CWEB.063/MARCH.29.2001
Energy conservation has apparently helped cuts electric loads this winter around the Northwest, ranging from negligible to nearly 10 percent at various utilities, according to information gathered by Con.WEB.
The Northwest Power Pool reports that large utilities in its United States/Canada territory "are estimating conservation efforts have decreased loads by about 4 percent [as] a regional average," said Pool president Jerry Rust. He also noted that aluminum smelter shutdowns have reduced loads about 1,800 megawatts, and, "We've had some economic slowdown starting to creep in."
 |
| Tacoma Power reports its energy-saving progress on its Web site (Courtesy of Tacoma Public Utilities) |
Many of the biggest power-demand reductions have come from Puget Sound utilities. Tacoma Power's weather-adjusted loads are down nearly 10 percent, while Seattle City Light systemwide power consumption has dropped about 5 percent. Both utilities have enacted substantial rate increases owing to the wholesale power crunch, and have embarked on highly visible conservation campaigns. Puget Sound Energy reports a 4-percent decrease in its customer loads.
Meanwhile, in Oregon, "Ongoing voluntary conservation from Oregon customers probably netted about a two percent reduction in electric loads in January," wrote Charlie Grist of the Oregon Office of Energy in a Feb. 15 memo to OOE administrator John Savage. This excludes demand-exchange programs, Grist noted. "Oregon electric utilities are seeing actual loads that are 1 to 3% lower than their temperature-adjusted forecasting models predict. However, we can't definitively pin the drops on conservation activities because there has been a simultaneous economic slowdown that is likely causing some of the load reduction."
Demand Drops Around the Region
The Northwest Power Pool, which encompasses major power-generating utilities in the Northwest, British Columbia and Alberta, showed substantially lower loads in January. Temperature-adjusted energy loads came in at 42,677 average megawatts, 3.9 percent below the 2000 level and even further below the forecasted 46,074 aMW for the month. Peak loads were 51,741 MW--90.6 percent of forecast. In March, according to information on the Pool's Web site, both energy and peak loads have been 92 percent of projections.
Approximately 1,800 MW of aluminum smelter load off-line accounts for "a good portion of why load is down, especially the peak load," Rust told Con.WEB. Slowing economic activity also is beginning to appear. Still, he said, "Your larger Northwest utilities are estimating conservation efforts decreased loads by about 4 percent [as] a regional average."
Economist Arne Olson of the Washington State Office of Trade and Economic Development's Energy Policy Group agrees that declines in aluminum factory energy consumption accounts for "the biggest chunk" of reported reductions, since those plants collectively amount to roughly 6 percent of Power Pool loads. But utility demand-exchange programs and voluntary conservation efforts promoted by utilities and governments also are playing some role, he believes. "It's safe to say there's all kinds of response going on out there. It's all having some effect."
Here's a brief summary of specific information collected by Con.WEB:
Northwesterners are advised to continue conserving electricity. "We're still calling for the wise use of energy," Rust said. That's based on a recent Power Pool analysis that the region will be able to meet firm loads and required forced outage reserves this summer given 1,800 MW of industrial load buy-backs, diesel and natural gas-fired power-generation additions, suspension of "some non-power operations on the hydro system" and "aggressive public conservation"--but the analysis also notes the system has "no additional margin."
The Northwest Power Planning Council also notes the dire straits of regional water supplies, with 2001 likely to be one of the two or three driest years in the past three-quarters of a century. A recent Council analysis calls for expanded energy conservation efforts and continued pursuit of demand-reduction initiatives with commercial and industrial customers.--Mark Ohrenschall
Investor-owned utilities around the Northwest are embarking on some new and expanded demand-side programs in the midst of the energy crisis.
The region's six major IOUs are turning--and particularly in the case of Idaho Power, returning--to energy-saving initiatives as wholesale power costs remain orbitally high in Western markets.
Communications with customers about energy conservation are much more prominent these days for Northwest IOUs. Demand-exchange (also known as buy-back) programs with industrial and agricultural customers have gained popularity, as have compact fluorescent promotions. At least one utility--Puget Sound Energy--has increased financial incentives for conservation by commercial customers, and another, Portland General Electric, has proposed higher funding levels. Puget, meanwhile, has proposed a time-of-use rate and a conservation incentive program for its customers.
Three of the IOUs operate in states where public-purposes funding for conservation and renewables is either in place (Montana) or coming soon (Oregon, in October). And a fourth, Avista Utilities, has a similar arrangement in its own territory.
Following is an alphabetical summary of regional IOUs and their demand-side activities.
Avista Utilities
 |
The Spokane-based IOU helped pioneer public-purposes funding, with its demand-side management tariff rider launched in 1995 by the then-Washington Water Power. Avista collects 1.5 percent of utility retail revenues in Washington (1 percent in Idaho) and earmarks the money for energy efficiency programs. As of early 2000, this provided about $4.5 million annually for market transformation via the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, low-income initiatives, traditional rebate and incentive offerings, and technical and financial consulting.
"We've always had our huge commitment to energy conservation" with the tariff rider, said spokeswoman Catherine Parochetti. "We haven't had to ramp up . . . because we've always had it."
Avista has added a 0.5-percent tariff rider for natural gas efficiency initiatives in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. This will fund weatherization, appliance efficiencies, process improvements and control technology programs, low-income assistance and market transformation via energy codes and dealers, according to an Avista news release. The total annual budget is $800,000. "With the skyrocketing costs for wholesale natural gas, energy conservation is more essential now than ever before," said Avista Utilities president Scott Morris in the news release.
Another new conservation effort is a buy-back program for water-pumping irrigation customers, which has been approved in Washington and is pending in Idaho as of late March. These initiatives could save up to 1 average megawatt of Avista's total irrigation load of 12.5 aMW, according to Parochetti, with payments up to 10 cents/kilowatt-hour to irrigators.
For an eight-day period in December, Avista offered to pay $200 to $250 per megawatt-hour for load reductions by certain large customers, according to a recent summary of voluntary load curtailment programs by Joelle Steward of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission staff. Total curtailment was 613 MWh by three customers; Avista paid $134,900, and estimates it reduced power-supply expenses by $82,000. Avista made no such solicitations in January or February, according to Steward's summary. The utility in late March gained WUTC approval to continue the program through October.
