<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Photo courtesy of Snohomish County PUD  (click to enlarge) NetRiver, a data center in Lynnwood shown here under construction in 2006, will receive an estimated $280,000 incentive rebate check from the Snohomish County PUD recently for its energy conservation efforts. The facility's high energy use has been lessened dramatically by using high-tech cooling equipment. Photo by Matt Brashears  (click to enlarge) Designed with Platinum LEED energy saving design, the 24,000-square-foot Edmonds PCC Natural Market that opened last fall includes low wattage LED lighting in its food display cases. The store also has 35 skylights, special window glazing and low-wattage lights controlled by sensors that lower lighting levels when natural light is sufficient. Its goal is to operate with 50 percent less power use than other stores its size. (click to enlarge) Photo by Matt Brashears/Courtesy of Snohomish County PUD The Everett Clinic is saving $25,000 a year using the Snohomish County PUD's power management system for networked computers, including this imaging equipment center, shown with radiologist Dr. John Ephron and Director of Imaging Karen Lappert.

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CONTACT SCBJ John Wolcott, Editor jwolcott@scbj.com Dave Clark, Assistant Editor dclark@scbj.com

Trading dollars for kilowatts

New PUD energy conservation programs save businesses money

John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

In recent months the PUD’s innovative conservation approaches have been getting the attention of the business community like never before. At chamber of commerce meetings, Rotary Clubs and coffee klatches today’s PUD energy saving packages are a part of the chatter.

“Even in tough economic times, businesses can see how investing in our programs will help businesses to survive in the long run by keeping their operating costs down,” said PUD General Manager Steve Klein.

Like electric utilities everywhere, conservation programs have been in vogue for many years. But the Snohomish County PUD is ramping its efforts up a notch, several notches in fact, maintaining its leading role in Pacific Northwest energy conservation.

The PUD’s new programs targeting businesses are so good that they’re getting often incredulous attention because they’re laced with so many money-saving benefits.

“A lot of utilities talk about having these kinds of conservation things but we see ourselves being out there pursuing new projects to prove they work. If we can develop these in the local community they will help businesses save money and also generate local jobs,” Klein said. “It’s even creating a lot of enthusiasm among the PUD staff. They’ve caught the vision. There's a real excitement about making a difference for our customers, who are essentially our owners, by making their energy use more efficient and saving them money.”

It’s proving to be exciting for business owners, too.

NetRiver earns $100,000 check

NetRiver in Lynnwood, a computer data center with banks of continually operating servers, recently received $100,000 of its estimated $280,000 incentive rebate from the PUD for its installation of energy efficient equipment. Plus, it will save an estimated $103,000 savings each year in operating costs.

“When NetRiver asked the PUD for unattainable new power supply needs for their giant center, the project was made possible by striving for more energy efficiency to lower power needs,” said Todd Brunner of Brunner Construction, the contractor for transforming the former REI store into a high-tech data server center.

As an example of the kind of collaboration the PUD is giving businesses, the utility worked with NetRiver to find and install a high-tech chiller that cools the servers by using oil-free centrifugal compressor technology with friction-free magnetic bearings.

“The chiller uses 74 percent less energy than standard compressors and runs amazingly quiet compared to normally very loud chilling compressors,” Brunner said.

A $100,000 incentive check has also been presented to T-Mobile, another major power user, for reducing energy needs in its new Canyon Park building in Bothell.

Comcast Arena changed lighting to save money

Comcast Arena, a large power user for lighting and ice rink chilling, worked with the PUD to change to new T-5 florescent bulbs in its lights, saving $3,000 a year, plus more in indirect savings.

A veteran participant, Everett Community College has worked with the PUD on 38 programs over the last decade, saving $67,200 annually in energy costs by using more natural lighting, variable speed drives on fans and pumps, more efficient HVAC systems, more efficient lighting and an energy management control system.

“We’re the only community college in the state to have a resource conservation manager, Molly Beeman,"” said Communications and Media Relations Coordinator Katherine Schiffner. “Our campus re-lamping program, an investment in new energy efficient lighting fixtures, has resulted in annual savings of nearly $140,000 on our power bill.”

The college also received incentive conservation grants from the PUD for reducing energy use in its two new campus buildings, Whitehorse and Graywolf, and has applied for another grant for energy efficiency for the new EvCC Fitness Center that's due to break ground later this year.

The PUD’s energy conservation programs have also been hits with such businesses as Acro Machining, Crown Distributing, Dillon Works!, Embassy Suites, Everett Mutual Tower, Fluke Corp., Hinds Bock and Honeycutt Machine.

”Be a Conservation Sensation”

Also, its “Be a Conservation Sensation” campaign for residential users has been so successful it’s earned two national awards. In 2008, the utility's aggressive conservation efforts helped beat its goal for annual energy conservation by 11 percent.

