Conservation Corner – April 2024

Conserve Power Earn Money Back Lower Your Bill!

It might seem counterintuitive for a business to ask customers to use less of its product. But we do!

Many utilities provide incentives for their customers, or members, to use less power. Doesn’t that mean less profit for the utilities? Well, not always.

As the population of Washington State grows, the need for electricity grows as well. Long term power contracts from electrical producers provide electricity at a much lower cost, compared to short-term “market” purchases which are very expensive. If utilities, including Columbia REA, can keep up with the growing need by using existing infrastructure and more efficient technologies, rather than having to upgrade our system and increase our power purchase, it helps to keep the rates low. Reducing load through efficiency and rebates costs a lot less than buying from the short-term markets.

Columbia REA buys almost all of our clean hydroelectric power from local dams through the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy. BPA has been tasked by the Government with reducing loads across the Pacific Northwest to conserve a valuable commodity as the region grows. We buy our power from BPA and our rebate programs flow through them.

Our BPA rebates tend to encourage consumers to upgrade from older, energy-consuming products to newer, more efficient ones. Not that long ago, most people used old-school incandescent light bulbs in their homes and businesses, and then LED bulbs came along and we offered LED bulb rebates for many years, until LED became the common bulb. Just last year LED bulb rebates were stopped because LED has replaced incandescent as the new standard.

Now we are on to the next efficiency hurdles, such as aging water heaters. The heat pump water heater is a much more efficient option that can lower your monthly electric bill and earn you a rebate. The heat pump part of the water heater is much more efficient, just like our heat pump house heaters are more efficient than the old electric furnaces.

How old is your water heater? Don’t wait for it to leak like mine did when it was 20 years old. Many will last 20 years, some only 10. It depends on the water in your area and if you maintain the unit properly.

Since most houses still have the old standard electric resistance water heater, Columbia REA has incentives for you to change to a newer and more efficient heat pump water heater. Go to the Rebate Offers page and you will see the new incentives range from $700 to $1,100 and there could be more incentives available from federal tax credits. Check the link on our rebate website.

Also, on the Rebate Offers page, you can see more rebates for:

• Weatherization – insulation, windows, and doors
• HVAC ducted or ductless heat pumps, duct sealing, and thermostats.
• Clothes washers and dryers

Restrictions apply, so please read the form well and if you are not sure, please give me a call or an email before you buy.

We hope that you can use these rebates to help with any planned upgrades, reduce your future electric bills and potentially keep future rates lower.

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Charlie DeSalvo, Energy Efficiency Specialist

If you have any questions about energy efficiency, email Charlie DeSalvo or call (509) 526-4041