Avista also is looking to launch a compact fluorescent initiative, according to Parochetti.
As with many other Northwest utilities, Avista also has beseeched its customers to use energy wisely. "We're doing all of the things everyone's talking about, all of the customer notification campaigns, asking for behavioral changes," she said. Upcoming is a "a very concentrated campaign toward energy efficiency in spring and in summer."
In the contracting phase as of late March were three demand-side management initiatives chosen to supply about 13 average megawatts for Avista over three years--an amount that would exceed current savings from the utility's efficiency ventures, now about 2.8 aMW annually.
Those three--plus a planned 280-MW-capacity combined-cycle natural gas-fired combustion turbine in north-central Oregon--were selected by Avista from its RFP issued in August for 300 MW of capacity and corresponding energy (see Con.WEB, Dec. 21, 2000).
Idaho Power
 |
Idaho's biggest utility largely abandoned conventional energy conservation programs in the late 1990s for financial reasons, although it has continued funding low-income weatherization and regional market transformation via the Alliance. "In 1998, Idaho Power discontinued all remaining demand-side management (DSM) programs that relied on deferred accounting of program expenditures for future recovery," according to a 1999 conservation plan.
The investor-owned utility spent $2.9 million on efficiency programs and recorded savings of 1.8 aMW in 1998--which also marked the end of industrial, commercial lighting, school and agricultural energy-saving ventures. Idaho Power's conservation spending declined from $6.2 million in 1995 to $4.3 million in 1996 to $3.2 million in 1997, according to previous conservation plan figures (see Con.WEB, May 28, 1999, for more details).
Now, with soaring wholesale power prices leading to proposed retail rate increases ranging from an average of 19.9 percent to 44.5 percent, Idaho Power wants to reinvigorate its demand-side activities.
The IOU has proposed programs to buy back energy and establish time-of-use rates for irrigators, and credit large commercial/industrial customers for voluntary 1,000-kilowatt demand reductions when sought by the utility. "Our company's deferred balance for power purchased to supply our customers since last April [nearly $161 million] has reached an unprecedented level," said president Jan Packwood in a Feb. 23 news release. "As a regulated utility, it is vital that we begin now to recover these costs and continue to earnestly conserve our energy resources."
The irrigation buy-back initiative is open to irrigators who reduce power loads by at least 100,000 KWh this coming growing season. An estimated 1,700 customers are eligible. Idaho Power had received enough bids as of mid-March to save about 417 million KWh (47.6 aMW), based on payments up to 15 cents/KWh, according to spokesman Dennis Lopez.
Even though the Idaho Public Utility Commission in early March suspended the IOU's proposed one-year rate increase application until May, the conservation programs won't be affected by the delay, according to Lopez. "Conservation programs are essentially separate from that," he told Con.WEB. "They're aimed at helping us not go to the market this summer." He noted the irrigation time-of-use rates and commercial/industrial conservation credit were still pending before the IPUC, as of late March.
"The company also is evaluating several programs that address electricity usage among each of its customer groups, including efforts to build conservation incentives into rates, alter the time of day that some groups use energy, and reduce usage through efficiency improvements," said the Idaho Power news release.
In addition, Idaho Power offers a host of energy-saving tips on its Web site.
Montana Power
 |
Montana's largest utility has offered conservation programs since 1999 through a Universal Systems Benefits Charge equalling 2.4 percent of annual Montana Power retail revenues (based on 1995 levels). The USBC emerged from 1997 legislation restructuring Montana's electric industry, and has been collected from all electric utility customers since January 1999. It is the first state public-purposes funding established in the Northwest.
"We're going business as usual in terms of USB programs," reported Montana Power's Deb Young.
In 1999, its first year, the USBC generated nearly $7.8 million from ratepayers for a broad mix of energy conservation, renewable energy and low-income energy initiatives in Montana Power territory (see Con.WEB, May 30, 2000, for more details).
Since the energy crisis hit this winter, "We are doing more in terms of providing information to customers" about conservation, Young told Con.WEB. Media messages have urged, for example, consideration of energy-efficient appliances, USBC-funded energy audits for homes and small businesses, and studies of whole-building conservation strategies. "It's creating another opportunity to refocus customer attention on energy efficiency and renewable resources," she said.
The IOU has received "a lot more phone calls" from customers wondering how they can save energy. Montana Power makes suggestions and also refers customers to resources including the Alliance and the Energy Ideas Clearinghouse. "Individual customers can't do much about the price of electricity or natural gas," Young said. "As individual customers they can do things better in managing how they use energy and gain better control over their energy bills."
She has noticed, in particular, increased energy-saving attention by commercial customers with rising energy prices. Absent such a price signal, "It's been difficult for many commercial customers to justify an investment in energy efficiency improvements in their facilities."
Unlike many other big Northwest utilities, Montana Power can't offer a demand-exchange program for large customers. "We are a pipes-and-wires company," noted Young, "buying supplies for our customers through a contract with a supplier, PPL . . . If [customers] weren't using [energy], it wouldn't be ours to sell."
PacifiCorp
 |
This multistate utility is already "actively accelerating our [conservation] programs" in Oregon and Washington, noted PacifiCorp's Brian Hedman.
Pacific Power's enlarged offerings in Oregon, which began last year, help fulfill a pledge from parent PacifiCorp's merger with ScottishPower, in which the utility agreed to double its annual Oregon energy efficiency program spending to $6 million. The investor-owned utility added financial incentives to its Energy FinAnswer program, created a new incentive program for lighting retrofits, and revised incentives for energy-efficient retrofits in small commercial facilities. (See Con.WEB, July 25, 2000 for more details).
In Washington, the Utilities and Transportation Commission in October approved PacifiCorp's proposal for a system benefits charge to pay for expanded energy efficiency program offerings. Pacific Power planned to collect about $2.8 million the first 14 months to fund commercial and industrial programs (including an Energy Finanswer expansion), existing low-income weatherization, and part of the utility's membership fees for the Alliance. The IOU also set aside $250,000 of the funds collected to develop, market and implement a residential program in the first year.
