Sonja Ebron's got the power--and she's got it for a cheaper price.
Ebron is chief executive officer of blackEnergy LLC, a=2
0unique business that helps African Americans lower their heating bills
and purchase more energy-efficient green products at discounted rates.
Guided by the motto "the power to empower," customers enroll for
the free service by logging onto blackEnergy.com, and the company uses
its relationship with gas providers in Georgia to works its magic
negotiating rock-bottom rates. "We also arrange for the energy company
to make a small charitable contribution in the customer's name to a
non-profit of their choice," says Ebron, 45, of the company she
established in 2001. "It's a win-win situation for everyone."
The Atlanta-based company's services are now available in
deregulated utility markets--cities and towns where multiple service
providers are available to customers--across Georgia, but Ebron
eventually hopes to branch out nationwide. The company's other
offerings seem well-timed with the country's ongoing economic
challenges.
blackEnergy.com also hosts "energy town hall meetings" upon
request several times a year to help African Americans learn ways to
improve energy efficiency in their homes. And through its Web site,
blackEnergy sells environmentally friendly products, such as low-flow
shower heads, programmable thermostats, weather stripping and attic
fans--often at lower prices--which help customers lower their home
utility bills. blackEnergy's services are marketed to African
Americans, but are open to all.
"We decided to target the black community because on average
African Americans tend to pay more on their utility bills and we tend
to know less about energy efficiency," she says. "Many of us are
wasting up to 80 percent of our energy because we don't know how much
money we could save by making simple changes, like changing out the
light bulbs and filters and caulking windows."
Ebron's environmental efforts have landed her on the pages of Ms., where she was cited as
an agent of change for "the belief that environmental and social
consciousness can create satisfaction in the soul and the wallet" and
as a "Super Woman" of 2008 by the Atlanta Tribune magazine. A senior
fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program and a member of
Engineers Without Borders, Ebron has also earned "non-traditional
business" kudos from the Atlanta Business League.
She shrugs off her accolades, insisting that her green work is a
labor of love. She says the concept of her business was inspired over
the 20 years she spent "teaching, studying and researching" energy
systems. During that time, Ebron, who has a Ph.D. in electrical
engineering, says she gained insight into the inner workings of utility
companies, particularly as it relates to small-scale residential
customers.
"We usually get the short end of the stick," she says. "During my
speaking engagements I start off by asking the audience if they think
they're not paying enough for their monthly utility bills. I tell them
'if you're not being energy efficient in your home, you're just sending
these utility company executives on yet another ski trip!'"
Gloria Ware, who last year launched Black and Into Green, a weekly
environmental blog targeted to African Americans, says efforts like
Ebron's are critical for the black community. "Her efforts are very
timely because more African Americans need to be involved in the
environmental movement," contends Ware, a Cleveland banker. "From an
economic standpoint what she's doing makes sense. Our community tends
to be affected disproportionately in a crisis, primarily due to
economic disparities, so it makes sense to make the investment now to
better manage our resources."
Ebron is especially excited about President Barack Obama's pledged
commitment to environmental initiatives. She hopes this year to expand
her business to include a "green team" that would dispatch trained
technicians to African-American homes to assess and implement
energy-saving tactics. "Small changes," she says, "can save you some
change in the long run!"
--Chandra R. Thomas