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NEWS FROM YOUR PUBLIC POWER & WATER UTILITY • WINTER 2014-2015
Storm season is here. Are you prepared? The early December “Pineapple Express” wind and rainstorm was a brutal reminder of the importance of emergency preparedness, particularly for those who lost power for extended periods. These events along with ice and snowstorms, wildfire, earthquakes and tsunamis are risks associated with living here that will result in multiple day power outages for some or many in the future. Below are some resources that can help you prepare for these threats and what to do in case you are in the dark.
How does the PUD prepare? Internally, we have been connecting our substations with fiber optics so that we can monitor and control devices enabling us to respond more quickly to a problem. We are trimming trees that would otherwise grow into or fall onto our lines during a wind event. Maintenance, however does not help if soil-saturating rains coupled with gale force winds cause trees to topple from the roots as many did during the recent storms (see images). In preparation for severe winter storms we increased supply of poles, transformers and conductors, kept our fuel tanks topped off and limited employ-
Crews clearing trees that downed 15 spans of new Jefferson PUD wire near Coyle, January 11, 2014.
ee time off. In the event of a storm, we have mutual assistance agreements with other PUDs and agreements with contractors to bring in additional crews. During the last storm Mason PUD 3 had two crews available to assist after our December 11 windstorm and three contractor crews from Michaels were brought in as well (one we staged before the storm). The PUD also coordinates with local and state emergency management to address priorities, mobilize resources and maintain communications between the utilities and emergency services such as Jeffcom 911. PUD staff and management track
National Weather Service advisories, watches and warnings for storm timing and intensity. Timing is important if crews are being mobilized from the east as they will be affected by Hood Canal Bridge closures. All phases of our emergency preparedness are planned ahead of time and then refined after events to learn from and improve upon our response.
How you should prepare All Jefferson PUD customers should prepare a plan with your family and assemble an emergency kit well in advance of a strong storm or disaster. You should not be planning when you hear about a weather
warning in your area or after an earthquake strikes. Stores may not have the supplies in stock that you will need to ride out several days without power. If a storm is predicted, make sure your vehicle has plenty of gas. When power is out, gas pumps at service stations typically don’t work. Also keep cell phones on the charger as long as possible if a major storm is anticipated. The National Weather Service in Seattle is a great source for weather information. Pay particular attention to Watches, Warnings and Advisories as they will offer information regarding timing, strength and duration of winds. If your garage has an
electric door opener, locate the manual release lever and know how to operate it. Stock up on pantry dried goods such as rice, canned foods, dried soups/noodles, trail mixes and non-perishable entrees. If you use a camp or propane stove, do not use indoors. Carbon monoxide deaths are very common during prolonged outages. Plan how to keep foods cold. Use a cooler, freeze pack inserts and keep them frozen. Consider purchasing dry ice for your freezer. Freeze water in plastic milk jugs. Install surge protectors and/or battery systems for computers, flat screen TVs, etc. If a permanent generator installation is desired, consult a licensed electrician to install an approved transfer switch. Do not connect a generator directly into your home’s main fuse box or circuit panel. For help with planning and installing backup generators, call Jefferson PUD (360-385-8360). Educate yourself on how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Why you should call us during an outage During business hours call Jefferson PUD (360-385-5800) to report a power outage. If no one Continued on page 4▼
changing of the guard The coming year will see a changing of the guard at the PUD. Before we introduce other board members, we pay tribute to outgoing District 2 Commissioner Ken McMillen. A graduate from the University of Washington in business management, Ken is a fourth generation resident of Jefferson County residing with his wife, Jeanne. They have four grown children and numerous grandchildren. He is also a member of the Rotary and Elks clubs, American Legion, Boy Scouts of America and American Naval Aviation Association. Ken came to the PUD as a distinguished military pilot who then transitioned his flight skills into a unique atmospheric research pilot career where he became a kind of mercenary – for science. Ken’s aforementioned civilian career had moments of danger that must have rivaled air warfare. From 1991 to 2002, his company McMillen Enterprises was a University of Washington contractor that flew atmospheric research missions for the University of Washington Cloud and Aerosol Group (CARG). He was their pilot. Ken flew scientists in extraordinary, often harrowing weather conditions including a research flight into the smoke plumes coming off the oil well fires of Kuwait in 1991. He flew regularly into (rather than away from) all types of clouds to acquire meteorological data important to the understanding of aerosols, cloud formation and storm behavior. Ken is respected not just for his piloting skills, but his willingness to go where few pilots dared to go. Ken McMillen served as commissioner from 1981 to 2002 and was elected again in 2008. His leadership on the board was instrumental in the development and acquisition of the water systems that were the core of the PUD, including the acquisition of the Tri-Area water system from City of Port Townsend and the acquisition of the electrical assets from Puget Sound Energy, just to name a few. He is not only widely respected as a leader in the community at home, but also within the PUD community statewide, having served as president of the Washington PUD Association and on the board of Energy Northwest. All in all, no other individual has served Jefferson County PUD longer than Ken McMillen. We trust that despite his lofty aviation background, Ken will remain an anchor in the community.
