Mason County PUD No. 3 RSS Feed

May 30 – Planned Power Outage for Portion of State Route 106 and Twahoh Falls Area

Mason County PUD No. 3 has announced that there will be a planned power outage on May 30, 2013 to upgrade facilities along State Route 106 as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation project. The affected areas include:

· 11181 E State Route 106 to 13781 E State Route 106.

· Twanoh Falls and all surrounding roadways.

The outage will begin at 9:00 a.m. and is estimated to last approximately six hours. During this time, your patience is greatly appreciated. An estimated 480 customers will be affected by the outage and letters have been mailed to customers in the affected areas.

PUD No. 3 recommends unplugging sensitive appliances and electronic equipment until power has been restored for approximately 20 minutes. Also, especially with electronics, it is important to consider using surge protectors in your home.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this project, please call Belfair Line Superintendent Chris Miller at (360) 275-2833, extension 2250 or call Operations Manager Scott Peterson at (360) 275-2833, extension 3233.

PUD 3 Commission Report for May 14, 2013

Posted May 15, 2013

MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Status of the Budget & Treasurer’s Report.
PUD 3 on Track to Meet Washington State Renewable Energy Requirements.
Commissioners Appoint Auditor, Treasurer Positions; Also Name Deputy Auditor & Treasurer.

CONSENT AGENDA

Mason County PUD No. 3 commissioners unanimously approved payment of vouchers in the amount of $2.17 million.

STAFF REPORTS

Status of the Budget

Sherry Speaks, PUD 3 finance manager, reported on the status of the budget, ending April 30, 2013. April expenditures were $5.9 million. Expenditures for the first four months of the year were $22 million, or 37 percent of the adopted 2013 budget. Revenue for April was $5 million. Revenue for the first four months of the year was $21.9 million, which is 37 percent of what was anticipated in the adopted 2013 budget.

Treasurer’s Report

Speaks presented the commissioners with the Treasurer’s report for the month of March. The report showed operating reserves of $16.9 million. Total investments were $39.2 million.

Power Supply Update

Matt Samuelson, power supply manager, reported that PUD 3 is on track to comply with the amount of qualified renewable energy resources needed to meet Washington State’s Energy Independence Act. The PUD has acquired 19,957 renewable energy credits (REC’s) to meet the requirement that three percent of a utility’s energy come from state-defined resources. Samuelson noted that the PUD is on track to also meet the nine percent requirement which goes into effect in 2016 by purchasing REC’s. Fifteen percent of the PUD’s wholesale electricity purchases must come from renewable energy by 2020, depending on financial impacts.

Renewable Energy Credit Background

PUD 3 is using renewable energy credits as part of its strategy to meet mandates of the Washington State Energy Independence Act, also known as Intitiative-937 (I-937). The PUD must reach a three percent threshold by 2012; nine percent by 2016; and 15 percent by 2020.

Instead of spending money on the construction of new energy facilities or renewable power purchase agreements to meet the nine percent threshold, PUD 3 will be buying the credits, which represent the environmental benefits of existing renewable energy projects.

Because of I-937, over a sixteen year period, the PUD would pay between $95.2 million and $104 million for electricity from qualifying renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. By purchasing renewable energy credits, the PUD is reducing that expenditure to an estimated $54.6 million.

The benefits of PUD 3’s renewable energy credit purchase strategy include:

Purchasing credits reduces the overall cost of meeting the state’s renewable energy law over a 16 year period by between 42 and 47 percent.
The utility avoids volatile market conditions that would increase the future cost of qualifying renewable resources.
The PUD steers clear of electricity transmission issues that could reduce the availability of energy from green power facilities.
The proposed solution reduces financial risk and provides flexibility to meet the state’s renewable energy requirements.

REC purchases reduce financial risk and exposure, and help a utility avoid having to purchase energy it does not need.

Manager’s Report

Annette Creekpaum, PUD 3 manager, reported:

The Washington State Auditor’s office has staff on site for the utility’s annual audit.
PUD 3 has received a clean audit for its compliance with the state’s Energy Independence Act (Initiative 937).
The PUD has seen the impacts of federal budget sequestration on its “Build America Bonds” (BABS) assistance under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The PUD had expected the effect of sequestration to be a 7.6 percent cut, or a loss of $86,249. PUD 3 recently received the first of its twice annual payments from the U-S Treasury. The financial hit from sequestration is greater than anticipated: an 8.7 percent decrease in the BABS assistance for an annual reduction of $93,732.
PUD 3 will be participating in the May 16 Shelton Business Expo.
The PUD anticipates scheduling a member update May 28 from the Northwest Open Access Network.
The PUD’s paperless billing promotion has been doing well. After 28 days, 1,166 customers have signed up for paperless billing, which will result in an annual savings in postage and processing of $8,104.

