Electric Department
Did you know that lowering your thermostat from 72 degrees to 65 degrees for eight hours a day can save up to 10% on your heating bill? For more ways to conserve energy and save money, check out our Energy Conservation Tips.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are a good choice for home lighting because they use less energy than incandescent bulbs, produce the same light output, and last up to 10 times longer. Each bulb can save $40 or more in electricity costs over its lifetime.
Electric Department Work in Progress
Replacement of bad utility poles
System wide for overall integrity of the electric system
Re-mounting of cross-arm mounted transformers
System wide to reduce outages caused by animals
Electric Crews Replacing Poles
Electric crews inspected all poles in the Northeast section of Hartselle, east of Hwy. 31 and north of Main Street, in November, says Electric Superintendent Jonathan Hampton. Poles with problems that were not treatable will be replaced in the coming months.
In addition, Hampton says, line clearing crews have been working in the Northwest quadrant of the city, west of Hwy. 31 and north of Nance Ford Road. HU crews remove brush and trim trees along power lines in order to minimize power outages caused by trees and limbs falling across the lines.
This work will soon be completed for fiscal year 2013, Hampton says.
Annual testing of commercial/industrial meters
System wide to validate meter reliability
Electric Department News
Electric Crews Replacing Poles
Electric crews inspected all poles in the Northeast section of Hartselle, east of Hwy. 31 and north of Main Street, in November, says Electric Superintendent Jonathan Hampton. Poles with problems that were not treatable will be replaced in the coming months.
In addition, Hampton says, line clearing crews have been working in the Northwest quadrant of the city, west of Hwy. 31 and north of Nance Ford Road. HU crews remove brush and trim trees along power lines in order to minimize power outages caused by trees and limbs falling across the lines.
This work will soon be completed for fiscal year 2013, Hampton says.
Higher Electric Bills Expected
HU customers might see higher electric bills in August as compared to last year, says Hartselle Utilities Accounting and Finance Manager Bob Sittason. HU’s average residential kilowatt hour usage in August is typically 1,690. Based on this average, an electric bill for this August will be $7.22 higher than the electric bill for August 2010.
There are many low and no cost steps you can take to lower your energy usage and offset some of this increase, says Hartselle Utilities Customer Service Manager Terri Harris. Visit our website at www.hartselleutilities.org for more information.
Pole Inspections Underway
Beginning in late August, employees from Osmose will inspect and treat poles in the area from Nance Ford Road to Rhodes Street N, according to Electric Superintendent Jonathon Hampton.
“We want our customers to know that Osmose inspectors will be in the right of way as they inspect and, where needed, treat our poles,” says Hampton. “This will involve digging around the poles to check for decay. Necessary repairs and replacements will then be made based on the inspection results.”
Electric Department Replacing Transformer
In the summer of 2009, a 50-year-old transformer blew up at the District Substation, near the Hwy. 31/Hwy. 36 intersection, causing a system-wide power outage early one Sunday morning. To prevent a similar situation from happening again, HU crews will replace another transformer, also built in 1959, at the substation.
The bid opening was held in August 2010, and the bid for the 10 MVA 46 kV Single Phase Transformer was awarded to Virginia Transformer. The cost is $156,175, less than the one purchased in 2009 for $172,247.
Building upon expertise and procedures developed during last year’s emergency transformer replacement, HU electric crews will replace the transformer in January.
“When the transformer blew up in 2009, we spent two weeks on engineering and load transfer calculations,” says Jonathan Hampton, HU Electric Department Superintendent. “This time, using the procedures we developed, it should take us about half a day to transfer loads from the substation to prepare for the installation.”
The actual installation of the transformer will take about a week, he says. Hampton does not expect power to be interrupted during that time.
New Programs, Incentives Available for Area Businesses
In 2010, a retail business in Huntsville replaced 134 metal halide light fixtures with 140 6-lamp T8 fluorescent fixtures. The company reduced energy demand by 34.73 kW per month, plus it received a one-time incentive payment for $6,599 from TVA. An educational institution, also in Huntsville, replaced an old HVAC 200-ton chiller unit with a more efficient 200-ton unit, saving 20.23 kW per month, and received a one-time incentive payment of $4,047.
Both companies are participants in the new Commercial Efficiency Advice and Incentives Program (CEAI), offered to area businesses by Hartselle Utilities and TVA.
CEAI is available to customers who use at least 50 kW of electricity per month, and offers energy assessments to help with energy-saving investment decisions. TVA provides incentive payments for projects identified during the assessment that help reduce power usage during TVA’s peak periods.
Typical program participants include large facilities such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, warehouses and similarly sized buildings. An energy assessment helps determine how well a facility is currently using energy. If the assessment indicates that the facility could save at least five kW per month, the company is eligible for incentives to make improvements.
“Lighting and HVAC systems are typically the areas where customers can make improvements that have the biggest impact on their electric bill,” says Hartselle Utilities Customer Service Manager Terri Harris. “These are the areas targeted by the incentives from TVA.”
