Electrical system demand hits winter record

EPHRATA — It’s cold and the car barely starts and a lot of people are cranky because it’s cold and the whole family – and the dog – are practically camped on top of the furnace because it’s so cold. And when it’s extremely cold the furnace must be fed.

In Grant County, feeding the furnace often requires electricity. As of the latest national survey, taken Jan. 2, the national average price for heating oil was between $2.58 and $2.63 per gallon.

Grant County PUD public information officer Tom Stredwick said the PUD set new records for peak winter usage Wednesday and Thursday morning. Utility district officials measure peak usage separately in the summer, since the PUD serves many irrigation customers.

On both days the records were set between 7 and 8 a.m., traditionally when people are cooking breakfast and getting ready for work and school. Wednesday’s peak usage was 738 megawatts countywide, a record that lasted 24 hours. Thursday’s peak was 764 megawatts. The previous winter peak was set in January 2016, at 647 megawatts.

The PUD’s all-time peak is 777 megawatts, set in June 2015.

Stredwick said the increased usage is not prompted by the cold alone. The PUD also has more customers, as well as customers who use more electricity, he said.

Utility district officials put a lot of money and time into infrastructure, he said, and the current cold spell is the reason why. “All that is for moments like this, when the system needs to be there and be reliable.”

There are things customers can do to reduce electrical consumption, although some of them aren’t necessarily feasible in the middle of a cold spell. Utility district officials recommend setting the thermostat at 68 degrees, and checking the weatherstripping around exterior doors, and windows if it’s that kind of house. If light is showing, the door (or window) needs weatherstripping. Energy-saving light bulbs will shave some expense. So will closing curtains and blinds, especially at night and on overcast days.

Vents in the home’s foundations should be closed, or blocked for the winter if they can’t be closed. That also reduces the possibility of frozen water pipes, according to the PUD’s website.

But when it’s cold the furnace has to be fed, even if it’s set at 68 degrees. Grant County has some of the lowest electrical rates in the nation, but the bill is going to increase when the customer is feeding a hungry furnace.

“We’re going to work as hard as we can to keep from shutting somebody off,” Stredwick said. There are programs for disabled customers and senior citizens, as well as the “Share the Warmth” program. That’s a donation program for customers, and the money is used to help other, qualifying customers pay their electrical bills. Qualification is determined by an outside agency.

There are other assistance programs in the community, Stredwick said, and there are employees at PUD offices that can steer customers in the right direction.

Longer-term solutions include the “levelized payment program,” where customers pay the same amount year-round, depending on their electricity use.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.