In Ruralite Magazine
Managing Power Costs
After two years of declines, the price tag for building power plants and buying utility equipment has begun to climb again—and an improving world economy and hikes in costs for skilled labor, fuel and raw materials are driving expenses up. These higher prices likely will affect your electric bill over the long term. Electric utilities have an obligation…
Digital Crossover
Many public electric utilities were born after the U.S. Rural Electrification Administration was established in 1935 and helped small communities obtain loans for construction of electric distribution systems. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 could be considered part two of the federal partnership with rural electric utilities. Stimulus grants through the U.S. Department of Energy allow participating utilities…
A Windy Dilemma
Imagine adding a 350-home subdivision to a 2,800-member rural electric cooperative service area that went 10 years with no new homes, and rarely adds more than a couple a year. That essentially is what faces Jerry Healy, manager of Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative, based in Heppner, Oregon. But instead of houses, wind turbines are moving into the neighborhood. Healy already has…
The Power of One
Producing your own energy is nothing new, but the number of consumers generating electricity to reduce their monthly bills has increased significantly in recent years. From 2002 to the end of 2009, the number of consumers in the United States who generated electricity through net metering grew from 4,472 to 96,506, according to a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This…
Impressive Portfolio
Depending on where you live, the primary source of electricity varies greatly. In the Northwest, hydropower is king. In the Great Basin, coal is widely used. In Alaska, diesel plays an important role. But these primary resources are supplemented by numerous other types of electrical generation that are owned and operated by small, locally owned utilities. Consumers of public power…
Maintaining a Safe Home
Each May, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) sponsors National Electrical Safety Month to increase public awareness of electrical hazards around us. Check the following areas: The Heart of the Home The kitchen is where families gather to cook favorite recipes, share meals and reconnect. It also is where two-thirds of home fires start. Keep your stove, oven and exhaust…
The Generation Gap
Tighter government regulations—and the high cost to comply with new rules—may signal lights-out for many of the nation’s older coal-fired power plants at a time when forecasters predict energy demand will eventually outpace supply. "Americans could see power shortages by the end of the decade if new generation sources don’t materialize," cautions…
Low-Impact Entertainment
In the world of television electronics, change came quickly. Analog TV sets, in homes since the 1940s, became obsolete in 2009 without a digital convertor. Television makers now entice consumers with claims of high definition, surround sound and multimedia compatibility. Bigger screen, better picture, more options—and more energy consumption. High-definition TV sets generally use more power because of better…
Red Tape Overload
The cost of electricity hinges on several things: availability; the price for power plant fuels and materials such as poles, wire and equipment; and the amount of power consumers demand. Add federal rulemaking to the list. Perhaps the most pressing challenge facing electric utilities involves U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as…
High-Wire Act
Anyone who has driven through the Columbia River Gorge in the past couple of years can attest to the rapidly changing landscape, as wind turbines have sprouted like rabbitbrush on both sides of the river. Turbines not only have been raised along the river, but also on rolling hills and through canyons for several miles north and south of the…
Incredible Shrinking Credits
Did you plan to make energy-efficiency improvements to your home during 2010, but procrastinated so long you lost out on the maximum $1,500 federal tax credit that expired on December 31? The good news is you still have a chance to cash in on federal energy tax credits, thanks to an extension by the outgoing U.S. Congress. The bad news is amounts…
Heat Pump Water Heaters
Cold showers aren’t a pleasant way to start the day. Hot water plays a big role in cooking and cleaning, too. As a result, water heating has become the second-largest user of energy in an average home, accounting for about 20 percent of residential energy consumption. To save energy, consumers have wrapped water heaters in blankets or hot water…
Living Out Its Commitment
Commitment to community is more than rhetoric for public utilities. It defines who they are, and is evidence of how they are different from other types of businesses. Below are a few ways they and their employees add value beyond providing electricity to the communities served. Big Bend Electric Cooperative, Ritzville, Washington—Employees and family members participated in seven…
Space Heating: An Eye Toward Safety and Efficiency
An electric space heater can be an excellent source of supplemental heat for your home, increasing your comfort during cold months—especially in chilly garages, basements, workshops and other areas that may not have central heating. But don’t blindly accept some manufacturers’ claims that they can significantly cut a home’s heating bill. Understand the…
Save Energy With Layered Bathroom Lighting
People don’t often think about lighting and energy efficiency when remodeling bathrooms, but it is as important as installing proper plumbing fixtures. If the lighting in your bathrooms is like most older bathrooms, it consists of an overhead light, perhaps built into a vent fan, if there is no window. If there is a window in the bathroom,…
Bright Idea Still Glows
Whether it is crossing arctic tundra to serve tiny fishing villages in Alaska or traveling stark dusty roads in Southeastern Oregon to serve remote cattle ranches, rural electric cooperatives cover a lot of ground. They have to. Without co-ops, many Americans would have no electricity. Within memory of many senior co-op members, electricity was at one time a luxury for…
Moving Toward ‘Green’
Today, more than 80 percent of our nation’s 900-plus co-ops and other publicly-owned electric utilities provide electricity produced by green power sources. By tapping resources such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass—including landfill gas, livestock waste, timber byproducts and crop residue—electric co-ops nationally get 11 percent of their power requirements from renewable sources, compared with 9…
A Home Buyer’s Guide
When designing and building a new home, attention to energy-efficiency details matter. Good decisions will reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions, adding up to decreased utility bills and increased comfort. More than 1 million homes in the United States have been built to Energy Star standards since the program began labeling homes in 1995. Families living in Energy Star-qualified homes will…
A Clear View On Windows
Windows provide ventilation, light and warmth, but also can drive up your electric bill. Efficient windows can reduce heating, cooling and even lighting costs, while improving overall comfort. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the best window glazings today insulate almost four times as well as the best commonly available windows 20 years ago. In climates with a…
Senate Climate Bills Seek Cleaner Future
In a contentious midterm election year, U.S. senators are debating climate legislation on many fronts. Political pundits joining the fray have predicted Senate legislation could be approved anytime from this summer to long after the election is over. For several months, Sens. John Kerry, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham—a Democrat, Independent and Republican, respectively—worked together…
Rights of Way Are Not Roadways
Imagine going to work and finding your workspace cluttered with debris: stacks of other people’s paper, office furniture blocking your computer, heavy industrial bins jammed in front of your power tools or farm equipment, electronics broken and in need of repair. Before you can begin the workday, you have to rearrange everything and make repairs, possibly causing injury…
Pack Up Energy Savings
It’s easy to forget about conserving electricity when you and your family pack up the car to head off on vacation or a lengthy trip. But if you don’t think about it before you leave, you could face an unpleasant—even irritating—surprise when you return. While it seems to make no sense, your…