A similar program is available for smaller companies and industries that have no demand charge. TVA’s Fast Cash for Small Business and Industry offers incentives for eligible energy efficiency improvements. The list includes replacing lighting fixtures, exit signs, and HVAC systems. At this time there are no incentives for changing from incandescent to CFL light bulbs. A complete list of eligible improvements is available from Hartselle Utilities.
A third program offers payments to commercial, institutional and industrial customers willing to reduce energy use, when asked, during times of abnormally high electricity demand. Participants in the TVA-EnerNOC Demand Response Program receive monthly payments based on the amount they agree to curtail. Requests for curtailment are limited to 40 hours per year. Companies receive at least 30 minutes notice, and can decline if necessary for any reason.
Knox County Schools in Knoxville, TN, for example, has participated in the program’s pilot for two years. Their participation calls for reducing power at four schools by 615 kilowatts. According to Knox County Schools Energy Manager Zane Foraker, the school system receives several thousand dollars per year, and events have generally happened during times when children are not in the schools.
“This is really a risk-free program,” says Robby Jones, TVA Distributor Delivery Regional Manager, Alabama District. “Companies receive payments year-round for agreeing to help TVA reduce demand during peak periods.”
A valuable benefit to EnerNOC participants, says Jones, is the DemandSMART™ program, which provides real-time energy usage data. Jones says many participants have saved more money pinpointing energy savings from the usage data than they have received from the program payments.
For more information on any of these incentive programs, call Terri Harris at (256) 773-3340 or email tharris@hartselleutilities.org.
TVA’s Generation Partners®
Each month, TVA buys power from 194 homes and businesses that use renewable resources to generate energy. The program, Generation Partners, creates green power for Green Power Switch. Eligible generation includes solar, wind, low impact hydro, and biomass. Participants benefit by receiving payment from TVA for the generated power, along with other incentives.
After a customer installs an approved renewable generation system, TVA will purchase all of the green energy output at HU’s retail rate, including any fuel cost adjustments, plus a premium of 12 cents per kWh for solar, and 3 cents per kWh for other renewable generation.
For residential customers, it can take 15-20 years to recoup their investment in renewable power generation, says Jennifer Brogdon, TVA Renewable Energy Program Manager. It generally costs between $7,000 and $9,000 per kW to install a solar photovoltaic system, the most popular type of renewable generation. Program participants receive a $1,000 incentive from TVA to help offset start-up costs, and are guaranteed payments from TVA through HU for 10 years. Additional federal and state incentives are available to non-residential customers, and their payback can be as little as five years.
Additional information about the program is available at www.generationpartners.com, and a list of available incentives is provided at www.dsireusa.org. For more information, call HU Customer Service Manager Terri Harris at (256) 773-3340 or email tharris@hartselleutilities.org.
Green Power Available to HU Customers
Looking for ways that you can help the environment in your home or business? Green Power Switch®, a program available through Hartselle Utilities from TVA, adds electricity generated by renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind and methane gas to the power grid. Currently, renewable energy generation costs more because the technology for capturing this energy is still more expensive than coal, natural gas or nuclear power generation. By supporting Green Power Switch and choosing to buy power from these resources, you can help create a market for green sources of renewable energy, which will eventually lower the cost of this technology.
Customers participating in Green Power Switch agree to buy green power in 150-kilowatt-hour blocks – about 12 percent of a typical household’s monthly use. Each block adds $4 to your monthly power bill. The average residential customer in the Tennessee Valley who participates in the program purchases two blocks of green power per month. Small businesses are encouraged to buy at least five blocks per month. Businesses participating in the program receive a colorful Green Power Switch window decal and poster to advertise your commitment to creating a cleaner, greener community.
All power purchased through Green Power Switch is purchased from renewable resources located within the Tennessee Valley, so your participation in the program has a direct impact on our local environment. Over the course of a year, purchasing two blocks of green power, according to TVA’s Jennifer Brogdon, Renewable Energy Program Manager, has the same benefit to our environment as recycling 15,322 aluminum cans or planting an acre of trees.
For more information about Green Power Switch, visit www.greenpowerswitch.com. To enroll in the program, complete the form below and submit it to Hartselle Utilities, or call HU Customer Service Manager Terri Harris at (256) 773-3340 or email tharris@hartselleutilities.org.
New Transformer Installed at District Substation
In July of 2009, a 50-year-old transformer at Hartselle Utilities’ District Substation on Thompson Road blew up. After crews switched to the backup transformer at the substation and restored power, Hartselle Utilities General Manager Ferrell Vest had one request for Electric Superintendent Jonathan Hampton: fix it, and don’t let the power go out during the process.
Hampton ordered a new transformer, keeping his fingers crossed that the backup transformer, also built in 1959, would hold. Given a three-month projected delivery schedule for the new custom-built transformer, Hampton began working with Stewart Engineering to develop a plan to redistribute the system’s electric load away from the District Substation during the changeout.