“I think we hit our stride about two years ago in energy conservation efforts when we changed the way we approached our business,” said Jim West, manager of commercial and industrial energy efficiencies. “Last year 300 projects were completed and we're on track this year to finish 500. We’ve improved our programs by making them more user friendly and we’ve partnered with more contractors.”

One of those contractors is Light Doctor in Mountlake Terrace, a commercial lighting firm. Owner Don Nielsen said most businesses are surprised when they find out about the lighting rebate program, the PUD’s financial assistance and the energy savings involved.

“Retrofitting lighting in businesses, schools, government facilities makes sense with this program,” Nielsen said. “Efficient new products improve store lighting and save money. The PUD’s program provides a very attractive return on investment.”

Commissioner Dave Aldrich praises conservation programs

PUD Commissioner Dave Aldrich, who first won election in 2002 on a platform of conservation and renewable resources, said he has long championed conservation as something that makes economic sense and praised the efforts of manager Steve Klein, saying he cannot over emphasize what Klein has done for the PUD’s conservation effort since he was hired three years ago.

“He’s dramatically expanded our conservation staff, expertise and achievements. Conservation, when done correctly, is a win-win proposition.” he said. “The PUD acquires a lowest-cost resource while the customer reduces his or her electric bill. The challenge is no longer whether or not we do conservation but how much we can accomplish.”

For more information about the PUD’s energy conservation programs, including many not mentioned here, visit www.snopud.com.


Join the PUD’s new Energy Challenge


This Spring, the PUD launched its new Energy Challenge program, for both business and residential customers, with the goal of reducing their power use by 10 percent.

Kicking off the program, the PUD pledged to reduce its own power use 10 percent by the end of 2011 through upgrades at several facilities in lighting, HVAC and other systems.

The first five businesses to join are Judd & Black, Campbell Food Service Co’s StockPort division, Intermec’s Everett headquarters, Dwayne Lane Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge & Suzuki dealership and Philips Healthcare.

Collectively, their efforts could save the businesses nearly $200,000 annually and reduce their energy consumption by 3.6 million kilowatt-hours, enough to power nearly 300 homes in Snohomish County, said Craig Smith, PUD’s assistant general manager of customer and corporate services.

More than 50 residential customers also have signed up for the “Energy Challenge.” By enrolling for the program customers receive emails with tips about saving energy, a window decal and a certificate acknowledging their commitment.

Visit www.snopud.com for registration details.


PUD Energy Conservation
Programs for Businesses

The PUD’s revamped programs, and several new ones, offer cash incentives and technical assistance for business customers that install qualifying energy efficiency measures.

Existing Buildings: Incentives of 20 cents per kilowatt hour of savings (estimated in first year) for upgrading lighting controls and fixtures, HVAC equipment, compressed air systems, motors, pumps, fans, refrigeration systems and more.

New Construction: Incentives up to 25 cents per kilowatt-hour of first year savings based on the building systems performance above Washington State Energy Code standards or current best practice.

Cash Rebates for Small Lighting Projects: Up to 70 percent of the project cost, to $15,000, for replacement of bulky T-12 fluorescent tubes with thinner, more efficient, T-8 tubes.

Rebates for Network PC Power Management Software: Cash rebates for businesses with multiple computers that install a PC power management system. Management of 100 networked computers can return annual savings of more than $1,200.

Commercial Kitchen Equipment Rebates: Up to $2,000 for upgrades to energy-efficient kitchen equipment, including refrigerators and freezers, ice makers, connectionless steam cookers, fryers, dishwashers, convection ovens and hot-food holding cabinets.

EnergySmart Grocer Rebates: The EnergySmart program identifies the most cost-effective energy-saving options for refrigeration equipment and other upgrades. Funded by the PUD and Bonneville Power Administration, the program has helped

Other Programs/Resources: Businesses can access online tools to analyze energy usage, attend educational seminars and take advantage of tips to improve energy efficiency in their facilities.

Photo courtesy of Snohomish County PUD

NetRiver, a data center in Lynnwood, shown here under construction in 2006, received a $100,000 payment recent toward it total estimated $280,000 incentive rebate from the Snohomish County PUD for its energy conservation efforts. The facility's high energy use has been lessened significantly by using high-tech cooling equipment.

Photo by Matt Brashears/Courtesy of Snohomish County PUD

Designed with Platinum LEED energy saving design, the 24,000-square-foot Edmonds PCC Natural Market that opened last fall includes low wattage LED lighting in its food display cases. The store also has 35 skylights, special window glazing and low-wattage lights controlled by sensors that lower lighting levels when natural light is sufficient. Its goal is to operate with 50 percent less power use than other stores its size.

Photo by Matt Brashears/Courtesy of Snohomish County PUD

The Everett Clinic is saving $25,000 a year using the Snohomish County PUD's power management system for networked computers, including this imaging equipment center, shown with radiologist Dr. John Ephron and Director of Imaging Karen Lappert.