LIGHT READING INLAND POWER AND LIGHT inlandpower.com
SEPTEMBER 2017
What Goes into an Inland Power Bill? On average, an Inland Power member spends $85.15 on their monthly power bill. Where does your money go? Inland Power costs can be categorized into two primary categories; Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) costs and Inland Power costs. Here is a brief breakdown of what that looks like for an average Inland Power bill of $85.15.
Bonneville Power Administration Portion TOTAL = 49.9% POWER GENERATION
$16.69
POWER TRANSMISSION
$11.36
FISH & WILDLIFE
$6.67
OPERATIONS
$4.94
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
$1.00
RENEWABLES
$1.00
DEBT SERVICE
$0.80
POWER GENERATION
The BPA power generation portion of your power bill goes toward maintaining the Federal Columbia River Power System dams and the actual cost of generating the power for your home. The benefits of the hydropower system keep your rates some of the lowest in the country and the energy Inland Power provides is 87% hydropower and 97% carbon free due to this incredible river system.
FISH & WILDLIFE
BPA’s Fish and wildlife department partners with states, tribal, federal and local governments, non-profit entities and others to implement hundreds of actions to restore habitat, protect land and water, improve fish passage at the dams and operate state-of-theart salmon and steelhead hatcheries. These costs have impacted BPA power rates by up to 30%. For the foreseeable future, fish mitigation in the Northwest will continue to be one of the largest recovery efforts in history.
Inland Power Portion TOTAL = 50.1% OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
$9.67
DEPRECIATIONS & AMORTIZATION
$8.46
INTEREST & RESERVES
$8.87
ADMINISTRATION
$7.75
MEMBER & ENERGY SERVICES
$2.91 TAXES
$5.18 OTHER SERVICES/ REVENUE
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
A large portion of your power bill goes to operations and maintenance. These dollars are used to maintain and strengthen Inland’s system by replacing bells and cutouts, clearing right-of-way and maintaining substations and lines to ensure reliability of your power now and into the future.
INTEREST
Principle #3 of the 7 Cooperative Principle’s is “Member’s Economic Participation.” Financing the construction of our system spreads these costs out for many years so past, present and future members all share in the costs…and the benefits… on an equal basis. Still, Inland maintains one of the highest equity levels in the country with a 57% equity ratio.
-$0.14
inland powe r is my coope rat ive
WE ARE A MEMBER-OWNED ENERGY COOPERATIVE COMMITTED TO SAFE, RELIABLE SERVICE AT COMPETITIVE RATES. - i n l a n d p o w e r m i s s i o n stat e m e n t
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
Energy Efficiency 101: Why Is It Important?
By Todd Williams and Lindsey Hobbs Our July article defined energy conservation as behavior and energy efficiency as widgets or standards. Today, we explore the importance of energy efficiency. So, let’s get to it; Why is energy efficiency important? We are all in this together. Whatever “this” looks like for you; whether it is a journey, adventure or something else. Just like everything in life, there are actions that we choose and others that have been made into laws that we must follow. Living in the Pacific Northwest we are fortunate to enjoy some of the lowest energy rates in our country. This is primarily because our power is generated from our robust Federal Columbia River Power System and the many dams in the northwest. Inland Power is fortunate that the power we provide is 87% renewable and 97% carbon free. In addition, Inland Power members have the benefit of belonging to a nonprofit cooperative. As a cooperative, when a cost is incurred by Inland, such as upgrades to infrastructure, that cost is distributed across the membership. As such, when a home upgrades an appliance, such as adding a heat pump to an electric furnace, not only is that home saving money on their energy bill, but their potential demand for energy is lowered, which provides value to the cooperative. The less power you use, the less power Inland purchases from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Inland Power Rebates and Incentives Inland began offering conservation and efficiency measures in 1980 at the encouragement of the Northwest Power Act and support of BPA. However, now with the enactment of I-937, Inland, by law, must reach biennium kilowatt-saving targets and report those savings to the state.
As of today, Inland is pleased to have nine residential energy efficiency program offerings and various commercial, agricultural and industrial packages. These programs are supported by BPA who oversee and fund the efficiency programs. This is the second article in a five-part series. Stay tuned for the next piece in Energy Efficiency 101: Where Do I Begin? If you have a topic you would like to know more about, we would enjoy hearing from you! Our mission in energy services is to be a resource center for our community. We are here to help you achieve your goals, provide access to a network of contractors and engineers, and continue education on conservation and efficiency topics in the residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial sectors. To contact Todd or Lindsey, call (509) 789-1801 or email conservation@inlandpower.com.
VISIT INLANDPOWER.COM FOR MORE ENERGY EFFICIENCY TIPS
Get your slice early! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INLAND’S NEW DISCOUNTED EARLY CAPITAL CREDIT RETIREMENT PROGRAM you contributed last year, please fill out the bottom portion of the allocation statement that was mailed to you and return it to Inland Power by November 1. By accepting your 2016 capital credits early the remainder will be permanently invested by you in your cooperative.
Inland Power, your local electric cooperative, makes every customer an owner of our business. Unlike investor-owned utilities that generate profits on behalf of shareholders, nonprofit electric cooperatives return any profits earned to their members in the form of capital credits. Each year the Inland Power board evaluates the financial condition of your cooperative to determine whether a refund is warranted. In early September you received a statement that informed you of your 2016 capital credit allocation and the current discounted value you may receive early if you choose this new option recently approved by your board of trustees. Inland Power is now offering two options for receiving your 2016 capital credits.
1. What steps do I need to take? You now have the option to choose if you would like to receive your 2016 capital credits early or wait until the board evaluates the financial condition of the cooperative to determine if we can refund capital credits in the future. 2. What do I need to do to receive them early? To opt-in and receive the current value of the capital credits
10110 W HALLETT ROAD
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3. What if I want to wait? If you do not want to receive your capital credits early, do nothing. The capital credits will remain invested in Inland Power and will be fully returned to you when the board makes future retirements. 4. Sounds great, but I still have a few questions. If you have questions please contact us at (509) 789-4277 or inlandpower@inlandpower.com.
SPOKANE, WA 99224
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