Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Puget Sound Energy, Habitat for Humanity, Bonneville Power Administration Showcase New, Super-Efficient Manufactured Home (Bonneville Power Administration)
New high-performance spec delivers big energy savings, could
reinvigorate manufactured home market
(BOTHELL, WA) -- Puget Sound Energy, Habitat for Humanity
Seattle-King County and Bonneville Power Administration are hosting a tour of a
new, high-performance manufactured home, July 31, in Bothell, just north of
Seattle. The prototype home incorporates some of the latest energy-saving
features and technology, including a ductless heat pump, heat pump water
heater, efficient lighting, triple-glazed windows, foam sheathing on exterior
walls and added insulation.
- What: Tour new, super-efficient manufactured home
- When: Thursday, July 31 at 10 a.m.
- Where: 18903 129th Ave NE, Bothell, WA 98011 (Holly Hills Area)
- Who: Meet the new homeowners, project sponsors, builder and vendors
“Manufactured homes built to this new high-performance spec
have durability and performance features that could change opinions about
factory-built homes and be an integral part of our super-efficient 21st century
utility system,” says Christopher Dymond, senior product manager with Northwest
Energy Efficiency Alliance, an alliance of more than 140 Northwest utilities
and energy efficiency organizations.
While the prototype may represent the manufactured home of
the future, the Norahun family is simply excited to call it home. “We can’t
wait to see our new home for the first time and learn more about its unique
features,” says Tesfaye Norahun. “We’re so happy that we’ll finally have a home
to call our own, but also that it won’t cost us a lot of money to run and
maintain.”
The Norahuns are purchasing the home through Habitat for
Humanity Seattle-King County’s affordable homeownership program. “We are
excited to be a part of this project as is fits very closely with our
commitment to being a responsible, sustainable and affordable home builder,”
says Kirk Utzinger, Habitat Seattle-King County CEO.
BPA, NEEA, Northwest electric utilities and other partners
are collaborating with nine Northwest-based manufactured home builders to
demonstrate the benefits of a higher standard for newly constructed
manufactured homes and assist each manufacturer in their design. A manufactured
home built to an advanced high-performance specification can save up to 50
percent on heating and cooling costs when compared to typical manufactured
homes.
“Beyond more affordable electric bills for the homeowner,
the goal is to establish a new minimum building standard for manufactured
homes,” says Bob Stolarski, director Customer Energy Management, Puget Sound
Energy. “Which means buyers will get a higher quality, more comfortable and
more energy efficient home.”
There are about a half a million manufactured homes in the
Northwest and more than 200,000 in Washington state. Since about 20 percent
were made before the current construction standards (pre-1994 HUD), a more
energy-efficient option could help PSE, BPA and other Northwest electric
utilities meet future energy conservation goals. Estimates suggest that an
uptake of high-performance manufactured homes in the thousands could translate
to long-term energy savings of 20 average megawatts — enough electricity to power
nearly 15,000 Northwest homes for an entire year.
“This new high-performance home creates a “good/better/best”
option in the manufactured home market,” says Mark Johnson, residential energy
conservation specialist at BPA. “And a new minimum building standard could
deliver tremendous energy savings for decades to come.”
The entry of new, super-efficient models could also
reinvigorate a relatively stale manufactured home market. “Manufacturers and
retailers are excited about these new homes,” says Brady Peeks with Northwest
Energy Works, Inc., an organization under contract with BPA that’s helping
manufacturers systemize their building process of new high-performance homes.
“And we expect consumers will be too, especially those who want to conserve energy
and are concerned about their carbon footprint.”
The Bothell home is one of four completed prototypes. Three
others have been cited in Toledo, Wash. (Lewis County Public Utility District),
Pullman, Wash. (Avista Corp.) and Otis, Ore. (PacifiCorp). And another four
homes are expected to be cited throughout the region in the next few months.
The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s
“Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction” program.
Other partners include: Community Frameworks, Ecotope, Environmental Protection
Agency’s Energy Star New Homes Program, Manufactured Housing Associations and
Washington State University.
About Puget Sound Energy
Puget Sound Energy is Washington state’s oldest local energy
company. We serve 1.1 million electric customers and more than 770,000 natural
gas customers in 10 counties. For more information, visit www.PSE.com. Also follow us on Facebook and
Twitter.
About Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County
Habitat for Humanity SKC, an affiliate of Habitat for
Humanity International, is a faith-based,nonprofit housing organization that
brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. Habitat SKC is
dedicated to eliminating substandard housing through constructing, renovating
and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by
providing training and access to resources to help families improve their
shelter conditions. Habitat SKC builds more than houses — we transform local
communities. Habitat SKC has built, renovated or repaired more than 390 homes
for families in need of affordable housing in King County. For more
information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.habitatskc.org, or follow us on
Facebook or Twitter.
About Bonneville Power Administration
The Bonneville Power Administration, headquartered in
Portland, Ore., is a nonprofit federal power marketing agency that sells
wholesale renewable hydropower from federal dams in the Columbia Basin,
operates three-quarters of high-voltage transmission lines in the Northwest and
funds one of the largest wildlife protection and restoration programs in the
world. BPA and its partners pursue cost-effective energy savings in all sectors
of the economy and together they have saved enough electricity through energy
efficiency projects to power four large American cities. BPA also pursues
breakthroughs than can increase efficiencies, solves operational challenges and
reduce costs — all of which help maintain affordable, reliable electric power
for the Northwest and lessen impacts to the environment. www.bpa.gov.
About Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is an
alliance of more than 140 Northwest utilities and energy efficiency
organizations working on behalf of more than 13 million energy consumers. NEEA
leverages its strong regional partnerships to effect market transformation by
accelerating the adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices.
Since 1997, NEEA and its partners – including Avista Utilities, Bonneville
Power Administration, Chelan County PUD, Clark Public Utilities, Cowlitz PUD,
Eugene Water & Electric Board, Energy Trust of Oregon, Idaho Power, NorthWestern
Energy, Pacific Power, Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light, Snohomish County
Public Utilities, and Tacoma Power –have
saved enough energy to power more than 600,000 homes each year. Energy
efficiency can offset most of our new demand for energy, saving money and
keeping the Northwest a healthy and vibrant place to live. www.neea.org.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Energy Northwest, BPA Save Ratepayers $100+ Million with Regional Cooperation Debt Agreement (Northwest Public Power Association)
(RICHLAND, WA) – Pacific Northwest ratepayers recently
became the beneficiaries of a regional cooperation debt agreement that will
generate more than $100 million dollars in rate case savings. This agreement
supports the long-term financial viability of the power system, while preserving
Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) borrowing authority for future projects
that will benefit the region.
The Energy Northwest Executive Board ratified the agreement
with a majority vote during its monthly meeting on June 26 in Portland. Energy
Northwest Vice President of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer
Brent Ridge said that the agreement includes debt refinancing of three Energy
Northwest assets.
“Last week’s ratification is the first of several
opportunities for our executive board to consider debt restructuring as
additional bonds mature in coming years. The restructuring of debt creates at
least $100 million dollars of savings, with, again, future potential for even
greater savings,” said Ridge.
During the meeting, the executive board approved extension
of up to $6 million of fiscal 2016-2017 bonds and up to $321 million of fiscal
2014 bonds on agency assets.
Bonneville and Energy Northwest previously entered into a
debt optimization agreement to refinance debt on agency projects in 2001,
replenishing Bonneville borrowing authority.
Now considered regional cooperation debt, restructuring the
current debt enables BPA to repay an equal amount of its federal repayment
obligations within a reasonable amount of time to reduce overall debt service
costs and to replenish current U.S. Treasury borrowing authority.
“This overall agreement will provide substantial real-world
savings to BPA’s ratepayers in the Northwest,” said Nancy Mitman, BPA executive
vice president for Financial Services and chief financial officer.
According to Ridge, the agreement preserves low-cost access
to capital to create value for ratepayers. “The two agencies worked closely to
establish and implement a broad view of the regional debt portfolio as a
crucial tool for providing the region with prudent, long-term value,” Ridge
said.
“This is the first step of a potential series of agreements
that offers unique opportunities for savings,” said Mitman. “The net effect of
refinancing through regional cooperation bonds is that both the weighted
average interest rate and maturity of BPA’s overall debt portfolio will be
reduced as a result of this agreement, thereby lowering interest costs by
hundreds of millions of dollars and increasing regional borrowing capacity for
infrastructure investment.”
