Courtesy of Lake Apopka Natural Gas District
Key Points
In the late 1950s, leaders from Apopka, Winter Garden and Clermont helped establish Lake Apopka Natural Gas District to support their growing communities with reliable energy infrastructure.
During Public Natural Gas Week (Oct. 4-10), that principle remains important: providing our communities with choices. Today, the district serves more than 31,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across western Orange and southern Lake counties, including families and businesses throughout the Apopka area.
Our employees live and work in the communities we serve. Our decisions are made locally. As a community-owned public utility, our mission is to provide safe, reliable and competitive natural gas service.
Our Energy Choice initiative is based on a simple idea: homeowners and businesses should have options when determining which energy sources best meet their needs.
Energy Choice does not require anyone to use natural gas. It does not mandate that a homeowner install a natural gas stove, water heater or other appliance. A business is not required to connect to our system simply because natural gas infrastructure is available.
Instead, Energy Choice helps preserve the option as Apopka grows.
Infrastructure decisions made during development can determine future property owners’ options. With natural gas infrastructure in place, residents and businesses can decide later whether they want to use it.
Without the infrastructure, that choice may not exist.
The city of Apopka adopted an ordinance supporting Energy Choice, affirming that homeowners and businesses should have access to energy options and determine which sources best meet their individual needs.
But we also respect the choices of those who select other energy sources. Apopka’s founders understood that infrastructure and opportunity go hand in hand.
As our community continues growing, we should make sure the residents and businesses of tomorrow inherit as many options as possible. That includes the freedom to choose the energy that works best for them.
Providing an option is not the same as requiring its use. It simply means people get to choose.