Appointments by the Commission

After an executive session, commissioners made the following appointments as authorized under state law:

Sherry Speaks, appointed auditor.
Brian Taylor, appointed treasurer.
Jenifer Sliva, appointed deputy auditor.
Jennifer Renecker, appointed deputy treasurer.

NEXT MEETING

The next regular business meeting of the Mason County PUD No. 3 board of commissioners is scheduled for May 28, 2013 at 10:00 AM in the Skookum Room at the PUD auditorium: 2621 E Johns Prairie Road, Shelton.

Electricity Restored for 86 Customers Affected by Sand Hill Road Outage Northwest of Belfair

Posted May 14, 2013 – 4:05 PM

PUD 3 linemen have restored electricity to 86 customers on the Sand Hill Road near Belfair.

An outage in the area was reported at 2:45 this afternoon; service was back on at 3:45 PM. A power line was reported down near the Mason County Transfer station. A brush fire was also reported in the area.

The area without electricity was from Sand Hill School to the Mission Creek Corrections Center.

Sand Hill Road Electrical Outage Northwest of Belfair – Estimated Restoration by 5 PM

Posted May 14, 2013 – 3:45 PM

PUD 3 linemen are on the scene of an outage affecting 86 customers on the Sand Hill Road near Belfair. The area without electricity is from Sand Hill School to the Mission Creek Corrections Center.

The outage was reported at 2:45 this afternoon. A power line is reported down near the Mason County Transfer station. A brush fire is also reported in the area.

PUD 3 linemen expect to have electricity restored by 5:00 PM.

Update - Outages in Dayton/Matlock areas West of Shelton - Tiger/Mission Lk N of Belfair

Posted May 13, 2013 5:25 PM

Tree across electrical transmission lines near Dayton

A total of nearly 5,400 Mason County PUD 3 customers are affected by two outages that have affected electrical service west of Shelton and in the Tiger/Mission Lakes area north of Belfair.

Strong, gusty winds blew through Mason Count this afternoon. Selected wind gust observations: Shelton - 42 MPH, Belfair - 35 MPH, Grapeview - 27 MPH.

A tree across transmission lines near Dayton at Metzler Mill Road de-energized the Datyton substation at approximately 4:10 this afternoon, affecting just over 2,600 customers. PUD 3 linemen are working to remove the tree, and electricity should be restored by 6:30 PM.

Areas affected by the Dayton area outage include:

Beerbower Road
Beeville Lp Road
Carmen Road's
Cloquallum Road from Badger Ln to Satsop Cloquallum Road
Deckerville
Fish Hatchery Road
Ford Road
Hidden Haven
Highland Road
Hwy 101 North
Lake Arrowhead
Little Egypt Road
Lost Lake
Plug Mill Road
Portion of Port of Shelton (Airport)
Satsop Cloquallum Road & East Deegan Road
Satsop Road East
Schafer Park
Shelton Matlock Interchange
Shelton Valley
Shelton-Matlock Road from Substation to Dayton Airport Road
Shelton-Matlock Road from Substation to Shelton Valley Road
Simpson Mill 5
Star Lake
Substation to Matlock

Meanwhile, linemen are in the Tiger/Mission Lakes area north of Belfair working to restore electricity to about 145 customers. The cause is reported to be a downed power line. Affected areas include:

S Mission Road W
Tiger Lake Road W
Mountain Lake Dr
Tiger Mission Road

Customers may report outages any time by calling 360-432-1533 from Shelton; 360-275-2833 from Belfair; and 360-861-4247, Elma.

Customers may also receive text updates via Twitter by signing up to follow PUD 3’s feed at www.twitter.com/pud3 or by visiting the PUD’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/masonpud3.

Customers are urged to monitor the status of outages via our social media services, but the best way to report outages is via the outage hotline at 360-432-1533.

PUD 3 outage near Tiger and Mission Lakes

Posted 5/13/13

PUD 3 is en route to investigate an outage affecting Tiger and Mission Lakes. The outage began at approximately 4:35 and PUD 3 is receiving calls from Tiger Lake Road W, Mountain Lake Dr., Tiger Mission Rd., and S. Mission Road W. An estimated 140 customers are without power at this time.

