Customer
Connection
January 2010
Customer Connection is published monthly
by the Corporate Communication Department.
Comments or questions are welcome. Please
email [email protected] or write to:
www.idahopower.com
Corporate Communication
P.O. Box 70
Boise, ID 83707
Proposed Transmission Line Projects
Across Idaho Create Path To Future
Transmission lines transport electricity across
long distances, and many utilities—here and
across the country—are finding it necessary
to add to their electrical systems. Idaho Power
customers likely have heard of the company’s
Gateway West and Boardman to Hemingway
500 kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line Projects.
But do you know that electric utilities from
Canada and Montana to New York also
are proposing transmission line projects
that would run through Idaho?
Proposals expressing intent to locate
within Idaho include LS Power’s
Southwest Intertie Project that will run
from Idaho Power’s Midpoint
Substation north of Jerome, Idaho, to Las
Vegas, Nevada; NorthWestern Energy’s
Mountain States Transmission Intertie
line from southwest Montana to
Midpoint Substation; and TransCanada’s
Zephyr and Chinook projects.
The Zephyr project would originate
in southeast Wyoming and the
Chinook project in south central
Montana. Both projects would travel
through eastern Idaho and
terminate in the El Dorado Valley
south of Las Vegas. Idaho
Power’s proposed Gateway
West project, with partner
Rocky Mountain Power, runs
between central Wyoming
into southwest Idaho. The
Boardman to Hemingway
line runs between northeast
Oregon and southwest Idaho.
Vern Porter, Idaho Power vice president
of Engineering and Operations
“Transmission line corridors, some of which
span hundreds of miles, cross many
jurisdictional boundaries—federal, state,
county and city lands,” said Vern Porter, vice
president of Engineering and Operations at
Idaho Power. “Like a highway, transmission
lines run through and connect across those
boundaries. The public involvement and
permitting process for siting these lines is
extensive.”
Idaho Power customers may have been
contacted by other utilities about their
potential projects through Idaho
Power’s service area. Time frames vary
on the projects and some may not be
built for a decade or more, but there
is a lot of discussion and
planning underway in
Idaho and across the
West.
“Transmission lines are
necessary for
transporting power to
customers throughout the region and
enhancing reliability. Wind and other
renewable projects often are located
in remote areas, away from load
centers,” Porter said. “We see a lot of
generation projects being considered out there, and transmission
lines are the connecting piece; there
has to be a path in place to move
that energy from where it’s generated
to where it’s needed.”
For information on Idaho Power
projects, visit www.idahopower.com. ​
For information on regional projects,
visit www.nttg.biz.
Get Empowered By
Becoming An Account
Manager Today!
Get empowered this New Year by becoming
an Idaho Power Account Manager! This
useful feature at www.idahopower.com
allows you to take control of your account
online 24/7.
Account Manager benefits include:
•It’s quick! Using the Web can be a good
option to calling the Customer Service
Center, especially on high call volume
days.
•It’s convenient! Access to account
information is available 24/7 so you can
do business on your schedule.
•It has lots of information! Details on
usage, billings, payments and more are
available. Customers also can do business
with us by requesting service, setting up
Budget Pay, updating account information
and letting us know they are moving.
Our new “View My Bill” feature also allows
Account Managers to view their current
and past bills via the Web site. Using this
“green” option, you will be able to:
•Access an electronic copy of your printed
bill.
“Account Manager”
(Continued on back)
Welcome 2010!
St. Jude Dream Home®
Giveaway Groundbreaking
It’s that time of year when the hustle and bustle of the holidays
are winding down and resolutions for the New Year are
being made. At Idaho Power, we’re always finding ways to
reinforce our commitments to our customers, communities
and shareholders. One of the ways is by partnering with
organizations to positively benefit our communities. Idaho
Power and St. Jude Children’s Hospital are working together
with other local partners, including Northwest ENERGY STAR®,
on the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway.
From left to right: Tim Clemens–NW ENERGY STAR, Josh
Brown–NW ENERGY STAR, Theresa Drake–Idaho Power, Scott
Flynn–Flynner Homes, Doug Armstrong–KTVB Channel 7.
The St. Jude Dream Home, located at 4859 W. Willow Ln.
in Boise, is being built by Scott Flynn ​of Flynner Homes, a
100% ENERGY STAR Home Builder.​Idaho Power joined St.
Jude, Flynner Homes, Northwest ENERGY STAR and other
local partners at the groundbreaking on Dec. 1 to kick off the
building of the home.
The St. Jude Dream Home is valued at $440,000 and will be
raffled off June 27. Tickets are $100 each and only 7,777 are
available. The St. Jude Dream Home will be completed and
open for tours in May. Early bird raffle tickets will be available
at that time.
This year’s St. Jude Dream Home will be especially unique:
the home will be a net zero ENERGY STAR home that also will
be National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National
Green Building Program gold level certified. This means
the home will generate the same amount of energy it will
use—possibly eliminating electricity bills for the owner. The
St. Jude Dream Home also will be more energy and water
efficient, quieter, better insulated and more comfortable than
a standard home built to code. The St. Jude Dream Home will
achieve the prestigious ENERGY STAR and NAHB Green gold
level certification by using advanced design and building
techniques, solar panels, highly insulated walls
and attic, a ductless mini-split heat pump/
water heating system and ENERGY STAR
qualified lighting and appliances.
Visit www.boisenetzerodreamhome.com to get more
information and view the progress of the St. Jude Dream Home.
This is the first in a series of articles about the St. Jude Dream
Home Giveaway that will appear in Customer Connection.
“Account Manager” (cont’d)
•Print and save your bills.
•View up to 24 months of bills and
compare bills side by side.
In addition, if you have your new smart
meter you can view hourly usage information
to learn more about your energy use,
making it easier to identify ways to save on
your monthly bill. Learn more about Idaho
Power’s smart meters at www.idahopower.
com/meterexchange.
Another way to potentially save is by completing an online ENERGY Tools Home Profile
so you can better understand where and
when you are using the most energy in your
home. You’ll also get personalized recommendations to reduce your energy costs.
To sign up for Account Manager, go to www.
idahopower.com and click “Register Now” in
the Account Manager box.
© 2010 Idaho Power
From The Electric Kitchen
Main Dish
Caribbean Beef Stew
Makes 8 servings. Each serving about 1¼ cups.
•
•
•
•
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes,
undrained
• 1 ⁄3 cup raisins
• ½ teaspoon pepper
•
•
•
•
2 cups water
3 tablespoons molasses
¼ cup white vinegar
3 cups peeled &
chopped carrots
• ½ teaspoon ground
ginger
Dietary information per serving:
Calories: 290
Protein: 24g
Carbohydrates: 28g
Fat: 810g
Cholesterol: 70mg
Sodium: 230mg
Fiber: 4g
Heat the oil in a large saucepan; brown the beef cubes on all sides. Add onion and sauté until
transparent. Add tomato, raisins and pepper. Combine water, molasses and vinegar; stir into
beef mixture. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beef is tender. Stir in
carrots and ginger; simmer 30 additional minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Slow cooker directions: Heat oil in skillet over medium heat; brown meat. Layer onion, carrots,
meat, raisins, tomatoes and pepper in slow cooker. Combine water, molasses and vinegar; pour
over. Cover and cook on low heat for 6–8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add ginger during
last half hour of cooking.
Recipes are selected for nutritional value and low energy use in preparation. They are approved by
Joanne Graff, certified health educator from the Central District Health Department in Boise, Idaho.
Printed on recycled paper.