Manager's Message
Power Rate Increase
Last November, Bonneville Power Administration released its preliminary record of decision on the wholesale power and transmission rates for the fiscal years 2014 and 2015, beginning October 1, 2013.
In this release, BPA announced an average increase of 9.6 percent for power services and a 13 percent increase for transmission. These numbers are averages for the region’s utilities, and each utility’s rate impact will differ based on its load. In Wasco Electric’s case, the increases are projected at 7.1 percent for power and 7.5 percent for transmission.
While the final decision on the region’s rates will not be released until late July, it is anticipated they will not differ much from the preliminary announcement. Therefore, we continue to evaluate our future rate design based on these preliminary figures.
Wasco Electric management is conducting a revenue requirements and cost of service study to determine what our rates will need to be to cover the additional cost of power. Your board of directors and staff are committed to doing all we can to lessen the impact of rates to members and still provide reliable service today and into the future.
Wasco Electric is committed to helping its members control costs through energy efficiency and conservation, which are are among the lowest-cost resources for your cooperative. Simple actions, such as lowering your thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer, can result in big savings on your power bill.
We continue to offer free home-weatherization audits and rebates for insulation and window upgrades. We offer rebates for replacing some of your older appliances, and for upgrading to an energy-efficient heat pump system. We also offer energy-saving rebates for lighting upgrades in commercial businesses and several saving opportunities for our irrigated-agriculture sector.
Learn more about your energy-saving opportunities by calling our member services representative at (541) 296-2740 or visiting the Together We Save page with the quick link on the home page.
