CHARLOTTE, N.C. - An outdoor museum of vintage refrigerators popped up today at Center City's Wells Fargo Atrium, 301 South Tryon St., to educate and encourage Duke Energy customers to recycle old, energy-guzzling secondary refrigerators and freezers.
Pedestrians can enjoy the exhibit from 9 a.m. 4 p.m., and learn about the importance of recycling outdated, energy-wasting units.
"Duke Energy is excited to bring this event to the Charlotte community," said Gayle Lanier, Duke Energy senior vice president and chief customer officer. "Besides nostalgia, these vintage appliances offer a valuable reminder for Duke Energy customers looking for ways to take control of their energy usage and costs."
The museum highlights the fact that older units can use as much as three times more electricity than newer models built to higher energy efficiency standards. Duke Energy customers can recycle older, secondary units by taking part in the company''s appliance recycling program. Customers can save as much as $150 a year in energy costs and receive a $30 incentive for having the old units hauled away.
Participation in Duke Energy's appliance recycling program is as simple as calling 855-398-6200 or by visiting www.duke-energy.com/recycle to schedule a free at-home pickup. Refrigerators and freezers must be in working condition and must be between 10 and 30 cubic feet in size. An incentive check for $30 arrives within four to six weeks.
After pickup, customers' outdated appliances are transported to a de-manufacturing facility in Charlotte operated by JACO Environmental to be recycled. During the recycling process, JACO converts 95 percent of each appliance into recyclable metals, glass and plastics.
Duke Energy Carolinas owns nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides approximately 20,000 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 2.4 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina. Headquartered in Charlotte, Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.