Regular HEA/AEEC Meetings
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
10:00 AM -- Operations and Special Projects
1:00 PM -- Finance Committee
3:00 PM -- AEEC Board Meeting
5:30 PM -- HEA Board Meeting
Warning: On the meeting calendar page of the HEA
website when you "hover" the cursor over a meeting title an
incorrect time is displayed. For example, 9:00 AM will be shown as
the Operations Committee starting time. Click on the meeting title
to get the right time.
Location: Meetings take place in the Kenai Offices at 280
Airport Way. Video conferencing is available in the Homer Offices at
3977 Lake Street,
907-235-8551. Draft agendas are available on the
HEA website at
http://www.homerelectric.com/BoardofDirectorsElections/BoardMeetingInformation/Agendas/tabid/220/Default.aspx
.
There are sometimes last minute changes in scheduling, so check the
website.
Electronic Voting
Resolution 45.2012.02, proposing an amendment to HEA bylaws to allow
electronic voting in annual elections is on the January 10
Operations Committee and HEA Board meeting agendas. If passed, an
electronic voting option would not eliminate traditional paper
ballots. At the October meeting, Operations Committee Chairman Jim
Levine reported members' concerns about potential vote tampering.
Hopefully, if electronic voting is approved, effective protection
against hacking and vote manipulation will be incorporated into the
system. If you are interested in this topic you should attend the
10:00 AM Operations Committee Meeting.
Energy from Garbage
(thanks to Sustainable Homer for this reminder)
Wednesday the 11th:
REAP Forum: Anchorage Landfill Methane Power Plant Get the live
podcast online at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/830056584 to hear from 6-8pm
about the
latest on Alaska's FIRST EVER Landfill Methane Power Plant, which
in 2012 will tap methane produced by the Anchorage Regional
Landfill to power Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER). There
are many such plants around the country, but this will be the
first in Alaska. Their speaker will be MARK MADDEN, Solid Waste
Services Director for the Municipality of Anchorage. More info: 907.929.7770, www.REalaska.org
New HEA Rate Structure
If you received your January HEA bill you probably noticed the new
rate structure. The components of residential electric bills
include:
New customer charge -- $15.00
New Blended energy charge -- 16.917 cents per kWh (HEA base rate +
Cost of Power Adjustment)
Regulatory charge
Sales tax
The $15.00 customer charge is a bit low. It covers less than half
the amount the RCA allows a utility to charge for its fixed costs
(basically, everything needed to provide service to a customer
except the electricity). This leaves HEA still recovering a large
part of those fixed costs through the per kWh energy charge. That's
why the monthly 150 kWh minimum energy charge was added. The minimum
is really just an additional,
but variable, customer charge
disguised as an energy charge. That's why the RAPA and the RCA were
reticent to approve it. When they finally did, the RCA capped the
combined
minimum energy charge and customer service charge at $38.38. HEA
can't exceed that amount no matter how much the per kWh energy rate
increases without going back to the RCA.
According to HEA the typical residential member uses an average 630
kWh a month and will see a 7.2% decrease in their bill under the new
plan. The lowest consumption members will see an increase in their
rates, however. See the news story at
http://homernews.com/stories/010412/news_nhrpa.shtml#.TwovSSNqNZg or
the HEA press release at
http://www.homerelectric.com/ for more
information.
Renewable Energy Money for HEA Members
HEA has offered relatively low interest loans (up to $5,000) through
its "Line of Credit Program" for a number of years. These are
designed to help members upgrade to more efficient appliances,
improved electrical and plumbing systems and much more. At the
December Board meeting, small scale renewable generation equipment
and services were added to the list of acceptable uses for the
loans. Learn more about the program at
http://www.homerelectric.com/Residential/HEALoanProgram/tabid/93/Default.aspx.
Heating with Lower Cost Off-peak Electricity
HEA General Manager Brad Janorschke has proposed investigating an
Electronic Thermal Storage (EST) pilot program for 2012. It would
enable members to offset higher cost propane and fuel oil with lower
cost off-peak electricity. Off-peak energy sales allow dispatchers
greater flexibility in maximizing system efficiency. For example,
shifting demand from peak use hours to lower demand times can avoid
the need to fire up additional generation or purchase power from
other producers -- both expensive options. This strategy was not a
practical option under HEA's present power purchase agreement with
Chugach Electric Association, however. Once HEA is generating most
of our power, reduced off-peak electric rates become a real
possibility.
ETS units are designed to be used as energy storage devices that can
help us incorporate fluctuating renewable energy resources like wind
power by evening out and balancing energy demand. An out-of-budget
expenditure will be presented to the HEA Board for approval prior to
proceeding with the project. If you are interested in this kind of
project you should attend the 5:30 PM HEA Board meeting to ask
questions and tell the Board what you think.