During the 11-year lifespan of the EN/BPA Debt Optimization
Program that began in 2001, BPA restored $2 billion in Treasury borrowing
authority. BPA’s aggregate, weighted average interest rate decreased by one
percent, saving $500 million in interest expenses for ratepayers.
“In fact, we have been working very closely with Energy
Northwest for more than 25 years to provide enormous financial value to the
region through coordinated management of debt issued by Energy Northwest,” said
Mitman. “These mutually supported debt management actions have reduced pressure
on BPA’s revenue requirements and rates innumerable times.”
Energy Northwest credits the success of the most recent
agreement to its public power member utilities and BPA, as well as several
other organizations, including the Public Power Council, Northwest Requirements
Utilities, Public Generating Pool, and PNGC Power.
“We thank all of the regional supporters who continue to
advocate for a safe, low-cost, and reliable power supply,” Ridge said.
Sockeye Returns Hit All-Time Record High on Columbia River (Northwest RiverPartners)
Phenomenal Fish Runs Demonstrate Federal Salmon Restoration
Plan is Working
(PORTLAND, OR) -- This week saw exciting news in the
Northwest with a new record set for adult sockeye salmon returns and more still
on the way. Today, the count stands at 551,530 adult sockeye salmon passing
through Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River, shattering the previous record of
516,000 set in 2012. “Anglers, Native American tribes, fishery managers and
river users alike are thrilled to see such a huge run,” said Terry Flores,
executive director of Northwest RiverPartners. “It is proof positive that the
region’s efforts to restore these iconic fish are working.”
The flood of sockeye returning to the upper reaches of the
Columbia and Snake rivers is expected to continue through July with fishery
managers noting the run hit a high of 34,500 on July 5.
This is especially great news for the Snake River sockeye,
which were listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1991
by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). In 1992, only a single sockeye
returned to the Snake, and today the count stood at 740 moving past Lower
Granite Dam, more than two times the 10-year average. A new “safety net”
sockeye hatchery, improved salmon passage conditions through dams, river
tributary habitat improvements and favorable ocean conditions have combined to
bring these iconic fish back from the brink of extinction.
The great news comes in the same week that an assortment of
anti-dam and commercial fishing groups filed yet another challenge to the
federal hydro system salmon plan, or Biological Opinion. These perennial
critics continue to challenge a plan that, as the sockeye returns show, is clearly
working.
“In light of these huge returns, and more predicted later
this year for fall Chinook and Lower Columbia coho, there is no denying that
the region’s hard work and massive investment is paying off,” said Flores.
“Sadly, the anti-dam groups remain in denial, despite the hard data.” The
massive run comes just months after NOAA Fisheries, the agency responsible for
ensuring protection of salmon listed under the ESA, concluded that the federal
salmon plan is achieving and in some areas exceeding survival goals for the
Northwest’s iconic fish.
“This week’s challenge from anti-dam groups continues their
long history of litigation that can be explained only by their desire to force
the removal of the large federal dams that generate more than 60 percent of the
Northwest’s clean, renewable hydropower,” Flores added.
Total 2014 returns of sockeye at Bonneville now stand at
551,530, which is more than two times the 10-year average.
Northwest RiverPartners’ member organizations include more
than 40,000 farmers, 4 million electric utility customers, thousands of port
jobs, 7,000 small businesses, and hundreds of large businesses that rely on the
economic and environmental benefits of the Columbia and Snake rivers. Northwest
RiverPartners advocates for salmon restoration measures that are based in sound
science, collaboration and cost effectiveness.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Tri-Cities: Basin Disposal Opening Commercial Natural Gas Fueling Stations (Basin Disposal)
(PASCO, WA) -- Basin Disposal Inc.
is proud to announce the conversion of its solid waste collection fleet from
diesel to natural gas powered engines. This investment in natural gas fueling
will provide long term rate stability to Basin Disposal customers, as well as
provide access to other commercial fleets, local businesses and service
providers that choose to power their vehicles with natural gas. The new
business line to provide natural gas will be called Commercial Fueling, LLC.
