NHSO Photo
Violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen performs with William Boughton and the NHSO
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra is offering consumers a chance to donate to the organization by buying energy from Discount Power, Inc. A portion of every kilowatt hour purchased through a partnership program announced on Wednesday will go into symphony coffers.
Elaine Carroll, the symphony’s executive director, was quoted in a press release as saying: “This energizing new idea will generate ongoing revenue to support NHSO concerts and education programs. ... When our supporters invest five minutes in completing the paperwork they can earn vital funds to further our mission for years to come.”
According to the press release, “enrollment in the program is easy, and completely risk free. There are no fees and electricity continues to be delivered and serviced by the utilities, CL&P or UI. There is no change in monthly billing or in service except for the lower cost of electricity.”
The symphony and Discount Power have launched a dedicated website through which consumers can enroll in the program. Discount Power is offering electricity at $.08 per kilowatt hour.
Kristilee LaHaye, a broker manager at Discount Power, would not reveal what percentage of each kilowatt hour purchased through the program will reach symphony coffers. That information, she said, is proprietary.
Enrollment in the program, LaHaye said on Thursday, “only affects the generation portion of your bill, which is the ... actual raw energy cost ... not how it gets to you.”
LaHaye said the partnership between the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Discount Power came about when Elizabeth Meyer-Gadon, the symphony’s director of sponsorship and promotions, approached the energy supplier with the concept for a program through which buying energy would mean “simultaneously giving a donation to the symphony.”