LIGHT READING INLAND POWER AND LIGHT inlandpower.com
F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 8
Modernizing the Columbia River Treaty
The United States and Canada will begin negotiations to modernize the landmark Columbia River Treaty in early 2018 the Department of State announced in December. Certain provisions of the treaty are set to expire in 2024.
include ecosystem goals, such as the timing of stream flows and the quantity and quality of water flows to meet salmon restoration efforts. Significant efforts to address ecosystem concerns began in the 1980s, and Inland Power ratepayers, have invested millions of dollars to achieve ecosystem mitigation and improvements along the Columbia River. These efforts will continue, and likely increase, in the future and need to be addressed within the treaty.
The Columbia River Treaty is a 1964 agreement between Canada and the United States on the development and operation of dams in the upper Columbia River basin for power generation and flood control benefits in both countries. Four dams were constructed under this treaty: All the downstream benefits three in British Columbia (Duncan Dam, Mica Dam, Keenleyside Dam) and one in should be accounted for and Montana (Libby Dam).
There is also an increasing awareness that an imbalance has developed in equitable sharing of the downstream power benefits resulting from the treaty. the value shared equally among Based on the present formula, BPA and The Columbia River’s drainage basin the Corps of Engineers also ask that is roughly the size of France and Canada and the U.S. Canada reconsider the $250 to $350 includes parts of Washington, Oregon, million a year worth of electric power Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and that the U.S. sends to Canada, which is more than anticipated British Columbia. The Columbia River Treaty’s flood risk and in the 1964 agreement. hydropower operations have provided substantial benefits to millions of people on both sides of the border for 60 years. Other important elements of a modernized treaty are current The treaty has also facilitated additional benefits such as and future water supply to help meet regional needs for supporting the river’s ecosystem, irrigation, municipal water irrigation, municipal and industrial use, in-stream flows, use, industrial use, navigation and recreation. navigation and recreation. BPA and the Corps of Engineers also recommend that future implications of climate change be The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the U.S. Army factored into the treaty to ensure flood risk management. Corps of Engineers developed a regional recommendation calling for the U.S. government to renegotiate the treaty. The formal negotiations will begin early this year and there will be a formal interagency review overseen by the Department of The recommendation calls for an expanded focus to go further State. BPA and the Corps of Engineers will be heavily involved than its previous 1960’s focus of power generation and flood in the treaty review process and will represent the Pacific control. They recommend the modern version should also Northwest’s opinion on behalf of all its ratepayers, you!
inland powe r is my coop e r at ive
WE ARE A MEMBER-OWNED ENERGY COOPERATIVE COMMITTED TO SAFE, RELIABLE SERVICE AT COMPETITIVE RATES.
Join Us for the Annual Meeting
- i n l a n d p o w e r m i s s i o n stat e m e n t
Join us!!
Save the Date for our Inland Power Annual Meeting 2018 Annual Meeting Saturday, March 31, 2018 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Northern Quest Pavilion Airway Heights, WA
At the Meeting:
• Elect your board of trustees • Hear the latest happenings at Inland Power through our president, treasurer and CEO reports.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY T O D D A N D L I N D S E Y, YO U R E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y T E A M
Showcasing the Benefits of Heat Pumps for Your Home By Todd Williams and Lindsey Hobbs
Homeowners with older heat pump thermostats (without outdoor temperature sensors and wi-fi), are often advised by contractors to switch their heat pump to the e-heat or auxiliary-heat mode setting when it gets “too cold” for the heat pump to be efficient. The exact temperature to make this switch has been a debate for years and the ambiguity of what constitutes “too cold” is an obvious problem for heat pump owners. Further, how can someone be expected to switch back-and-forth between heat pump and auxiliary mode every time the outdoor temperature rises and falls past a magic threshold? The graph posted below from Inland Power’s SmartHub is a great visual of the problem referenced above. An Inland Power member took this advice and switched their heat pump to “e-heat” (furnace only) and simply forgot about it. Halfway through the month they remembered to switch it back to “heat” (heat pump) mode on Dec. 18th.
Voting for Your Trustees: • All members can vote by mail-in paper ballot, online or in person at the meeting.
Look for full meeting details, candidate bios and election ballots to be delivered to your home in late February.
Scholarship Applications Due By April 19, 2018
Scholarships
Inland Power is proud to be a part of the communities we serve. One of our most popular, long-standing, programs is our scholarship program. Every year, Inland Power awards 15 members and their dependents with a $1,000 academic scholarship for college tuition or lineman school. For the full program description, application and eligibility requirements, please visit www. inlandpower.com/community, or call (509) 789-4277. The deadline to apply is April 19, 2018 for the 2018/2019 school year.
Standardizing this information as much as possible, here’s what this graph shows us: • Dec 4-18, 15 days, average outside temperature of 27°, shows e-heat only mode. This is the electric furnace, and can also be called E-heat, Aux-heat or furnace, they are all the same. -compared to• Dec 18-Jan 1, 15 days, average outside temperature of 23°, heat pump has first priority with furnace heat added, but only as the heat pump cannot provide all the heat the thermostat is calling for. This graph shows us that the total usage for the e-heat mode (electric furnace only) was 1,520 kWh. Total usage for the heat pump mode (with furnace assisting, see the spikes during the coldest dips) was 1,063 kWh, while the outside temperature was 4°colder on average. The heat pump energy savings is plain to see. This member could improve these savings even further, by upgrading to a NEST or ECOBEE thermostat and never again need to think about switching to “e-heat” and back to “heat,” as that function is fully automated and optimized in new thermostat controls. Two lessons should be learned from this member’s experience: 1) heat pumps do save a lot of energy, even in colder temperatures. 2) New heat pump controls are essential to energy savings and convenience. Please contact Inland’s conservation department and take advantage of a $100 rebate for the purchase and installation of a qualified smart thermostat in your home.
Please Be Aware of Inland Power Lineman on Your Property During a snowy December evening resulting in scattered outages, your hard working lineman were startled by gunfire. A member mistook them for trespassers because they were in a utility terrain vehicle (UTV). While no one was injured and the member was apologetic, it was a very frightening situation. Inland Power tries to easily identify our employees by having them wear Inland Power logoed reflective vests and hard hats. Additionally, Inland Power’s UTV’s, ATV’s, snowcats, or other types of vehicles have a silver reflective Inland Power logo on them. If we will be on your property for scheduled maintenance, we will notify you prior to our visit via a postcard or phone call. However, during an outage situation, you may not be notified ahead of time as the lineman work to identify the problem and restore power as quickly as possible. Thank you for helping us keep our employees safe.
10110 W HALLETT ROAD
|
SPOKANE, WA 99224
inlandpower.com