Comments on conservation

"Occasionally, when you do the right thing for the right reasons, consequences occur that create new, sometimes unexpected, challenges"    Tony De Leo

Efforts to conserve our resources, be it power or water, make sense for all the right reasons including being better for the environment, reducing infrastructure expansion for future needs and saving money for our PUD customers.   A bonus is that the costs of electric conservation are paid with funds allotted by the Bonneville Power Administration.

This sounds like a win-win situation for our PUD and its customers, right?.  Unfortunately, it is not as simple as it sounds.  When you have large expenses, conservation can be a problem in that every gallon of water or kilowatt of electricity not sold results in a reduction in funds available to pay the PUD's obligations.

What is the answer to this dilemma?  In the past, very successful conservation programs, whether planned or the result of unexpected shortages, have forced the utility or PUD to raise the unit cost to its customers in order to make ends meet.  If everything goes right, the customer's bill should not be significantly larger so long as they actively participate in the conservation effort.  In the long run, the cost of running the PUD may be reduced because fewer high-cost expansions to power and water lines will be needed.

Something to think about, and discuss.
Tony