This represented a near-doubling of Pacific's energy efficiency spending in Washington; the utility spent $1.4 million in 1999. The SBC collection amount equals about 1.6 percent of Pacific's Washington revenues, according to Hedman. (See Con.WEB, Oct. 31, 2000, for more details).
Now, Hedman told Con.WEB at the end of February, "Given the current high [wholesale] prices and super-high prices on peak, we're looking at a much broader array of demand-side measures than we have in the past."
One is a demand-exchange program with large customers (1 MW or larger load in Washington and Oregon). PacifiCorp also, as of late March, had proposed irrigation buy-back initiatives in its Idaho, Oregon and Washington service territories. In Washington, the WUTC approved the venture March 28 for an estimated 1,800 eligible customers; Pacific will pay 12.5 cents/KWh for load reductions from large irrigators, according to a WUTC news release.
"We also are looking at adding a short-term increased incentive" for commercial and industrial efficiency projects--probably in the range of 10 percent, and probably for work completed by year's end, Hedman said.
In Oregon, Pacific Power early this year began mailing customers a card returnable for two free compact fluorescent lamps. "We're getting 30- to 40-percent response, much higher than what we thought," said Hedman. Pacific plans to soon test direct-mailing of CFs and direct-mailings of CF coupons in Washington, and by next fall, "implement a full-scale program" using the best approach of these three.
Oregon is moving to independent public-purposes funding for conservation and renewables in IOU service territories beginning in October, and Pacific is already working on this transition, Hedman said. The IOU wants to run its energy efficiency programs through September, "and then complete any projects committed to up to that point." There is also talk of continuing IOU programs at some level for some period of time after October, although Hedman noted this is up to the board of the new non-profit organization overseeing most of Oregon's public-purposes funding.
Portland General Electric
 |
Like PacifiCorp, Portland General also envisions some future for its programs after Oct. 1. "We hope to work with the non-profit organization and help them to ensure there isn't a big dip . . . in Oregon energy efficiency" in the early days of the state's public-purposes program, said PGE's Carol Brown.
In the meantime, PGE is working the demand-side through its range of ongoing initiatives, as well as some new ones.
"We've been doing [conservation] for a long time," said spokesman Mark Fryburg, citing utility-reported savings of 109 aMW over the past 10 years, and retention of energy-saving programs and staff even in the mid- to late-1990s. Estimated 2000 savings were 6.2 aMW, including 4.5 aMW from commercial and industrial programs. In recent years the IOU has generally spent between 1 percent and 1.5 percent of its annual revenues on conservation, renewables and low-income energy initiatives--roughly half of the 3-percent level specified for the state's public-purposes funding.
This winter, PGE has joined the throng of Northwest utilities encouraging conservation. The IOU has put energy-saving tips on its Web site, distributed efficiency information at Portland's home show and through bill stuffers, and even arranged for a large mural at a prominent downtown location featuring a worker in a bucket truck pulling down a light switch.
In January, PGE's energy efficiency section on its Web site recorded 8,440 hits--more than double the monthly number in both November and December. And systemwide, according to Fryburg, weather-adjusted residential electric consumption is down 3.6 percent for the period from mid-December through most of January, compared to the same period the previous year. "It's fair to say" PGE's energy-saving efforts had some impact on that, Brown said.
Programmatically, PGE has proposed updated cost-effectiveness levels for conservation measures and increased incentive levels for commercial/industrial efficiencies, from about 25 percent of incremental costs to about 35 percent, according to Brown. PGE also wants to add a "pass-through" of Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit for participating customers, "to apply toward their cost of the measure."
PGE also plans to join a regional compact fluorescent coupon program, and is looking at a "whole-house approach" to compact fluorescents and a school-focused venture for these energy-efficient lights.
Meanwhile, Portland General has reduced loads through a demand-exchange program with eight participating customers with a collective peak of 157 MW. Total savings as of late March were 70 million KWh (about 8 aMW), according to PGE's Brian Soth. Fryburg said PGE hopes to expand the program to customers with loads down to .25 MW, "if we can make it cost-effective, predictable and measurable."
Puget Sound Energy
 |
This electric/natural gas utility serving much of the Puget Sound region outside Seattle, Tacoma and Snohomish County is in the midst of a three-year energy conservation plan approved by the WUTC in March 1999 (see Con.WEB, April 30, 1999 for more details). The IOU also is in load-resource balance, according to external affairs vice president Tim Hogan, speaking at a February commercial conservation conference in Seattle. And, "PSE's electric rates have not gone up appreciably and have not been in the news as much as our neighboring public utilities," Puget energy efficiency services manager Syd France told Con.WEB.
Still, Puget has added some new wrinkles to its efficiency initiatives in recent months. The IOU has added a 10-percent incentive bonus for commercial/industrial efficiency projects installed by the end of 2001. It also has simplified applications for such projects, and provided tables to generate quick estimates of incentives available for commercial/industrial efficiency measures. "Our major objective is to cost-effectively create more efficient use of electricity and natural gas here in western Washington," wrote PSE's Mary Smith in a Feb. 12 letter to Stan Price of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council.
In addition, Puget recently issued energy efficiency guidelines to help office and retail customers save 10 percent of their buildings' energy consumption, and in some cases more than 25 percent, without sacrificing occupant comfort or air quality. These guidelines apply to buildings with energy management systems for HVAC and lighting, according to a January/February Puget newsletter for business customers.
Puget also is spreading the word about the importance of energy saving, through information on its Web site, in the media, customer bills and elsewhere. "We are doing everything we can to help customers respond to the energy market news; inquiries from all sectors have increased at least 50 percent during the past five months," France said.
PSE customers have lowered their collective electricity consumption 4 percent in the first part of 2001, according to a Puget customer newsletter.
The IOU in late March pitched to the WUTC what France called "some strategic proposals . . . to send innovative new price signals to customers." One would pay, during each billing period, 5 cents/KWh for each kilowatt-hour of consumption below 90 percent of what customers used during the same billing period last year. Targeted at all residential and standard-voltage-service commercial/industrial customers not on voluntary curtailment plans, this program would begin in April and extend through the year, under Puget's proposal.