PUD 3 outage near Tiger and Mission Lakes

Posted 5/13/13

Update - Electricity restored in Dayton/Matlock areas West of Shelton - Tiger/Mission Lk N of Belfair

Posted May 13, 2013 – 6:50 PM

(Also fixes estimated total number of customers affected by outages)

A total of nearly 2,800 (revised number) Mason County PUD 3 customers were affected by two afternoon electrical outages that cut service in the Dayton/Matlock area west of Shelton and in the Tiger/Mission Lakes area north of Belfair.

Electricity was restored at 6:15 PM to the Dayton Matlock area. A tree across transmission lines near Dayton at Metzler Mill Road de-energized the Datyton substation at approximately 4:10 this afternoon, affecting just over 2,600 customers.

Areas affected by the Dayton area outage included:

Beerbower Road
Beeville Lp Road
Carmen Road's
Cloquallum Road from Badger Ln to Satsop Cloquallum Road
Deckerville
Fish Hatchery Road
Ford Road
Hidden Haven
Highland Road
Hwy 101 North
Lake Arrowhead
Little Egypt Road
Lost Lake
Plug Mill Road
Portion of Port of Shelton (Airport)
Satsop Cloquallum Road & East Deegan Road
Satsop Road East
Schafer Park
Shelton Matlock Interchange
Shelton Valley
Shelton-Matlock Road from Substation to Dayton Airport Road
Shelton-Matlock Road from Substation to Shelton Valley Road
Simpson Mill 5
Star Lake
Substation to Matlock

Meanwhile, electricity was restored at 5:50 PM to about 145 customers in the Tiger/Mission Lakes area north of Belfair. The cause was reported as a tree across lines. Affected areas included:

S Mission Road W
Tiger Lake Road W
Mountain Lake Dr
Tiger Mission Road

Strong, gusty winds blew through Mason County this afternoon. Selected wind gust observations: Shelton - 42 MPH, Belfair - 35 MPH, Grapeview - 27 MPH.

Customers may report outages any time by calling 360-432-1533 from Shelton; 360-275-2833 from Belfair; and 360-861-4247, Elma.

Customers may also receive text updates via Twitter by signing up to follow PUD 3’s feed at www.twitter.com/pud3 or by visiting the PUD’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/masonpud3.

Customers are urged to monitor the status of outages via our social media services, but the best way to report outages is via the outage hotline at 360-432-1533.

May 1 - Online Bill Pay Unavailable During System and Security Upgrades

Posted April 30, 2013 4:00 PM

Mason County PUD 3 online bill pay will be unavailable from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Wednesday, May 1 for system maintenance and security upgrades to enhance our customers’ online payment experience.

Thanks for your patience and your business.

PUD 3 to Conduct Retailer, Installer Training May 7 on Heat Pump Water Heaters

Posted April 29, 2013

Mason County PUD No. 3 is an industry leader in helping its customers find new and innovative ways to save energy without sacrificing the comforts that electrical appliances provide in their everyday lives.

To help its customers find the best option for providing hot water in their home, PUD 3 offers a $300 - $500 rebate check for the purchase and installation of a qualifying heat pump water heater. The PUD is also committed to ensuring that retailers, plumbers, technicians and others are well trained to take advantage of this new technology.

As a part of that effort, PUD 3 is conducting installation training May 7 to equip Mason County’s top contractors and retailers with heat pump water heater sales and installation training.

WHERE:

Mason County PUD No. 3

Johns Prairie Operations Center

2621 E Johns Prairie Rd.

Shelton, WA 98584

WHEN:

Tuesday, May 7th from 8:00-11:00am

WHO WILL BENEFIT:

Plumbers, HVAC technicians, and local appliance retailers.

RSVP:

Justin Holzgrove, PUD 3 Conservation Manager

justinh@masonpud3.org

(360) 432-5323

(More Information about the training session is available here)

Heating of water accounts for up to 25 percent of a home’s energy use. High efficiency water heaters can use between ten and 50 percent less energy than standard models, saving homeowners money on their utility bills.

Actual energy savings from high efficiency water heaters depend on family size, heater location, and the size and placement of water pipes. Please contact the PUD 3 conservation department at (360) 426-0777 for a project checklist and answers to any questions.

For more information about heat pump water heaters, visit http://www.masonpud3.org/HPWH or www.smartwaterheat.com.