CURRENTLY
AT YOUR
w w w. s n o p u d. c o m
A Newsletter for S nohomish County PUD Customers • J uly / August 2011
Energy-saving program hits milestone
Students Recycle 40,000th Inefficient Fridge!
F
ifth graders from Everett’s Fairmount Elementary School recently
recycled an old, inefficient school refrigerator at the
JACO Environmental facility near Paine Field. It
was the 40,000 unit recycled under a program with
the PUD, Seattle City Light and Tacoma Power.
The cumulative energy savings is enough to serve
more than 5,000 homes!
About 95 percent of each unit is processed
and safely recycled, including metal, plastic, glass,
polyurethane, mercury and other materials. Many
old refrigerators and freezers often sit for years in
garages to store only a handful of items – a few
cans of soda or some frozen dinners.
The PUD gives $30 to customers for their old energy-wasting refrigerators and freezers. It’s easy to
participate. JACO picks up units right from customers’ homes for free when they call for a collection. For
more details or to schedule an appliance pick-up, customers can call toll-free at 1-877-577-0510 or visit
www.snopud.com/fridgerecycling. –
Take Me on Your Next Trip!
Take our Conservation Sensation hero with you on your
next trip. Snap a photo of him in a unique or faraway location and enter it in our photo contest! We’ll send you a deck
of Conservation Sensation playing cards! For details and a
larger copy of our hero, visit www.snopud.com/fun. –
More Ways to Save!
Remember
to look for us at this
year’s Evergreen
State Fair: August
25 to September 5
in Monroe!
W Weatherization & Heating Efficiency
Check Us Out on
YouTube!
If your primary heat source is electric, get help with adding insulation,
insulated windows, heat pumps (air source, ductless and geothermal)
and thermostats. You can choose between a cash rebate or a 2.9 percent interest rate loan. More information is available at www.snopud.
See informational videos about
energy topics at the PUD’s
YouTube channel (www.youtube.
com/snopud ), including:
com/weatherization.
w Energy-Saving Tips
W Efficient Appliances
w Paying Your Bill Online
The PUD offers rebates of $50 for new ENERGY STAR refrigerators
and $50 or $100 for approved clothes washers. Get the details at www.
snopud.com/appliancerebates.
w Green Energy
w Power Outage Tips
w Electrical Safety
W Get a Free E-Kit
Save energy with our E-Kit that includes a showerhead, two faucet
aerators and two CFLs. Simply fill out the enclosed request form or
the online version at www.snopud.com/ekits. You can also request one
by calling the PUD Energy Hotline at 425-783-1700. –
w CFLs/Recycling
w Tidal Energy
You’ll also find all of our commercials here. –
Snohomish County Public Utility District No. 1 • www.snopud.com
Information
About
PUD Report Available
Each year, upon request, the PUD sends customers information about billing
and credit policies, rates, payment arrangement options, investments in conservation programs, an explanation of taxes and various other topics.
You can request a copy of this annual disclosure report by calling Customer Service (see number below). Customers also can view the report in the
About Us/Quick Facts section of the utility’s website at www.snopud.com. –
Planet Power Funds Solar Demo Projects
H
ave you ever
wond
kind of inform ered about Snohomish Coun
ation
ty PUD and
the utility’s policie all in one place (based
on figures availa some of its policies? The
following offers
ble
more. We hope s relating to customer accou
that
nts, rates, payme as of December 31, 2010)
you will find
. It covers many
the information
nt arrangement
of
helpful.
s, filing a compl
aint, and much
General Desc
ripti
on
Snohomish Coun
ty PUD is a consu
that
was created by
mer-owned utility
General Desc
the voters of
in 1936 for the
ription ........
Snohomish Coun
purpose of provid
......................1
ty
water service.
ing electr icity
Credit and Dep
The utility went
and
into the busine
viding electr
osit Requirem
ic service in 1949,
ss of proents ......2
electric distrib
when it purch
Rates and Char
ution system
ased the
operated by Puget
Power & Light
ges ................
Comp
Sound
.................2
on Camano Island any in Snohomish Coun
Metering Polic
ty and
.
ies ................