France said the utility also has broached a "revenue-neutral time-of-use rate . . . for customers enabled on our [automated meter reading] system." (See a Puget news release for more information.)
Puget has been touting its Personal Energy Management program, introduced last year, that shows participating customers their power consumption at different times of day, and encourages them to shift electricity use to off-peak periods. "If we're going to get control of this situation, we need to empower the customers," Hogan said. "We believe this is the next level of conservation."
Puget also recently launched a voluntary demand-exchange program for commercial/industrial customers with loads above .5 MW.
Meanwhile, the utility's energy efficiency programs exceeded their savings targets in 2000 and came in substantially under forecasted utility costs, according to a summary. Puget reported total programmatic savings of 7.3 aMW of electricity, 9 percent above the goal, and 1.78 million therms of natural gas, more than double the goal. Another 21.5 aMW of commercial/industrial savings were reported "in the pipeline" at year's end. "We're really pleased with recent progress and some new streamlining initiatives," said France.
Puget's summary listed several highlights from the last six months of 2000, including the commissioning of NEEC to develop a list of efficiency operations and maintenance services for commercial facilities; significantly expanded services to small businesses; and an "increased presence" of conservation information on Puget's Web site.
"We are now gearing up as quickly as possible to be ready as needed to help customers respond to the new price signal initiatives," said France. "With a little tweaking, our existing programs should be a great fit to help customers get the key things they need to respond."--Mark Ohrenschall [Jude Noland and Ben Tansey also contributed to this report]
More Information:
Northwest state governments are playing a significant role in the region's quest to reduce energy demand in these times of power crisis.
Washington reports a 10.8-percent drop in state agency energy consumption in January compared with the previous January, while Oregon state officials believe they, too, are on track for similar levels of conservation--with some thanks to mild weather. State government energy-saving efforts also are progressing in Idaho and Montana.
The four state governments are all under gubernatorial directives or requests to conserve energy--10 percent is the target for Oregon and Washington, as much as feasible in Idaho and Montana. As Oregon facilities official David White put it in a memo: "State government is asked by the governor to be the conservation model in this effort."
State agencies are cutting kilowatt-hours through curtailment-oriented practices such as reducing lighting, HVAC and computer loads, and even removing lights. Portable space-heaters are largely discouraged. Reduced parking-lot lighting in Salem has concerned some state workers, although Oregon officials report the light levels are still brighter than many other local parking areas. Generally, though, state officials report widespread employee cooperation and support for the conservation call.
In addition, state governments are implementing as well as considering longer-term energy efficiencies, through building audits, retrofits, conservation planning and other strategies.
Washington
Gov. Gary Locke issued an executive order Jan. 26 seeking a 10-percent decrease in electricity and natural gas consumption in buildings owned and leased by state and local governments. He also requested shifting or reducing power demand at peak periods in the morning and afternoon/early evening. This order superseded an earlier conservation directive.
"I have repeatedly called upon the people and businesses of the state of Washington to conserve energy," Locke wrote. "Only through conservation can we ensure that we will have adequate power supplies at affordable rates during this period of uncertainty. It is incumbent on us, as public officials, to both do our part to conserve energy, and set an example for others to follow."
State government actions have contributed to measurable energy reductions. In January, state agencies reported total consumption of 32.8 million kilowatt-hours, a 10.8-percent reduction from the 36.8 million/KWh used in January 2000. Natural gas use dropped 15.5 percent in the same period. "Part of the decrease is attributed to a warmer winter and part due to conservation measures," according to a summary report, which also notes slightly incomplete data.
Locke's order specifically referred state officials to the Energy Ideas Clearinghouse and the state Department of General Administration for technical assistance. He also suggested a range of actions. Among them: turn off unneeded lighting, computers and other office equipment; reset thermostats to reduce heating and cooling loads; scale down water-heating temperatures; and remove lights from vending machines. Longer-term recommendations include energy saving performance contracting, building commissioning, installation of light-emitting diode (LED) exit signs, and procurement policies and practices supporting energy-efficient products and services.
General Administration issued its own list of energy conservation ideas for building occupants and building operators. The state owns 7,100-plus facilities with an area of 55.8 million square feet; leased properties account for an estimated 11 million additional square feet, according to GA management analyst Karen Purtee.
"We have been in the [conservation] business for a while," Purtee told Con.WEB. Over the past 10 years, performance contracting projects at the Capitol Campus in Olympia have cut energy consumption 25 percent.
"These are permanent corrections," noted energy engineer Art Arneson, involving the likes of lighting, controls, adjustable-speed drives for motors and a heat-recovery system at a computer center. Money saved on energy bills has financed these projects at no cost to state taxpayers.
With these substantial energy efficiencies already in place, GA has sought additional negawatts through delamping and reduced fan operations. "In the GA building alone we've taken out two-thirds of the hallway lamps," leaving enough for safety considerations, Purtee said. "Most building have taken out one-third of their lighting, literally disconnecting or through controls," with task lighting remaining where needed. This delamping will also reduce summertime cooling loads in buildings, Arneson said.
Meanwhile, fan systems that bring in fresh air are shutting off in late afternoon and turning on in the early morning. "That's helped a great deal," said Purtee.
GA has also turned off display lighting in some vending machines, and asked state employees to abandon portable space-heaters. "People don't like that," she acknowledged, but also described the general reaction to conservation as "very cooperative." In some buildings state workers were willing to take out even more lamps than recommended, Arneson said. "People understand more than energy is at stake" with the energy crisis. "It's the vitality of the Northwest. Consequently, the occupants have been very understanding."
A list of specific energy-saving actions by Washington state agencies is available on the Web, at http://www.ga.wa.gov/eas/epc/agencyRpt.htm.
Oregon
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber also directed state agencies to conserve energy, with a statewide goal of 10-percent reduction in facilities owned and leased by the state.
Specific actions were listed in two separate January directives. On Jan. 8, state agencies were asked to turn off unneeded lighting, adjust heating controls to 68-70 degrees, take out portable space-heaters, turn off unneeded office equipment and turn down water-heating temperatures. A Jan. 18 missive expanded on these actions, adding delamping, turning off heating at 4 p.m. and statewide coordination led by the Department of Administrative Services Facilities Division.
