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September 2010
A regular newsletter for Clark Public Utilities customers
Electric rate increase in effect
Electric rates rose an average of 5.7 percent September 1. The monthly basic charge for residential customers increased from $8 to $10. The cost per kilowatt-hour used went from 7.65 cents to 7.98 cents. Commercial and industrial rates also increased by varying amounts based on usage patterns.
The increase was necessary due to a number of factors, including the local effects of the recession, a warm winter and higher taxes.
Just this year we’ve seen higher taxes approved by the Washington legislature, the cost of power we buy from the Bonneville Power Administration is going up and we’re paying for higher-cost renewable energy required by state law through Initiative 937. These are costs that have been imposed on you, our customer-owners by outside sources.
We looked at numerous cost-cutting measures. We were in the hole $18 million and were able to make cost reductions to cut the deficit down to $5.7 million. But there weren’t many more options that would improve our financial picture without reducing reliability or service. The 2010 budget was “bare bones” because of attempts to avoid a rate increase last winter.
Over the past several years, we’ve worked hard to cut our operating costs as much as possible. As a result, we operate much more efficiently than other electric utilities in Washington.
We're a customer-owned utility that operates without profit, and our goal is to keep rates as low as possible.
Electricity remains a great value
Though we’re all feeling the
effects of the economy, electricity is still a bargain and a vital
resource that keeps your home warm and local businesses strong. For a
typical electrically heated home using 1,500 kilowatt hours a month,
the daily cost for electricity is about $4.35. That’s less than a
couple gallons of gas or a fast-food cheeseburger meal deal.
For every $1 you spend on electricity, here’s how long you’re able to operate common household electronics, or what output you get:
- Refrigerator: 1 week
- Microwave: 8 hours
- Lamp using compact fluorescent light: 3 months at 6 hours a day
- Oven at 350 degrees: 6 hours
- Clothes washer: 7 loads hot water, 50 loads cold water
- 42-inch LCD TV: 60 hours
- Nintendo Wii: 24 hours a day for a month
Light Lines
Be solar savvy
The Washington Solar Tour invites you to see how solar energy can be
comfortable, practical, and affordable. The tour starts at 10 a.m. on
Saturday, October 2, with a brief presentation in our
community room located at 1200 Fort Vancouver Way. Learn energy
efficiency strategies and methods. Self-guided tour books are $5 and
will be available the day of the event until 11 a.m. You can tour the
homes until 4 p.m.
Tour stops will have the project owner or an expert available to answer questions. You can talk with them to learn how the technology works, what it costs, and why it makes sense. This year’s tour features solar heated homes, solar water heaters and solar panel generators. For more information, call us at 360-992-3355.
We value our clean hydropower
We’ve long considered hydroelectric power to be a renewable
resource and in an independent survey last year, 88 percent of
Washington state residents agreed.
We are fortunate to have hydroelectricity as the centerpiece of our
power supply, and customers receive the benefits from this CO2
emissions-free resource. Almost 55 percent of your electricity comes
from clean, renewable and low-cost hydropower. In addition, the network
of dams can help serve as a back-up source for wind and solar projects,
which don’t always produce power.
We are working on ways to continue to provide you with clean,
renewable, reliable energy at the least cost possible.
|
Clark Public Utilities' 2009
energy resources
|
|
| Hydro |
54.0 percent
|
| Natural gas |
34.3 percent
|
| Coal |
5.7 percent
|
| Nuclear |
5.6 percent
|
| Other* |
0.4 percent
|
| * "Other" includes biomass, waste, petroleum and landfill gasses. | |
|
Calculated from
actual purchases
|
|
Old refrigerator or freezer = Reward$
Got an old inefficient fridge or freezer? Let
us recycle it for you and give you a $30 credit on your bill!
The refrigerant used in old refrigerators and freezers is classified as a greenhouse gas and should be kept out of the environment. Without proper decommissioning, the refrigerant gas in these old units often escapes into the environment, creating problems with the earth’s atmosphere.
We estimate there are tens of thousands of inefficient refrigerators and freezers in customers’ homes and garages. Each old unit represents about an extra 975 kilowatt-hours to operate, adding $75 per year to a household's utility bill.
If you have an energy hog refrigerator or freezer that you don’t need, give us a call at 360-992-3355 and we’ll take care of the details.
Recycle CFLs and get
free replacements
Switching from traditional light bulbs to compact fluorescent light
bulbs is an effective, easy change you can make to save energy and
money and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But it’s important to
properly recycle them when they burn out or reach the end of their
service life.
You can recycle CFL bulbs at each of our office locations. And while
supplies last, Clark Public Utilities will give you a new CFL bulb for
every CFL bulb you recycle (up to six per household).
Be safe and tell others about SafeWatch
With kids heading back to school, it’s
important to be careful as you’re driving in the community. And if you
have children, grandchildren, or are in contact with kids, be sure to
let them know about SafeWatch.
The SafeWatch logo can be seen on utility, county and C-Tran vehicles
on the road each day. It’s a constant reminder that when trouble
occurs, our employees are there to help, whether it’s looking for a
lost child or reporting an accident or fire.
Teach children to look for the SafeWatch symbol if they ever need
emergency help. All they have to do is wave both hands over their head.
Employees will call for help and do anything else they can at the
scene.
"Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Midsize
Utilities in the West, Three Years in a Row"
Clark Public Utilities received the highest numerical score among midsize utilities in the West in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM. Study based on 85,272 online interviews ranking 12 providers in the West (AZ< CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY). Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in July 2009-May 2010. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.