Budget Payment Plan The PUD offers a budget payment plan to customers who wish to spread their energy costs over a 12 month period. The PUD will use the 12 month history of your electric bills to calculate an average payment amount. You pay that average amount monthly. This amount will be reevaluated and adjusted periodically to assure that you are paying the appropriate amount for your usage. The PUD strives to offer many different ways to pay that are
convenient for our customers.If you have any questions regarding this program, please call Lisa Keller at 360-385-8362 or email at lkeller@jeffpud.org. “As CSRIII lead, I am here to help make payment arrangements on your utility account. Please contact me ahead of time to make arrangements to avoid disconnections. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office.”
FREE DOWNLOAD: Was your electric bill high last winter? Maybe you are leaking dollars through your walls or attic. There are things you can do to fix this problem! Download the workbook PDF at jeffpud.org/diy-homeenergy-audit-workbook.
contact us
Customer Service: 360-385-5800, Monday-Friday, 8:45am-5pm Mailing Address 310 Four Corners Road Port Townsend, WA 98368 Payments Pay by phone: 866-874-8605 24/7 call center: 800-420-1663 Email: customercare@paymentus.com @Jefferson_PUD Follow us for outage updates and news.
2 • Jefferson County PUD Newsletter
Scam alert
More unscrupulous callers are attempting to scam PUD customers. This problem has been persistent and ongoing. To this date, all known victims have been local businesses and some have lost money to these scammers. We urge customers not to pay a current or past due bill over the phone other than through our third party payment company, Paymentus, or by calling direct at 360385-5800. If you think you are being scammed, ask for a call back number and call us and/or the Jefferson County Sheriff Office at 360-385-3831 to report your encounter. With your help we can stop these scammers now before more lose their money.
energy efficiency rebates Early in 2014, Jefferson PUD welcomed Cascadia Consulting as our local residential energy efficiency partner. Cascadia is assisting the PUD in fashioning an energy efficiency program specifically for Jefferson County.
Guiding principle The source of our rebate funds come from our wholesale electric provider, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The goal behind the program is to reduce electrical demand region-wide so that as the region grows in population, it becomes more efficient in its power usage and diminishes the need to acquire more power either through expensive contracts with other providers or through new generation plants. Through BPA’s Energy Efficiency Incentives Program (EEI), BPA pays its customers – the PUD in this case – to provide financial incentives (rebates) for the PUD’s customers to install energy efficient measures. In general, just two conditions need to be met in order to qualify for a Jefferson PUD energy efficiency rebate: 1. You must be a Jefferson PUD electricity customer. 2. For home heating-related upgrades such as insulation, heat pumps, windows and the like, the primary source of heat for your home must be electric.
Appliance rebates Jefferson PUD is currently offering rebates on Energy Star certified home appliances; specifically clothes washers, refrigerators and freezers. Please see jeffpud.org for details on how to file for a rebate including how to determine if your ap-
Rebate Savings to Date MEASURE
REBATES AMOUNT OF ENERGY SAVINGS PROCESSED REBATES (KWH)
Ductless Heat Pumps
78
$96,900
317,856
ASHPs (with or without duct sealing) 9
$11,400
31,580
Duct Sealing Only
6
$2,400
7,192
Heat Pump Water Heaters
4
$1,200
2,781
Appliances
86
$3,495
16,417
Insulation
4
$1,187
3,667
Windows
4
$4,131
12,839
Total
191
$120,713
392,332
Goal (kWh) 1,612,500 Progress towards Goal (kWh remaining) 1,220,169 Progress towards Goal (%) 24.3%
JPUD Residential Measure Mix MEASURE
QUALIFYING HOME TYPE
EXISTING HEAT TYPE
SEPARATE LOW INCOME INCENTIVES?
REBATE RANGE
Ductless Heat Pump
Single Family, Manufactured Homes
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
Yes
$800 - $3,800
Air Source Heat Pump
Single Family, Manufactured Homes, New Builds
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
No
$500 - $1900
Duct Sealing
Single Family, Manufactured Homes, New Builds
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
Yes
$200 - $500
Refrigerator
Single Family, Manufactured Homes, Multifamily Homes
Any Heat
No
$5 - $20
Freezers
Single Family, Manufactured Homes, Multifamily Homes
Any Heat
No
$15
Clothes Washers
Single Family, Manufactured Homes, Multifamily Homes
Any Heat
No
$30 - $70
Attic Insulation
Single Family, Manufactured Homes, Multifamily Homes
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
Yes
$0.11- $0.85
Floor Insulation
Single Family, Manufactured Homes, Multifamily Homes
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
Yes
$0.07 - $0.77
Wall Insulation
Single Family, Multifamily Homes
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
Yes
$0.61 - $0.67
Windows
Single Family, Manufactured Homes, Multifamily Homes
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
Yes
$6 - $20
Air Sealing (tested whole house)
Single Family, Manufactured Homes
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
No
$0.56
Heat Pump Water Heater
Single Family
Qualifying Electric Heat Types*
No
$300 -$500
*Rebate amount and eligibility are subject to qualifications and may change without notice. Please contact Jefferson County PUD#1 for more information.
pliance is listed as Energy Star compliant. For all rebates, please expect at least a 6 to 8 week processing time between when you submit your application documentation and when you receive your check in the mail.