So far, so good, facilities division administrator David White told Con.WEB in early March. "We already have enough information to tell us that we ought to clearly meet the governor's goals in our office buildings, [and] we think we will meet it statewide." A clearer picture will emerge when all the relevant utility bills are tallied by early April. He did note that the January electric bills for the approximately 20 office buildings managed by DAS were the lowest of any month in the past three years, although a mild winter likely made a difference.
Oregon owns approximately 32 million square feet of space, and leases another 3.8 million square feet, according to a state fact sheet. Total electric consumption was about 230 million KWh last winter. From that baseline, a 10-percent reduction would equal about 23 million KWh and save nearly $1 million in direct power bills paid by the state.
As of early March, the state had removed 26,000 fluorescent light tubes from various facilities, with another 20,000 still to come down. "We're just removing every third or every other lamp," White said. "We overlight buildings as it is." He praised the labor of "some tired custodians" collectively making thousands of trips up and down ladders. Another major initiative is shutting down HVAC systems at 4 p.m., compared to 6 p.m. previously. "If you take two hours off of about a 10-hour run, it's a lot," he said. This alone could lead to energy savings in the range of 10 to 15 percent.
Some conservation actions have not been universally acclaimed. A Web site with questions and ideas from state employees revealed some disenchantment with, for example, space-heater removal. The official response: "They are usually rated at 250 to 1500 watts or more. Space heaters confuse building heating controls, causing other areas to lose heating. More space heaters are then added in those areas. The result consumes far more energy and cost and reduces comfort for most people in the building. The heaters pose a considerable fire risk and overload circuits." To stay comfortable, workers were advised to wear more clothing, close blinds and work away from windows.
Another concern involved personal security with reduced lighting at the Capitol Mall Parking Structure in Salem. State officials replied that the lights exceed code requirements and are brighter than many other parking areas; a comparison found that the structure's metal-halide lamps measured an average of 4 footcandles at 30 inches above the floor, more average illumination than at all but one other of nine surveyed local lots.
"We haven't had a complaint in weeks or weeks from a state employee," White said. The 200 or so earlier complaints reflected "a natural reaction to a change."
The state of Oregon also is looking ahead to further energy efficiency efforts. In the near future, summer will bring more conservation challenges with its big increase in cooling loads, White noted.
State agencies are directed to pursue conservation manager services to seek energy efficiencies that pay for themselves through savings, and also to adopt gas and electric conservation goals.
"The state is conserving in two phases," according to the questions and ideas Web site. "First, we are making all the changes we can do right away for little or no cost. For example, turning down heat and taking out unnecessary lights. The next phase will entail projects that take longer and require more investment of time and money. For example, we will replace inefficient lighting or heating and improve existing equipment. When does phase 2 start? As soon as we can (pardon the expression) see light at the end of the tunnel on the no-cost phase."
Idaho
Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne issued a conservation call to state agencies on Feb. 22, simultaneous with an order to the Department of Environmental Quality to streamline the permitting process for new power plants.
"A number of the causes of this energy and water shortage are beyond our control," Kempthorne said in a news release. "But there is a great deal we can control . . . on the demand side as well as the supply side."
In addition to encouraging conservation by all Idahoans, Kempthorne in an executive order declared that "all state government facilities shall include, where feasible, energy conservation strategies as identified by the Department of Administration."
He listed 14 such measures: 1) Shut down computers not in use for more than two hours, disable screen savers, and enable energy-saving features; 2) Reduce building temperatures to 68-70 degrees in winter, 74-78 degrees in summer; 3) Turn off office lights on weekends and evenings; 4) Shut off exterior lighting during the day and midnight-5 a.m.; 5) Review HVAC systems for efficiency; 6) Limit personal heaters to heated mats or high-efficiency units; 7) Reduce water-heating temperatures to 140 degrees; 8) Examine hot-water circulation loops; 9) Shut down office eqiupment in off-hours; 10) Use storage-area lights only when the space is occupied; 11) Avoid operating HVAC systems for small groups of employees after-hours; 12) Evaluate state building exteriors for thermal efficiency, replacing insulation, window gaskets and seals as needed; 13) Instruct security and janitorial workers to turn off lights after completing work; 14) Turn off vending machine lights, and remove extra machines.
As of mid-March, officials in Idaho's Department of Administration were collecting baseline data on electricity and natural gas consumption in state facilities and communicating with facilities managers about energy conservation strategies, according to Daniel Foster, building facility coordinator for the Division of Public Works. His office has also put together an Energy Conservation Web site. Foster noted that the Capitol Mall in Boise has already been the site of energy-efficient lighting retrofits, and is in the process of getting more efficient chillers.
Montana
Gov. Judy Martz sent out the following memo to state employees on Jan. 29, under the heading Electricity Conservation: "Please look for ways to conserve electricity in your agencies and individual offices. If every agency would circulate and post a few reminders in various locations for turning out lights in rooms not being used and using only enough electricity as necessary, it would be helpful during this period of higher costs and high demand. Thank you for your cooperation." She also asked that the memo be distributed and posted throughout state government facilities.
Agencies are asked to track their own savings, according to Martz staffer Jean Branscum. She cited the Department of Labor and Industry as "one of the more aggressive ones" in pursuing energy conservation.
DLI employees have been asked to turn out lights when they leave, and shut down computers at night or long daytime absences, department official Diane West told Con.WEB. Signs are going up as reminders. "We're just doing basic education of employees, to let them know that everything counts and computers and printers and lights use a lot of electricity." She has seen "a very positive response" from her co-workers to the conservation call; for example, the department's four-story building in Helena is noticeably darker at nighttime.
"I think any little bit that each of us can do will eventually make a difference in the long-run consumption," West said.
Although the building had an energy conservation retrofit within the last two years, an energy audit is planned, according to West.--Mark Ohrenschall
More Information:
Green building incentives and/or requirements will be considered for private commercial and residential construction within the Northwest's largest city.
This is part of a planned acceleration of the city of Seattle's green building program, in response to the energy crisis.