The PUD is
a municipal corpo
...................4
of Wash ingto
ration of the
Bill Payment
n. The utility
state
is gover ned
of Comm ission
Policies...........
by a Board
ers comprised
...................4
who are electe
of three local
Payment Arra
d on a nonpa
rtisan basis by citizens
of Snohomish
ngements........
the
County and
................ 4
Cama no Island people
six-year terms
Discontinuing
in office. One
to fulfill
of the
is on the Novem
Service ........
ber ballot every Commission seats
...................4
Comm ission
two
years.
Confidential
The PUD
establ ishes polici
proves revenu
Information
es, sets rates,
e obligations
and ap......................5
of the
the commissione
Filing a Com
rs appoint a generautility. In addition,
plaint ................
the day-to-day
l manager to
operation of
direct
..................6
the utility.
Snoh omish
Public Purp
ose Investme
320,229 custom Coun ty PUD serve d an
avera ge
ers in 2010 –
nts ................
making it the
est consumer-o
6
Taxes Paid ........
12th largwned utility
in the United
the second larges
........................
States and
t
................ 6
included 290,3 in the Pacific Northwest.
That total
27 reside
Page 1 • Snoho
mish Count
y PUD
ntial custom
mercial custom
ers; 29,626
ers;
utility also provid and 77 industrial custom comers. The
ed electric servic
199 accounts
e to an additi
that
onal
other miscellaneo included highway street
lights and
us services.
In 2010, the
PUD sold 8.1
of electr icity
to its customers. billion kilowatt-hours
the electricity
Of that total,
was
43% of
ers, 30% by comm consumed by residential
custom
customers, and ercial customers, 10% by
industrial
0.3% was consu
ers. The rest
med by other
was
customwholesale power resold to other utilities throu
market.
gh the
2011
The PUD’s Planet Power program now funds small-scale
local solar demonstration projects
with voluntary support from customers. Ten solar energy projects were installed in the last
two years at schools, public buildings and a local business.
Additional projects are planned this year.
You can contribute to Planet Power at any time. To
make a contribution or view the funded projects and their
live solar data feeds, visit us online at www.snopud.com/
planetpower. You can also make your contribution at any
Solar demonstration project installation at
PUD office or call our Energy Hotline at 425-783-1700. – Skyview Junior High School in Bothell. (2010 project)
Help Keep Poles Clutter Free
There’s litter in our communities that’s both unsightly and unsafe. Signs, flyers and posters attached to utility poles create clutter and can pose a safety hazard to utility workers.
The nails, staples, tape and rope used to attach signage present a hazard to line crews
working on and around the poles.
And it’s not only unsafe to post items on poles, it’s illegal. Offenders can be cited with
a misdemeanor and be liable for any damage or injuries. Help keep our utility poles safe
and clean. We appreciate your cooperation! –
Call 811 Before You Dig
PUD Supports Projects at
Brightwater
The PUD recently worked with
the new Brightwater water treatment facility to install a solar
photovoltaic system (funded by
PUD Planet Power), plan its
environmental learning center
and create energy-efficiency displays. The plant also offers public meeting space and 70 acres of
open space, trails and fish and
wildlife habitat. For more information about the facility and its
Sept. 24 opening, call 206-2639453 or visit www.kingcounty.
gov/brightwatercenter. –
With nicer weather here, many of us are tackling outdoor projects. Remember to plan ahead to prevent accidentally hitting
an underground utility line when digging. Use the “Call before
you dig” hotline at 811 at least two working days ahead of time
before starting a digging project that is more than 12 inches deep,
including landscaping, remodeling and fencing. Hotline staff will
provide the locations of lines that serve power, gas, water, sewer
and/or telephone utilities that are located along the right-of-way
of a resident’s property.
The PUD owns and maintains underground services on private
property for residential single-family homes and will mark lines
up to customers’ meters. The “Call before you dig” 811 hotline is
a free service, which is required by law. Severed utility cables or
water lines not only inconvenience people, they are expensive to
repair. If you dig in and interrupt power or water service, it is
restored at your cost. –
Customer Service: 425-783-1000
Monday to Friday, 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
www.snopud.com
1-877-783-1000 outside Everett local area and in Western Washington
www.CONSERVATIONSENSATION.com