Other measures We also offer rebates on ductless heat pumps, lighting, and weatherization for residential and commercial properties if the projects qualify and funding is available. Eligibility for
projects are dependent upon criteria determined by BPA and the PUD.
ciency program as an installer need to contact Scott Percival at 206-449-1122.
Contractors
Online resources
There is a growing list of local contractors available to chose from on the PUD website. We will also recognize participating installers from Clallam PUD’s list (link on jeffpud.org website) and the goingductless. com website for ductless heat pump installations. Contractors interested in participating in the Jefferson PUD energy effi-
For more details, and a list of energy efficiency measures with rebates visit jeffpud.org/energy-efficiency. You will also find links to download the forms necessary for claiming your rebates. If you have any questions, please contact Bill Graham at bgraham@jeffpud.org or call 360-385-8375.
Newsletter: Winter 2014-2015 Editor Bill Graham Contributors Annette Johnson Kevin Streett Cascadia Consulting
Jefferson County PUD Newsletter • 3
Storm
Do you have enough?
▼Continued from page 1
has answered, we are likely processing many calls. If you cannot get through initially, please wait and try again. After business hours, call us at (360385-5800), follow the options and your call will be forwarded to someone on-call. If you cannot leave a message, it means phone traffic is likely high, we are close to going live with the phones with additional personnel. If you cannot leave a message, please call back in several minutes. During a major outage the PUD may have a short outgoing message describing the current state of the outage and possible restoration times. If you have Internet access, we may have an outage map with approximate restoration times. When calling in, be persistent if you cannot get through. In this last storm, customer calls were critical in helping us identify where we had issues and where to deploy our crews. Initial reports of downed lines, fires and such often come from customers. If you have access to a working internet connection with a smartphone, tablet or UPS battery backed computer, updated information will be available at jeffpd.org and its Twitter feed (@Jefferson_PUD) during a major outage. Listen to local radio stations such as KPTZ (91.9 FM) and KSQM (91.5 FM) for local emergency status updates. For more information, go to our website at jeffpud.org and takewinterbystorm.org, a not for profit website dedicated to storm and emergency preparation. Prepare yourself and stay safe!
500 Jefferson County homes, many with children, don’t. They won’t be able to afford home heating costs this year. Fallen tree and snag on Old Oak Bay Road, December 12, 2014.
Stumps of trees that needed to be cleared to open Larson Lake Road in aftermath of the recent December 11 storm.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE: RESTORATION STEPS 1. Transmission poles and lines supply power to one transmission switch yard and 7 substations. These lines seldom fall, but they can be damaged by high winds and trees. Thousands of people could be served by one high-voltage transmission line, so if there is damage here it gets attention first. 2. We have 7 distribution substations, each serving thousands of consumers. When a major outage occurs, the distribution substations are checked seconds. A problem here could be caused by failure in the transmission system supplying the substation. If the problem can be corrected at the substation level, power may be restored to a large number of people. 3. Main feeder distribution lines are checked next, if the problem cannot be isolated at the substation. These feeder lines carry electricity away from the substation to a group of consumers, such as neighborhoods or housing development. When power is restored at this stage, all consumers served by this feeder line could see the lights come on, as long as there is no problem farther down the line. 4. The last lines, called tap lines, carry power to the utility poles or underground transformers outside houses or other buildings. Line crews fix the remaining outages based on restoring service to the greatest number of consumers. 5. Sometimes, damage will occur on the service line between your house and the transformer on the nearby pole. This can explain why you have no power when your neighbor does. The PUD needs to know you have an outage here, so a service crew can repair it. Consumers themselves are responsible for damage to the service installation on the building. The PUD can't fix this. Call a licensed electrician. Individual households may receive special attention if loss of electricity affects life support systems or poses another immediate danger. If you or a family member depends on life support, call the PUD before an emergency arises. During a major outage, other PUDs and contractors send line crews to assist with restoring power. These additional crews, as well as communications, equipment and supplies, are coordinated through the PUDs emergency response plan. Report your outage to the PUD office. Employees use every available phone line to receive your outage reports. Remember that a major outage can affect thousands of other customers. We appreciate your patience.
4 • Jefferson County PUD Newsletter
POWER BOOST PROGRAM PUD customers CAN help!
Donate $2 to $20 (or more) each month through your PUD bill. All funds go to the Power Boost Program, administered by OlyCAP. Donations are tax deductible.
--- Sign up today! ---
Call the PUD: 360-385-5800 or visit jeffpud.org a partnership with
Many heartfelt thanks to you,
our Customers,
for your patience and your calls that helped us find and fix the widespread damage caused by the December rain and wind storms.