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March 28, 2024 10:54 pm
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OPD To Offer Online Shopping Discount Program

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

The Overton Power District (OPD) will soon be offering customers a chance to reduce their power bills by shopping online.

At a meeting held August 19, the OPD Board voted unanimously to approve implementing an initiative called “Retail Benefits Energy Rewards Program.”

In a presentation of the program to the board, OPD Assistant General Manager Terry Romero explained that normally the online shopping initiative would come at a cost to the district. In most instances, the district would be required to fund such a program with a $3,000 set-up fee and a $500 per month maintenance fee, she explained.

But in recent discussions with officials of the program, district staff was able to negotiate a permanent waiver of all of those fees and costs, Romero said.
“There is absolutely no cost to the district,” Romero said. “No set up fee, no monthly payments; all the benefits will go directly to our customers.”

To participate in the Retail Benefits program, OPD customers simply download an application on their computers or mobile devices. They would then be able to use that application to shop at around 5,000 different online retailers, Romero said. Each retailer offers a discount to OPD shoppers. And a small percentage of that discount is sent to the district to be applied against the customer’s power bill.

Featured stores in the program include online divisions of Macy’s, Kohl’s, Petco, Target, Walmart, Best Buy and many more. Also included are various travel services such as airlines and hotels.
“The only real cost that I can see to the district, would be in advertising and getting the information out to our customers about this program,” Romero said.

The background material prepared for the meeting and sent to board members had stated that the district would have to pay the start up fee and monthly cost for inclusion in the program. But Romero explained that since those materials had been released, the district staff had negotiated the no-cost waiver with the company.

But the background material had some board members at the ready ready to go against approving the program. Mesquite board member Mike Young admitted that if there was truly no cost to the district he saw no reason to not approve it. But he did question why the OPD should get involved in such a program.
“With all of the discount sites available out there, why should we be doing this?” Young asked. “After all, we are in the power business.”

Romero reiterated that it would only be to benefit OPD customers that might want to use the program. She emphasized again that the program would come at no cost to the district. She added that the program could be cancelled by the district, without penalty, after a sixty day try out period.

In addition, the program would not require any manpower from the district to administer it, Romero said. All of the tracking and administration was done by the Retail Benefits program itself.
“It sounds like it doesn’t affect the district one way or the other,” said Overton board member Mike Fetherston. “All it would do is provide something to our customers that might help them out. I see nothing wrong with that.”

Board member Judy Metz agreed.
“Being the type of power company we are, we just want the best for our customers,” Metz said. “And if we have 60 days to turn it down and you find that you don’t have customers using it, then stop.”

The board unanimously approved the program. No specific start date was announced.

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