Public Power - November/December 2007 - (Page 57)

Provide efficient, economical delivery of service. Differentiate yourself from the competition through the efficient delivery of power that reflects customers’ interests in cost, reliability and aesthetics. “We have a situation in the Pacific Northwest where rates are going to increase because of decisions that have been made to protect the environment,” said Parrish. “These have been good decisions, but they are still going to cost. People have to be informed so they can make reasoned decisions.” Provide local control of power supply. Assure an adequate supply of electricity to t h e c o m m u n i t y, w h e t h e r acquired via distributed generation, renewable energy, or central station generation. Kennebunk is building a $3 million substation on vacant land where industrial growth could take place. “We are building a completely redundant system,” said Staz. The project will remove six megawatts of load off of one of the utility’s existing stations, which will improve the reliability of that station by reducing the potential for overload. “We will be able to eventually serve the entire town with one station or the other, each of which is served by a separate transmission line,” she said. Serve customers through preparedness. Adopt contingency plans for disasters or other interruptions and assure that needed equipment and supplies are on hand, or readily available, so service can be restored quickly. “I am concerned about the vulnerability and how much havoc can be created in society with customers if they are dewww.APPAnet.org nied the ability to have power in their homes because of equipment failures,” said Parrish. Some utilities lack the aggressive nature necessary to keep their infrastructure up to snuff. “They need to make the necessary level of investment,” he said. Keep an eye on safety. Safety must be a continuous utilitywide effort that encompasses staff education, employee wellness programs, and incentives for improvement. The National Safety Council feted Parrish as one of its “CEO’s Who Get It.” “Safety is particularly important in the utility industry, because the dangers aren’t always as visible as they are in some other industries,” Parrish said. “Public power utility boards have a lot to deal with, so I think safety is something that they can easily forget to pay attention to,” he said. “However, I think they need to place a strong emphasis on it.” In addition to ensuring safety internally, boards need to publicize their safety commitment to their communities, he said. “I receive daily reports on utility safety from around the country,” he said. “I read about a lot of situations that cause a great deal of anguish, especially because, as you study them, you realize that almost every one of them is avoidable.” Provide customer-side assistance. Help consumers reduce their end-use requirements. “We are all working on efficiency and conservation,” said Staz. Kennebunk has introduced a “village green” program, a renewables program that allows customers to purchase 100 kWh blocks of renewable energy for $1 per block, a one cent premium per kWh over the utility’s standard rate. “Several hundred customers have already signed up, and we haven’t even gotten involved in a lot of formal promotion yet,” she said. The utility is also selling compact fluorescent light bulbs at low cost to help customers reduce energy consumption. Secure product delivery. Provide uninterrupted service, secure from outside physical or cyber influence. Participate in mutual aid groups to ensure third-party assistance during emergency situations. Stay in shape. Don’t allow your distribution system and other assets to become antiquated. Allocating sufficient resources to the proper maintenance of this infrastructure asset is vital. “Make sure you look at your total system,” said Staz. “Review the number of outages you have and what the causes of these are, then address these at the root level.” This could involve changing out wires, upgrading transformer size, or installing squirrel guards. ❚ William Atkinson is a writer in Carterville, Ill., and a regular contributor to Public Power. NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007 57 http://www.ofilsystems.com http://www.APPAnet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - November/December 2007

Public Power - November/December 2007 Contents Washington Focus 10 Questions Connecting with the Customer Through Automation AMR or AMI? The High Court’s Antitrust Thunderbolts California’s Push for Demand-Response Plug-In Partners Get Plugged In Wiring Up for Double-Digit Growth For Engineers Safety Community Broadband For Governing Boards DEED Customer Service Hometown Connections Index to Advertisers Parting shot

Public Power - November/December 2007

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