15ShawHeightsPWC will host its third Annual Power and Water Conservation Expo Friday, March 24, from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday, March 25, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at SkyView on Hay Street in Downtown Fayetteville. 

“This event does focus on conservation, and we have employees and conservation specialists that will be there,” said Carolyn Justice-Hinson, communications and community relations officer at PWC. “We have information about our incentive programs, conservation tools and basic information to help people understand their utility services.” Justice-Hinson added that they will be handing out items and helping people understand how to use them.   

The educational mascots, Willy Water Drop and Wally Watt Watcher, will be on site for the expo. “Willy Water Drop is a water drop, and Wally Watt Watcher is a plug, and sometimes people confuse him with an old-timey cell phone,” said Justice-Hinson. “The kids and adults like them and everybody likes to take a selfie with them.” 

Participants will learn ways to save on their energy and water bills, meet PWC linemen and receive a complimentary reusable tote bag with items like LED bulbs and tree seedlings. “Our linemen will have a miniature utility pole, and they will show you how they restore power,” said Justice-Hinson. “You can touch it, and they will let you help them so you can see what their job is all about.” Justice-Hinson added that there will also be information about PWC’s major projects such as the switch to LED streetlights and the advanced meters they started putting in three years ago. It gives people an opportunity to see this stuff up close and to ask questions from the employees that do this every day.               

Another educational tool that will be distributed and discussed is the fat trapper. “The fat trappers are one of our most popular items,” said Justice-Hinson. “We run regular campaigns trying to make people aware that they should not pour grease and oil down the sewer system because once it gets there, it clogs up and causes backups which are bad for everybody.” 

PWC is the largest electric municipal utility in the state of North Carolina. “While people sometimes do not always believe this, our rates are among the lowest in the area,” said Justice-Hinson. “We can show you some information on rates and how we compare to other local and regional providers.”      

The expo is free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to pay it forward and consider bringing nonperishable food items to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank. For more information visit www.faypwc.com or call 223-4009.