Seattle's sustainable building policy, approved by the City Council in February 2000, sets minimum green standards for new and substantially renovated city buildings larger than 5,000 square feet of occupied space. Now, the city looks to expand its own green building efforts, while also driving private-sector builders to go greener, through financial incentives and/or regulatory requirements. Seattle also will seek to amend its non-residential energy code to achieve energy savings up to 20 percent beyond current ASHRAE/IESNA requirements.
These potential actions are outlined in a resolution unanimously passed Feb. 12 by the City Council. It calls for further proposals and reports by June and July.
"I think the immediate reason for doing it is because of the fact the energy situation has become more acute," Council member Richard Conlin, the resolution's sponsor, told Con.WEB. "We are in the process of accelerating all of our conservation programs" for Seattle City Light, essentially doubling energy-saving acquisitions. "That seemed like a good time to revisit green building." He anticipates the city will eventually settle on some combination of incentives and requirements for green building by the private sector.
Green Building in Seattle
Seattle's sustainable building policy established standards for energy and water efficiency, material and resource conservation, site planning and indoor environmental quality, based on the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) voluntary rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Seattle adopted the LEED Silver level as the city's minimum for new and major renovation projects larger than 5,000 square feet. (See Con.WEB, March 28, 2000 for more details on Seattle's policy.)
Conlin reported that the green building standards work well for conventional municipal office buildings. "It's not that difficult, it can be done, it's not very costly," he said, citing a 1- to 2-percent additional cost to achieve LEED Silver.
However, the life-cycle-cost analysis is proving conceptually challenging. "It's still somewhat difficult for people to grasp," Conlin said. And the green building standards are also proving challenging for an unconventional facility: the upcoming renovation of the Seattle Center Opera House. "It's a very different kind of building . . . You're dealing with a place where 1,000 people come in the evenings, with 10 offices around the top." The city budgeted an additional $600,000 to meet LEED Silver for this project, he noted, but it's not clear whether that will be accomplished. "What we will do is all the things that make sense."
Green Building Acceleration
Conlin said he had two main ideas in pursuing an accelerated green building initiative in Seattle. One is rising energy costs and, consequently, an increase in available cost-effective sustainable energy measures. Second, "Given the fact of new energy costs, maybe it's time for us to accelerate our work in the private sector," which to date has primarily focused on providing green building information.
The Council resolution calls for "a recommendation for developing a citywide Green Building Program in the next two years, including estimates of the time and resources required. It will also include a feasibility analysis, including possible steps and measures for the City to require or provide incentives to developers of commercial buildings to meet the Silver LEED standard by 2003. The report shall consider interim incentive measures and outline a public process with outreach to affected parties. It is the Council's intent that the City will eventually also apply the [Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties] BuiltGreen or LEED Residential standard to residential development." This report is due July 1 from the city's Office of Sustainability and the Environment, in coordination with the city's Green Building Team.
It's still unknown exactly how the city will push private-sector green building. "We're not sure; we need to talk to people," Conlin said. He offered the principle that a regulatory requirement would fit for "things most people agree they can do, even though some people may still oppose it." Seattle may settle on a "floor" of green building requirements, with incentives for exceeding those.
Portland already offers such financial inducements for green building. The city's Office of Sustainable Development's G-Rated initiative provides two tracks of commercial building incentives up to $20,000, and grants of $3,000 for homeowners. And, like Seattle, Portland also has a municipal green building policy (see Con.WEB, Jan. 30, 2001 for more details).
Conlin said he hasn't yet heard opposition to Seattle's prospective plans for private-sector green building, although he acknowledged, "I think the news is just beginning to get out." The Seattle Chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, in a recent newsletter, said it was "please[d] to see the City extending their internal green building efforts to [the] private sector. This kind of proposal, however, is very likely to bring opponents out of the woodwork."
Another major aspect of the resolution is pursuit of a new non-residential energy code exceeding ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1 standards by 20 percent in energy efficiency. Seattle has already proposed code revisions, according to John Hogan of the city's Department of Design, Construction, and Land Use, as part of a regular cycle in concert with changes to the state energy code. "My guess is what we put out there will maybe get us halfway there" to 20-percent savings, he told Con.WEB. "We need some additional lighting savings, some additional mechanical savings, envelope savings. I don't think anything can be off-limits."
Seattle's commercial code is already more stringent than the ASHRAE standard, Hogan noted, and ASHRAE itself plans a 20-percent efficiency boost in its national standards planned for adoption in 2004. "It seemed like a reasonable target" for Seattle, he said, although, "One of the comments I heard was, 'It might not be without pain.' It's an ambitious target."
One particularly challenging area is moving HVAC equipment efficiency standards beyond ASHRAE 90.1. "Basically, that's not been done," said Hogan. He recently met with HVAC equipment manufacturers, who said they would prefer a single national standard.
City officials have been meeting with interested parties on the code revisions, Hogan said, and a revised proposal to meet the 20-percent goal will be developed for City Council consideration. DCLU and Seattle City Light also are assessing potential energy savings associated with the higher efficiency standards.
The City Council's resolution also seeks information on the status of the city's internal green building efforts, as well as an assessment of expanding LEED requirements to smaller city buildings, strategies to pay for initial costs of city green building measures with longer-term paybacks, and potential new opportunities for energy efficiency and "clean distributed energy resources" in "major current and planned building projects" by the city. This report is due June 1 to the Council's Energy and Environmental Policy Committee.--Mark Ohrenschall
More Information:
Solar electricity is coming soon to 15 Pacific Northwest schools as an educational tool that will also generate renewable energy.
 |
A solar-in-schools venture has been launched by a regional consortium including Bonneville Power Administration, 15 publicly owned utilities and local schools within their service territories, Western S.U.N. Cooperative and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Each participating school can acquire a 560-watt-capacity solar photovoltaic installation for a heavily discounted price of about $2,400. That cost reflects Western S.U.N. pricing buying directly from manufacturers, as well as a $2,500 BPA subsidy.
"Our idea is to have a system that is very inexpensive yet could demonstrate the technology to the school, to the kids, to the parents, and tie it into course materials," said BPA's Steve Fucile. "Getting kilowatt-hours is very secondary to this; we're not trying to augment our hydro system. Pretty much the whole emphasis has been information and education, getting people familiar with solar."