Using computer modeling to predict what would happen as loads were increased along parts of the system, they pinpointed lines which were not big enough to carry additional load. HU crews reconductored these lines to make sure they could hold the larger loads. Then, Hampton and Stewart Engineering developed a 34-step plan to switch the electric load from the District Substation to the Primary Substation.
“Years ago, something like this would have meant a power outage to parts of our system,” Hampton said. But in today’s world, with so many residents and companies relying on computers and other electrical devices, that was not an option. When the transformer was delivered, the plan was put into place. Crews switched power to the primary substation, brought in a crane to remove the old transformer, put the new one in place and energized it, then reversed the process to shift the power load back to the District Substation. The actual changeout took about a week.
Hampton admits to holding his breath when the power was switched away from and back to the substation. “With 34 steps in the process,” he explained, “if we had gotten even one in the wrong order, or if the computer modeling had been wrong, the power would have gone out.”
“It was impressive to watch how this came together,” says HU General Manager Ferrell Vest. “This is not the situation we chose to be in, but it’s what we found ourselves in. Our crews did what they needed to do.”
A good bit of the work performed had been planned during HU’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan – and even provided for in this year’s budget – Hampton explained, “but we just didn’t know we would do it that soon,” he laughed.
He added that the engineer from Stewart Engineering was very complimentary of HU. “He said that our five-year plan, and our board following through with the recommendations in it, made it much easier for this to happen successfully.”
Storms Highlight Importance of Being Prepared for Emergencies
About 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 15, 2009 a storm with 70-mph winds blew through Hartselle, knocking down trees, snapping utility poles and disrupting power to about 1,800 residents. The storm, which lasted less than an hour, surprised Hartselle Utilities General Manager Ferrell Vest with its intensity. “We lost a lot of really old trees,” Vest explains. “Power lines don’t stand a chance when large trees start coming down.”
“Some of our staff were still in the office following the Hartselle Utilities Board Meeting,” says Customer Service Manager Terri Harris. “Others came back in about 8 p.m., and we answered the phones until after 1 a.m.”
Power was back restored for about 85 percent of the affected customers by 8:30 the next morning, and HU crews – assisted by crews from Decatur Utilities – restored power to the remaining customers by Thursday afternoon. Although HU always strives to restore power as quickly as possible, Vest says, there can never be a guarantee of immediate service restoration. The storm highlights the need for individuals to be prepared for emergencies and the potential loss of power, says Vest.
“Especially if a member of your household has special medical needs, you need to prepare for being without power for an extended length of time,” he explained. “If back-up generators, manually-operated oxygen tanks or other options for running medically necessary equipment are not available, customers should plan ahead for moving a person with medical needs to a different location.”
Although extended power outages in Hartselle are rare, Harris recommends that customers stay prepared, year-round, using this checklist:
- Emergency Kit: Should contain a battery-powered radio, flashlight, batteries for both, candles, matches, first aid supplies and a can opener.
- Food and water: Canned or other non-perishable food, and at least two quarts of drinking water per person per day.
- Baby supplies: If you have an infant, keep a supply of baby food, formula and disposable diapers.
- Staying cool: Keep draperies closed on the sunny side of the house during the day; open windows at night or on mild days for ventilation. Drink small amounts of water and fruit juices often. Keep strenuous activity to a minimum, and take frequent baths with tepid water to lower body temperature.
- Fire prevention: Keep a UL-listed fire extinguisher, labeled for class A, B and C fires, that is approved for use on ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids and electrical fires. Be sure all adults and older children in the household know how to use it.
If a power outage occurs, Harris says, customers should call HU at (256) 773-3340, or the after hours Emergency Lines at (256) 773-2588 or (256) 773-2533. Other steps to take during a power outage include: stay away from downed power lines; unplug computers and other sensitive appliances to protect them from power surges when electricity is restored; check on elderly or medically dependent neighbors; and remember that HU crews are working as fast as possible – often through the night with little or no sleep – to restore your power.
Simple Steps to Save Energy (and Money!)
Over the next five years, TVA and electric power distributors such as Hartselle Utilities are working to reduce demand for peak power by 1,400 megawatts. To achieve this, residents, businesses and industries across the Tennessee Valley are going to need to work together to use energy more efficiently. Here are a few tips to get started:
• Turn your thermostat up to 78º F; higher if no one is home: don’t pay to keep your furniture cool!
• Turn off lights, appliances and other home electronics with a power bar when not in use; use the “sleep” mode on computers.
• Use the microwave instead of a stove burner or oven for cooking. It cooks faster and doesn’t create as much heat.
• Use your dishwasher and washing machine/dryer only for full loads, and wait until after 8 p.m., when TVA’s costs to produce electricity are lowest.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents. They use 75 percent less energy and last much longer.
• Keep curtains closed on the south, east and west sides of your house during the day to help keep it cool.
• Complete a home energy audit: call Hartselle Utilities at (256) 773-3340 for a free energy right Home E-Valuation audit or visit www.energyright.com to complete the survey online. After you complete the survey and return it to TVA, you will receive a detailed report with suggestions on ways to save energy and money. Following all the recommendations from the audit could save as much as 20 percent on your annual utility costs.