NW Natural Claims Customers are Making Homes Too Efficient!?

In previous posts, we have discussed NW Natural’s proposal to raise the monthly customer charge to $29/month.
 

Last week was CUB’s chance to respond to NW Natural’s proposal.  In examining the company’s request, we concluded that the purpose of NW Natural’s proposal seems to be to encourage customers to spend less on conservation.  By increasing the portion of your bill that is a monthly fixed charge unaffected by your usage, NW Natural is reducing your incentive to conserve… Full Post >>

BPA Wind Curtailment Update

It’s that time of year again—spring!  Spring means of a lot of things here in the Northwest—blooming flowers, planting gardens, a little less rain, and (most important to this native Texan) a little more sunshine.  Warmer temperatures mean that the snowpack in the Cascades and Rockies is melting.  That water makes its way to the streams, rivers, and lakes that ultimately flow into the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS).  Combine that with the rain that we already get during the spring and early summer here, and you’ve… Full Post >>

Energy Exporting: Still a Bad Idea

Though it is sometimes enjoyable, saying “I told you so” is usually not an indication that the best outcome of a situation has been achieved. That’s certainly the case with the pending applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on the Oregon coast. In 2010, I wrote about these potential projects, which at that time were intended to be built to receive imports of LNG from the Middle East. Over the past couple of years, however, a sharp increase in the supply of shale gas… Full Post >>

Wondering Where Your Power Comes From?

When you flip on the lights or turn on your furnace, do you ever stop to wonder about where the electricity that powers your daily life comes from? Most people assume that almost all of our power comes from the big hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. While that may have been the case 40 or 50 years ago, growth in the Northwest has created the need for additional sources of energy to complement the output from the dams. Now less than half of… Full Post >>

Natural Gas Update:  Technology and Regulatory Advances

Back in July, we wrote about the proliferation of shale gas extraction in the United States. Our conclusion was simple: because this rapid growth is likely to continue and there are significant environmental risks associated with extracting the gas, thorough studies and an open and frank dialogue involving all stakeholders are essential. None of that has changed, but there have been several developments since July that justify revisiting this topic.

New Technologies are Coming

A number of new and… Full Post >>

The Business of Smart Grid

As we near the date of CUB’s inaugural policy conference, Smart Grid: Today’s Regulation and Tomorrow’s Technology, there’s one topic left to cover in our Smart Grid series here on our blog—Business Applications and Opportunities.

Much like residential customers, business customers have a number of tools and technologies available to control, conserve, and manage energy use. These products can scale up as needed to provide service for small businesses up to commercial and industrial businesses. But with the market for Smart Grid… Full Post >>

Electric Water Heater Potential Demands a Response

When a typical household consumes energy during the day, it is often an afterthought, done with little consideration of impacts of that use on the electrical grid. One household doesn’t really add that much load onto the grid. But when a large number of residential customers ramp up air conditioning or space heating at the same time, utilities must resort to costly generation sources often derived from fossil fuels to fulfill this demand. Peaks like these make energy more expensive for everyone.

To… Full Post >>

CUB Stands Up Against Time-of-Use Rate Proposal

On Tuesday, September 27, CUB Staff headed to Salem to provide commentary before the Public Utility Commission regarding the Commission Staff’s recent straw proposal for setting up an approval process for time-of-use (TOU) rates for electricity customers. This type of rate structure has a number of drawbacks for customers if it is made mandatory (read our previous post on the issue here). Joining CUB’s Executive Director, Bob Jenks, in testifying was CUB’s expert witness for this issue, Barbara Alexander. Mr. Jenks introduced Ms. Alexander… Full Post >>

Renewable Power and the Smart Grid

Here at CUB, we’ve kept the pulse on emerging technologies in energy production, from wave to wind. And we stay on top of the impact of the Renewable Energy Standard as we work towards its goal of 25% renewable power in Oregon by 2025. But as the state looks towards the impacts of the Smart Grid and electric grid modernization here in Oregon, we want to be sure everyone’s on the same page regarding how these two vital resources—renewable power and the… Full Post >>

PacifiCorp Is Starting to Get the Message On Coal

CUB and other energy industry observers have known for years that PacifiCorp’s fleet of coal-fired power plants is a liability of sorts for the company. PacifiCorp’s most recent long-term Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) indicates that investments of more than $4 billion will be required in the coming years to bring all of these plants into compliance with federal and state clean air regulations. It is likely that further analysis will indicate that at least some of these investments can be avoided by shortening… Full Post >>

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