Nonetheless, this could represent the start of something ambitiously large. Western S.U.N. touts the possibility of a "One Megawatt Virtual Solar Power Station" sited at schools around the region. This would require 1,785 installations of 560 watts apiece. "Before we ever get to a megawatt," said Western S.U.N.'s Mike Nelson, "solar will have become business as usual."
Solar Schools
BPA is a charter member of the Northwest Solar Alliance, and Fucile said he and Nelson had discussed PV in schools as a particular way to promote electricity from the sun. "Once Western S.U.N. became operative [in late 1999], we started talking about how could Western S.U.N. and Bonneville, working in a partnership, make some systems available at relatively low costs to utilities and their local school districts."
BPA initially thought to offer $2,500 apiece for 10 solar-electric systems at Northwest elementary schools, Fucile said, but later upped the number to 15 and expanded eligibility to middle and high schools. Bonneville energy efficiency representatives contacted BPA customer utilities beginning in February, and by mid-March commitments had arrived from exactly 15 utilities, on a first-come, first-served basis.
All 15 participating utilities are in Washington and Oregon: city of Ashland, Big Bend Electric Cooperative, Clallam County PUD, Clark Public Utilities, Clatskanie PUD, city of Ellensburg, Emerald PUD, Eugene Water & Electric Board, Ferry County PUD, Grant County PUD, Inland Power & Light, McMinnville Water & Light, Okanogan County Electric Cooperative, Snohomish County PUD and Tacoma Power.
Each utility can make its own arrangement with local schools, Fucile said, and they are also free to buy PV systems outside of Western S.U.N. But the cooperative offers an enticing deal: a 560-watt system including eight modules and a 1,500-watt inverter retails for $7,450, but is available to co-op members for $4,858, according to the Western S.U.N. Web site. Subtract $2,500 from BPA and the out-of-pocket expense becomes $2,358--excluding a mounting pole, a utility meter, wiring to the school's distribution system and some labor, and including technical support from Western S.U.N..
"It's quite a bargain," said Fucile.
He and Nelson expect all 15 solar installations to be completed by the fall.
Educational Aspects
"It's much more about education than actual kilowatt-hours," Nelson said.
In that vein, he said DOE will fund development of curriculum materials with lesson plans, exercises and activities for distribution to each participating school.
In addition, solar-electric energy production from the schools will be collected on a Web-based system hosted at BPA headquarters, according to Fucile. "What I really hope to have happen is that kids post their data from their system," said Nelson. "I hope they also develop other Web pages about solar as they see fit," all linked to the project's central Web site.
And, said Nelson, "In the fall we'll do a peer exchange, with people from state energy offices and public school systems from all the Western states, to talk about the virtual power station, materials developed and system specs." In this way the solar-in-schools project could spread beyond the Northwest.
It's uncertain whether Bonneville will expand this initiative beyond the initial 15 participants, Fucile said. "My hope is that, yes, we would continue to some degree, but whether we would continue to incentivize it through contributions, or whether the contributions would be as large, is open for further discussion."--Mark Ohrenschall
More Information:
That big yellow ball in the sky bathes our planet with more Btu each day than will ever be extracted from oil. Yet only an infinitesimal fraction of those Btu delivered from the sun are converted into solar electricity.
That fraction, however, is getting bigger, and promises to increase even more in this era of environmental concerns and rising power costs from the grid.
A Northwest Public Power Association Jan. 25 workshop in Portland titled "Catching the New Solar Wave" explored sun-powered electricity's history, examples of current applications, utility and government ventures, and issues surrounding its use.
Solar was acknowledged as a costly and intermittent energy resource, but one with other valuable attributes. It's non-polluting, scalable, available close to loads as a distributed resource, cost-effective off the grid, and immune from the vicissitudes of fossil fuels--at least as long as that yellow ball still shines!
Solar PV Background
The so-called photovoltaic effect was discovered in 1839 by Edmund Becquerel, reported Doug Broach of Schott Applied Power. "The idea simply is that light strikes certain compounds and elements in nature, and electrons are displaced by photons from sunlight," creating an electric current.
But PV as an industry didn't take hold in any substantial way until the 1980s. Worldwide annual production exceeded 8.4 MW in 1982, and in 2000 went above 250 MW--a nearly thirty-fold increase. "We're in a very strong growth cycle as an industry," Broach told the gathering. With lowering prices for components, "We should see more and more growth for at least the next 20 years."
He believes global warming, population growth, and eventually diminishing oil reserves offer strong arguments for solar electricity. "We have from our sun the resource of energy to produce ultimately way more power" than from converting hydrocarbons and fossil fuels; even Portland can produce solar energy 20 to 40 percent of the time when it is most needed. Broach, though, also acknowledged the "reality" that "we're not truly cost-effective with what we pull out of the wall."
Solar Electric Applications
The Portland workshop spotlighted PV in practice, including Northwest utility and government ventures that promote solar electricity.
Mike McGoey of Schott Applied Power shared a few sun-powered examples away from the grid. Among them: a 20-watt translator station high in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado; data loggers monitoring storm runoff in the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs, CO; lighting for campground buildings in Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California, at a cost of $30,000, compared to $153,000 for a power-line extension; water-pumping of 1,800 gallons per day in rural eastern Colorado; a 9.6-kilowatt-capacity array for facilities in Pinnacles National Monument in California, replacing two 250-watt diesel generators; water-pumping for residences and campgrounds at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah; and a 160-KW array, with battery storage, serving the busy Dangling Rope Marina in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah.
Utility, Government Ventures
McGoey's solar-electric examples largely come from the sunny Intermountain West, but the Northwest has many examples of its own.
The largest known grid-connected PV system in the region is situated in Ashland, OR. This 30-KW arrangement at four local sites came together with a host of partners, including the city, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Bonneville Power Administration, Renewable Northwest Project, Applied Power, Avista Corp., Oregon Office of Energy, consultants Tom Starrs and Doug Boleyn, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Southern Oregon University. Some 260 local residents have voluntarily agreed to pay $4 to $16 per month to help fund the project, reported Ashland's Dick Wanderscheid. (See Con.WEB, Aug. 31, 2000, for more on Solar Ashland).
