without power for days. The winter storms exposed vulnerabilities in our country’s electrical grid, and underlined the pressing need for a more reliable energy system. Is a recent breakthrough in nuclear fusion a possible path forward?

In February 2021, Texas and wide swaths of North America were shut down by Winter Storm Uri, which caused massive blackouts and left millions of people without power for days. The winter storms exposed vulnerabilities in our country’s electrical grid, and underlined the pressing need for a more reliable energy system. Is a recent breakthrough in nuclear fusion a possible path forward?

When an old chiller stopped working in 2016, the Parkway School district Decided to install a geothermal system that uses the Earth’s temperature to heat and cool the school. It also recently added solar panels to the building. Altogether, the district says Parkway South is saving more than $100,000 a year in energy costs.

The Canadian operator of the pipeline that burst in Washington County released its summary of an analysis it commissioned on the cause of the oil spill.