The City formed a municipal electric utility in July of 1893 making it the fourth oldest electric utility in the Pacific Northwest.
The utility serves over 10,500 customers over 9 miles of transmission, 103 miles of overhead distribution and over 40 miles of underground distribution with 7 substations within its 16 square mile service territory.
The utility purchases its power from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and operates the Morse Creek hydro facility. BPA has a substation in Port Angeles and all power to the City is delivered over BPA's transmission system and through their substation.
Capacity on the transmission system and substation is 300 MW so the City can accommodate the future power needs of almost any type of customer.
POWER OUTAGES SCHEDULED No planned outages at this time. City of Port Angeles Public Works & Utilities crews conduct repairs and maintance that can require power to be out while work is being done. Please check here for notices about when certain work will be done. For very isolated cases of just a few homes or small areas - residents will be contacted on an individual basis.
No planned outages at this time. Please report any outages by calling 360-417-4726.
For more information or questions about planned outages, please contact Jim Klarr, Light Operations Manager at 360-417-4731. The goal is finish this work as quickly - and as safely - as possible.
NEW ELECTRIC & WATER METERS - the AMI System The City of Port Angeles will be installing new water and electric meters for all customers beginning in 2011. These new meters work with a system called Advanced Metering Infrastructure or AMI.
AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure.
It's a wireless and fiber optic- based system, similar to wireless Internet and cable TV technologies, for metering both water and electricity...........
The City is installing this new infrastructure because the old meters are wearing out - and many of them are no longer accurate. As a result, it is not possible for the City to fully comply with state and federal mandates, such as water metering accuracy.
Electricity is becoming more expensive. In October 2011, BPA increased the electricity rates they charge the City. AMI will provide all customers ways to control their bills by using power when it's least expensive, so you can minimize the impact of BPA's upcoming rates. And because the system automatically reads both electric and water meters, the City will be able to operate your utilities at their lowest possible cost...............
It's also a fairness issue: with inaccurate metering, some customers may not be paying for all of the power and water they use. The new system is financially sound, future friendly, and fair........
UTILITY RATE STUDIES PRESENTATION
City Council viewed a presentation concerning utility rates and costs, and the proposed rate adjustments at their regular meeting on October 12, 2012. The presentation covered electric, water, wastewater, collection, transfer station, and stormwater utility rates.
The presentation is available below. Or contact Phil Lusk, Deputy Director of Power Systems at either 360-417-4703 or plusk@cityofpa.us for more information.
UTILITY RATE STUDIES PRESENTATION
Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat reader installed to view this file.
WIND ENERGY TO BE STORED IN HOME WATER AND SPACE HEATERS IN EXPERIMENT Posted September 1, 2010 - Up to ten homeowners are being recruited for an experiment on how to store surplus wind power. Starting next month, the Bonneville Power Administration and the City of Port Angeles electric utility will link up home water heaters and thermal storage systems to wind farms east of the Cascades.
Here's the problem. Wind power is variable. Sometimes wind turbines spin away when there's little demand for the electricity. Other times they are not spinning when everyone wants to crank up their space heaters. Ideally, you could store excess wind energy in a battery. But, a battery that big doesn't exist yet.
What you can do is store that energy in water heaters in the form of hot water, or you can also store it in thermal energy storage room heaters. Or at least, that's what the City hopes to determine during the testing experiment this Fall.
Thanks to special funding from the Bonneville Power Administration, the City's electric utility will outfit up to ten volunteer households with special smart grid devices. These devices will signal electric water and room heaters to fire up when there is surplus wind power that would otherwise go to waste. The volunteers will be monitored for about a year to see if they always have enough hot water or space heat when they want it.
Homeowners interested in participating in this wind energy storage experiment need to be electric utility customers of the City. Volunteers also need to have broadband internet access, should have an open room area of 800-1,000 square feet with a water heater sized with a minimum of 50 gallons, and should not use a heat pump as the primary heating source. Volunteers meeting these conditions will be selected on a first-come, first served basis.
To volunteer, please contact the City's Demand Response Team at drpower@cityofpa.us
RETAIL TIERED ELECTRIC RATE DESIGN August 2010 - In preparing for the shift to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Tiered Rate Methodology (TRM) for wholesale power purchases effective October 1, 2011, the City independently assessed and evaluated retail rate design options for each Electric Utility customer rate class.
The most advantageous retail rate design option, approved by City Council on August 17, 2010, will be a seasonal time-of-use rate with demand for all Electric Utility retail customer rate classes.
