Gas Prices Bring Conservation Projects to the Fore

Well, it’s probably not news to you that natural gas prices are going up. Fortunately, our rise in Oregon at approximately 15% is considerably better than the 75% increase in natural gas prices seen in some deregulated market states. In light of these increased gas prices occurring across the country (which affects both gas and electricity markets), we felt it was a good time to give an overview of the renewable and energy efficiency work that CUB has been doing with local utility companies, both gas and electric. The less we use, the less we pay.

Cascade Natural Gas
The most recent shift has been the announced proposal this week by Cascade Natural Gas that they would like to join the Energy Trust of Oregon. This would greatly enhance the options and availability of energy efficiency programs for customers of CNG (in Bend and other parts of Central Oregon). CUB has been calling for this shift, since it removes a fundamental conflict of interest for the utility, which is in the business of selling a maximum amount of power, not minimizing the power sold. We are therefore very pleased to see the Company making this move to enhance energy efficiency and conservation efforts by allowing the successful Energy Trust to manage their programs.

Idaho Power
Over in Eastern Oregon, Idaho Power has recently made huge strides in their own energy efficiency programs. Although the Energy Trust doesn’t operate out in Idaho Power territory, Idaho Power agreed to conditions proposed by CUB in their most recent rate case that they would make a six-fold increase in their energy efficiency programs funding. We believe that this large increase in funding will lead to big improvements in the energy efficiency programs offered.

NW Natural
NW Natural has been a member of the Energy Trust for 2 years, allowing utility customers to get energy audits, conservation tips, and energy-saving devices for both their electric and gas systems at one time. Looking ahead, NW Natural has been discussing (with CUB and a group called the Climate Trust) a visionary pilot program that would allow customers to buy a cleaner gas product, by including an offset of CO2 in the cost of the gas. This program, if implemented, would be the first of its kind that we know of in the country, and would be a great step forward in addressing the issue of global warming. We hope the project comes to fruition and will certainly let CUB members know if/when it does.

PacifiCorp (Pacific Power)
PacifiCorp’s current electricity production leans heavily on the use of coal-burning plants. Not only are the environmental impacts of coal significant, but we anticipate economic fall-out within the next decade in the form of carbon regulation, surcharges on carbon emissions used to mitigate effects of greenhouse gases on the warming of the planet. This carbon regulation will help protect the environment but will affect rates. CUB has been urging PacifiCorp to acknowledge this issue and begin planning strategies that address carbon regulation, both for the environment and so customers are not blind-sided with large increases in rates. In their most recent Integrated Resource Planning (a document in which utilities plan how to supply their customers for the next 20 years with power), we were able to get PacifiCorp to directly examine these issues in more depth than ever before. We are hopeful that this will lead to a diversifying of PacifiCorp’s electricity production to include more renewable energy sources.

Portland General Electric
And speaking of renewables, have you heard yet about the new 75-megawatt wind farm that PGE is building in Central-Eastern Oregon? It is called Klondike II and is expected to be rolling out electricity by 2006. We are very excited to see PGE embracing the possibilities of more cleanly generated power, such as wind.

Legislative Victories
An overview of CUB’s work on energy efficiency and renewables would not be complete without mentioning two bills that we worked on and helped pass during the 2005 Legislative Session. The first will require higher energy efficiency standards for 11 commercial and residential products, saving energy and water. The second will expand the tax credit for residential solar power systems. (Read more about these bills here.)

To keep up with CUB, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

• Share this post on Facebook.
• Share this post on LinkedIn.
• Share this post with email.

« Back