Our causes, our events, our community
Gulf Power Company and its employees have a strong history of supporting the communities we live in. We take pride in not only providing great service to our customers, but also in helping to maintain and enhance our region’s quality of life.
Each year we continue to provide donations, organize fundraisers and volunteer our time with a focus on supporting the many charitable and community projects centered around improving the lives of those living throughout Northwest Florida.
Aiding in the fight against homelessness and poverty
Gulf Power works hard to power thriving communities throughout Northwest Florida by providing support - in the form of both manpower and donations - to organizations that work with our homeless and poor populations. Through partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, area food banks and others, we help provide support for those seeking and maintaining better living and independence.
Standing united with our communities
Gulf Power teammates contribute to area United Way agencies through fundraising efforts and volunteer projects. In 2018, Gulf Power teammates, both active and retired, donated more than half a million dollars to United Way agencies. More than 80 employees also worked to make a difference within the community through United Way's annual Day of Caring.
Making the season brighter for families
Each holiday season, Gulf Power teammates take part in Communities Caring at Christmas. This is a project which provides gifts to children in need throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. In 2018, employees made the season brighter for many families by raising $50,000 and donating 165 bicycles and helmets.
Project SHARE
This program provides emergency assistance to our neighbors who need help with energy bills and other energy-related needs. The program assists the elderly, the disabled, the sick and others who are experiencing financial hardship.
Learn More >Foundation and grant opportunities
Gulf Power Foundation partners and invests in nonprofit organizations throughout Northwest Florida. We aim to build strong and sustainable communities, improving the lives of our customers through the power of prosperity through opportunity, preservation & conservation and promoting well-being.
Environmental stewardship
Gulf Power Company has a long history of working to provide reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity to our customers. Through our dedication to the communities we serve and our commitment to the environment, we have invested in what matters to the future of Northwest Florida.
Water and Wetlands: Central Water Reclamation Facility
Gulf Power forged a unique partnership in 2010 with Emerald Coast Utilities Authority to use reclaimed water and improve water quality in Escambia and Pensacola bays.
ECUA shut down its Main Street wastewater plant that stood in a coastal flood zone and built a new one — the ECUA Central Water Reclamation Facility — which allowed Gulf Power’s Gulf Clean Energy Center (formerly Plant Crist) to gain a clean source of water to operate its new scrubber control system.
More than 5 billion gallons of reclaimed water have been recycled since 2010. The reclaimed water cools equipment used to generate electricity and operate the scrubber system. Putting this water to work now establishes the ECUA Central Water Reclamation Facility as a zero-discharge facility, and Gulf Power is able to help preserve a natural resource by using less water from the Escambia River.
This partnership received a 2010 Sustainable Florida Best Practices Award from the Florida Collins Center for Public Policy; the 2011 Chairman’s Award from the Southeastern Electric Exchange; the 2012 York Award from the Florida Water Environment Association for Reuse Customer of the Year; and a national award from the WateReuse Association as Water Reuse Customer of the Year in 2012.
Renewable Energy: Perdido Landfill Gas-to-Energy
Methane gas seeping from municipal landfills is one of the most significant forms of greenhouse gas — 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. But when that gas is captured, it becomes a valuable form of renewable energy.
Gulf Power partnered with Escambia County to produce our first renewable energy project, the Perdido Landfill Gas-to-Energy facility. The facility started commercial operation in 2010, producing renewable energy and reducing harmful landfill methane gas emissions while providing revenue for Escambia County.
Escambia County has a collection system in place and pipes the gas to the facility, where it is processed for use by the specially designed Caterpillar 1,600-kilowatt landfill gas generators. Water separated from the landfill gas will be re-used by the landfill for its leachate system.
Since commercial operation in 2010 to August 2018, 3.96 billion cubic feet of methane gas has been burned to generate more than 193 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, enough to power more than 1,900 homes annually.
Renewable Energy: Wind and Solar
Gulf Power will soon become the leading purchaser of wind generation among Florida utilities and the first of its kind in the state. The new project will be called Kingfisher Wind and will be located in Piedmont, OK, where conditions are favorable for wind energy.
The Kingfisher Wind project is expected to begin commercial operation by the end of the year. A total of 89 of the project’s wind turbines will supply 178 megawatts to Gulf Power, which is enough energy to power approximately 50,700 homes per year.
Additionally, Gulf Power announced in January that the utility is partnering with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force to build solar energy farms at three different facilities across Northwest Florida. The solar energy farms have already been approved by the FPSC and will be constructed at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach (30 megawatts), Holley Field in Navarre (40 megawatts) and Saufley Field in Pensacola (50 megawatts) and are expected to be in service by this summer.
Renewable Energy: Geothermal Heating and Cooling
The ground remains at a relatively constant temperature throughout the year, providing a warm heat source in the winter and a cool heat sink in summer. Geothermal heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems provide a mechanism to transfer heat to or from the ground and can save customers up to 40 percent on their heating and cooling costs.
Gulf Power has promoted geothermal HVAC since the mid-1990s. Today, there are almost 3,000 residential installations and more than 8,500 tons of capacity installed in commercial buildings for a total of 17,000 tons of geothermal HVAC systems in our service area — resulting in almost nine megawatts of peak demand reduction, which is enough power to serve about 2,600 homes.