The recommended rate design is similar to the current rate design for the municipal water pump, and an optional time-of-use rate schedule that has been available to all City Electric Utility customers since 2007. The City’s actual retail rates for each metered component will be considered by City Council in the fall of 2011 and would become effective on January 1, 2012.
A presentation was made to City Council on August 17, 2010, and is available below for review.
Electric Utility Retail Tiered Rate Methodology Study Presentation
Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat reader installed to view this file.
For more information contact Phil Lusk, Power Resources Manager at either 360-417-4703 or plusk@cityofpa.us
ELECTRIC UTILITY - FUEL MIX DISCLOSURE
The graphic below illustrates the Electric Utilities' Fuel Mix for 2011. The electric energy the City provides comes from the following resources:
Click image to view in PDF
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New ! Electrical Permits Webpage A new webpage is available to answer your questions about the Electrical Permit process. Here, you can find out how to apply for a permit and information about the electrical permitting process.
This new page is designed to keep you informed about code changes, City policies and other information that you might need to be aware of. It is our goal to create relationships based on mutual respect, code compliance, and safety for you and the public........
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) Mandatory Standards Determination
December 2009 - The City of Port Angeles was required by the Energy Independence Security Act of 2007 to make determinations on four new Electric Utility standards embodied in the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA). The new standards that must be considered included: 1) an investment in a qualified "Smart Grid" system, 2) providing Smart Grid information to electric customers, 3) should the City conduct integrated resource planning, and 4) rate design modifications that promote energy efficiency. Although PURPA mandates the City must consider the standards, it allows the City Council to make a determination if it is appropriate to implement or decline each standard.
The City Council of the City of Port Angeles Washington being the governing body of the said consumer-owned electric utility did, after public notice, hold public hearings on the 17th of November 2009 and the 15th of December 2009 to consider and discuss the adoption of Findings and Conclusions relating to the PURPA. Following a presentation by staff, City Council opened a public hearing to receive written comments and testimony from the public. No public comments were received.
Council's findings included that the City currently integrates energy efficiency resources into its plans, and has adopted policies establishing cost-effective energy efficiency as a priority. Further, the City is planning to double its energy conservation program during the 2010-2014 time period and may consider modifications to retail rates to further promote energy efficiency in the future. Additionally, the City is planning to implement an Advanced Metering Infrastructure project for its electric utility that is the necessary technology to enable future Smart Grid services to its customers when they become available.
Below is the resolution and complete findings of fact passed by the City Council of the City of Port Angeles at a regular meeting of said Council held on the 15th day of December 2009.
City Council Resolution Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat reader installed to view this file.
ELECTRIC UTILITY 2012 RESOURCE PLAN / Proposed Plan
August 2012 - The City's Electric Utility is required by the State of Washington (RCW 19.280.030) to develop a biennial Electric Utility Resource Plan (Plan) that must be submitted to the Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) by September 3, 2012.
The reason for this is to assure that future resources are adequate to meet projected loads especially as the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) changes the way it charges the City for energy. This Plan includes that the City will continue to purchase power from the BPA and that it will also seize the opportunity to increase the level of energy efficiency and deploy new renewable energy technologies that will further develop and diversify our resource portfolio.
The City's energy future is essential to our community's economic health. The City has long benefited from having access to low-cost electricity from the federal power system. However, as the world and the energy industry change, the City faces a potentially serious threat to its economy in the form of rising electricity costs.
The below proposed plan was presented to City Council at their August 21, 2012, meeting. City Council approved the plan by Resolution on August 21, 2012.
Electric Utility 2012 Resource Plan / August 21, 2012 Presentation City Council Resolution Washington State 2012 Electric Utility Resource Plan
Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat reader installed to view this file.
For more information, please contact Phil Lusk, Power Resources Manager at either 360-417-4703 or plusk@cityofpa.us.
For City Residents - Online Utility Access Pay or check your utility usage on line! This new feature allows you to view billing history, payment activity, and service and consumption summaries as well as pay your bill. Save a monthly trip to city hall or the cost of postage. It's quick, easy and secure....give it a try! To Utility Information Center
No planned outages at this time. City of Port Angeles Public Works & Utilities crews conduct repairs and maintance that can require power to be out while work is being done. Please check here for notices about when certain work will be done. For very isolated cases of just a few homes or small areas - residents will be contacted on an individual basis. 
Here's the problem. Wind power is variable. Sometimes wind turbines spin away when there's little demand for the electricity. Other times they are not spinning when everyone wants to crank up their space heaters. Ideally, you could store excess wind energy in a battery. But, a battery that big doesn't exist yet. 
For City Residents - Online Utility Access