In addition to the new business line, Basin
Disposal is in the process of converting 7 of their 70+ fleet vehicles that are
running on diesel fuel to natural gas fuel. “I’m doing this for several
reasons including the fact that natural gas is a lower cost fuel, it will
provide cost stability and less price fluctuation for my customers in the long
run, and natural gas fuel has about half the emissions as diesel fuel. I
feel it’s my duty to help keep stable prices for my customers and to help lower
carbon emissions in our region and our state,” stated Darrick Dietrich, owner
and CEO of Basin Disposal, Inc.
“This conversion to natural gas is an
investment in our community. The investment will allow access to lower
cost fuel for our businesses and service providers allowing more dollars to
stay in the region. As utility providers, it is our duty to deliver the best
value to our customers, while meeting their service expectations.”
Please join Basin Disposal, the Pasco Chamber
of Commerce and Cascade Natural Gas on Friday, July 11th from 11:00
a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 2021 N. Commercial Drive, Pasco, WA for a ribbon cutting and
the launch of this new business.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Utilities Sign Agreement That Will Improve Fish Runs In the Cowlitz River (Northwest Public Power Association, E-News)
Tacoma Power, Lewis County Public Utility District, and
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) have signed a long-term agreement that
will improve natural fish runs in western Washington’s Cowlitz River. At the
same time, Tacoma Power and Lewis County PUD have formalized an agreement to
work cooperatively when the time comes to seek re-licensing from the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for their respective dams in the Cowlitz
River basin.
“This agreement is the foundation for improving downstream
fish collection on the Cowlitz River,” said Ted Coates, Tacoma Power
superintendent. “All three signatories are committed to a new era of
cooperation and mutual support.”
The agreement allows Tacoma Power to take ownership of
BPA-owned existing fish collection facilities at Lewis County PUD’s Cowlitz
Falls Dam, and to install, operate, and maintain improved fish collection
structures at the dam to increase fish survival. The upgraded facilities will
attract more juvenile Chinook, steelhead, and Coho as the fish migrate
downstream. The fish will be collected and then trucked around the dams and
released to continue their trip to the ocean.
The improvements are part of Tacoma Power’s 2002 FERC
license for operating Mayfield and Mossyrock dams, located downstream of
Cowlitz Falls Dam. The license calls for Tacoma Power to improve downstream
fish collection and survival from the upper Cowlitz River basin.
Lewis County PUD completed Cowlitz Falls Dam in 1994. Under
a formal agreement with BPA, the PUD provides all of the dam’s power (29.7
annual average megawatts) to BPA at the cost of production, and BPA pays
operations and maintenance costs at the facility.
In 1996, BPA built juvenile fish collection facilities at
the dam. The Cowlitz Falls Fish Facility collects about half the migrating
juvenile fish from the Upper Cowlitz River Basin and trucks them down to
Barrier Dam just below Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. The fish are
deposited in ponds at the hatchery and, after a brief recovery period, returned
to the river.
Adult fish returning to the Cowlitz River are collected
below Tacoma’s dams and transported to the Tilton River above Mayfield Dam or
to the Cowlitz and Cispus rivers above Cowlitz Falls Dam.
Under the new agreement, Tacoma Power will construct new
fish collector, to be operated in tandem with the existing facilities, at an
estimated cost of $30 million. Extensive fish evaluations and modeling have
helped identify that an adaptable shore-based fish collector on the north shore
of Cowlitz Falls Dam will work best to meet Tacoma’s fish collection goals; it
is expected to significantly increase the number of juvenile fish collected and
safely transported past the dams. BPA will provide funding through June 2032 to
partially offset Tacoma’s cost to operate the existing facility. The new
agreement also transfers the BPA-owned ponds and related equipment at the
Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery to Tacoma Power.
“All of us that own and operate hydro projects know that we
have an obligation to put resources back in the river,” said Bob Geddes,
manager, Lewis County PUD. “This new agreement gives us a chance to do that
collectively and it also puts us in a good position for the future when the
project is up for relicensing.”
Pending FERC approval, the key elements of the new agreement
will go into effect on October 1. Construction is slated to begin in early
2015, with a goal of starting fish collection in 2017.