Another Northwest utility bullish on solar electricity is Okanogan County Electric Cooperative in north-central Washington. It has installed a 480-watt sun-tracking system for its Winthrop headquarters, along with two 75-watt PV panels for exterior sign lighting, said the co-op's Ellen Lamiman. Okanogan also has helped several customers install off-grid PV systems; she cited one installation that cost about $12,000, compared to an estimated $32,000 for a line extension. And, the co-op recently received a $38,000 grant from Bonneville Environmental Foundation for a solar-powered livestock-watering project along the Methow River.
Lamiman listed several necessary ingredients for utilities interested in venturing into PV, including the will, net-metering agreements and interconnection standards, publicity and local installers. She also plugged Western S.U.N. Cooperative as a vehicle to help buy solar-electric systems at lower prices. As of January, the cooperative reported 54,650 watts of solar-electric capacity either installed or committed.
Eugene Water & Electric Board has long promoted power from the sun, through solar-resource monitoring as well as solar water-heating incentives that have led to 800 local installations, according to EWEB's Steve Still. Now EWEB plans a demonstration solar-electric program called PV Eugene, designed to raise awareness, identify values and benefits, test interconnection policies and standards in actual applications, and explore funding options and partnerships, Still told the workshop.
Oregon's largest publicly owned utility is considering a number of prospective sites, notably a 2-KW rooftop system and two 1-KW trailer-mounted systems at Willamette High School, as well as a 24-KW network--some of it integrated into the building--at the University of Oregon's Lundquist School of Business. EWEB has $135,000 available for the project, and is looking at additional funding ideas including customer contributions, state tax credits and/or loans, grants from federal and non-profit organizations, and BPA's conservation/renewables wholesale rate discount.
Working with Portland General Electric, Schott Applied Power put in a 2-KW array at North Salem High School and two 1-KW tiltable roof-mounted arrays at Franklin High School in Portland. "The most important thing in putting a PV system in a school is not the energy produced, it's the information," said Schott's Miles Russell.
He also described a Massachusetts Electric solar project in which participating customers paid $30 per month over four years, or prepaid with a slight discount, for turnkey installations of 250 watts or 500 watts, later expanded to 25 KW. This program was replicated in western Massachusetts.
Northwest-based governments also support solar electricity.
The federal Million Solar Roofs initiative works with state and local governments--including all four Northwest states--as well as community groups to boost PV installations. Services include technical assistance, financial tools, consumer awareness and help in overcoming market barriers such as interconnection standards. Some 110,000 PV systems have gone up nationwide, reported Heather Mulligan of the U.S. Department of Energy's Seattle Regional Office.
In Oregon, the state provides tax credits of up to $1,500, plus help with financing and technical matters, for off-grid solar-electric systems. Cash rebates are available for installations that are less expensive than utility connections, at $1 per watt for each watt above 500 watts. Financing for other residential, commercial and public-sector solar energy projects also can be arranged. OOE's Christopher Dymond told the workshop he used to get one phone call per month on solar when he started working at the energy office four years ago; now he receives three to five solar calls per day.
Solar-Electric Issues
People who get electricity from the grid don't install solar PV systems for purely financial reasons. "It'll be a long time before PV can compete economically, with historical [electric] prices, anyway," consultant Starrs told the gathering.
Yet, solar still provides value in clean power, scalability and immunity from unpredictable fuel prices. "It is more expensive," said Russell, but "so is bottled water. You pay 2,000 times as much for [bottled] water than if you go over to the tap and fill the glass . . . We believe this bottled water is a higher-quality product, and better for us. By extension, photovoltaics, the energy produced" also has value-added qualities, and "maybe we should be willing to pay a little more . . . for it."
Solar also suffers from a lingering perception of poor quality, dating from the 1980s. That refers to solar water-heating systems, not PV, emphasized Starrs, but he added, "There's no question that the rush to the market in the 1980s resulted in a lot of problems. The infrastructure was not in place to deal with it. One thing the PV industry has done well, along with policymakers and utilities, is we've really done a lot of work to build those infrastructures and relationships and make the technology work more reliably and more effectively."
In a separate presentation Starrs discussed net-metering, which essentially allows customers with small grid-connected PV systems to spin their meters backwards. Net-metering is required by law to be made available in Oregon and Washington, and is allowed in much of Idaho. Starrs also advocated uniform technical standards along with simpler and less-expensive solar-electric interconnection requirements. "There will never, ever be a mass market" for PV "if a customer has to hire an attorney and a consulting engineer to negotiate interconnection agreements with a utility and deal with standards with a local building inspector."--Mark Ohrenschall
More Information:
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance has been honored by the national Energy Star program as one of five 2001 winners for Excellence in Consumer Education.
The award honors the Alliance for its promotions of resource-efficient clothes washers, through initiatives including Energy Star Clean Up Sweepstakes, a promotion with Fred Meyer that awarded 110 resource-efficient clothes washers at stores in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and the Energy Star Grimiest Soccer Team Contest.
Marci Sanders of the Alliance and Lisa Rehbach of Portland Energy Conservation Inc., which implements the Alliance program, accepted the award from Christine Whitman, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at a March 20 ceremony. The gathering "recognized 39 corporate and governmental trendsetters for their exemplary leadership in voluntarily reducing unnecessary energy use and preventing pollution," according to the Energy Star Web site.
More Information:
OFFICES: Mail-P.O. Box 900928, Seattle, WA 98109-9228. EXPRESS: 117 West Mercer, Seattle, WA 98119.
TELEPHONE-(206) 285-4848. FAX-(206) 281-8035. E-MAIL-newsdata.com.
Con.WEB was created by the Energy NewsData Web team, including: Publisher-Cyrus Noë; Editor-Mark Ohrenschall;
Contributing Editors-Jude Noland; Cassandra Sweet
Contributing Writers-Jim DiPeso; Lynn Francisco; Kari Hanson; Garrett Hering; Amber Schwanke; Ben Tansey
Web Production-Michelle Noe
General Manager-Brooke Dickinson.
Please contact Mark Ohrenschall,
marko@newsdata.com,
with questions or comments on this site.
Copyright ©2004 Energy NewsData Corporation
Return to Contents