I’ve been fortunate enough to call Eugene home for over 30 years. Coming from the East Coast, I was often struck by how calm it was here. Not like Saturday Market mellow, but more that we didn’t have hurricanes, blizzards, or heatwaves with brutal humidity upending our daily routines. Over the past several years, the predictable Eugene weather patterns have shifted, and so has my perspective. We are now experiencing more extreme weather that can result in power outages – whether from winter storms or wildfires – and drought and heat events that can strain the grid and our drinking water system.   

When I get angsty over things I can’t control, I like to make a To-Do List and check things off. Since September is National Preparedness month, it’s a great time to make some progress on your household emergency plan. Why not kick out 3 – 5 things on your To-Do list this month and give yourself a bit more peace of mind?   

At EWEB, we are hyper-aware that electricity and drinking water are essential to quality of life and community safety. We are making once-in-a-generation investments in critical infrastructure for greater resiliency from both natural and human-caused disruptions. These infrastructure upgrades can’t prevent all outages, but they will help us restore services more quickly when outages do occur.   

Resiliency is a team sport. I hope that means you’ll join our efforts by getting your household ready for the unexpected so you can ride out disruptions more easily and safely. So maybe you update your contact info with EWEB*, or check your first-aid kit medications, and/or change out your emergency water supplies – your shrubs will thank you!

*Call or email our Customer Service team: 541-685-7000 or eweb.answers@eweb.org

How many EWEB Emergency Water Stations are in Eugene?

A: 2
B: 3
C: 5
D: 6

Aaron Orlowski, EWEB Communications

Last month, as temperatures crested 100 degrees for four days straight, we asked you to cut back on energy usage from 4 to 9 p.m. – when demand is highest – to help keep the grid stable. 

And you responded! 

Together, we all did something that none of us could do on our own. We cut energy use by 10 to 15 megawatts, or the equivalent of about 10,000 to 15,000 window air conditioning units. 

By cutting demand, we also collectively helped manage costs. EWEB normally pays $30 to $50 per megawatt-hour for wholesale electricity, but prices reached $1,800 at peak times during the heat wave. We estimate that customers saved $10,000 per hour during hours when demand was highest. 

As these kinds of heat waves grow more severe, EWEB is likely to implement formalized “demand response” programs that help align energy demand with available supplies. 

Ultimately, these types of programs will help us prepare for more extreme conditions by bolstering our resiliency. 

Read more about how EWEB is planning for our energy future. 

Jen Connors, EWEB Communications

When customers cut back energy use during the four-day heat wave last month, EWEB saved money by avoiding paying exorbitant market prices for wholesale electricity. 

But how does that benefit customers financially? 

As a publicly owned utility, EWEB does not operate to earn a profit. Rates are based directly on costs – including customer programs, equipment maintenance, materials, major infrastructure projects and, yes, purchasing electricity on wholesale electricity markets to deliver to customers. 

So when EWEB cuts costs or avoids paying high prices, we’re able to keep rates low and continue investing in resiliency and preparedness, so that we’re ready when the next heat wave, storm or other disaster strikes. 

Learn more about the three primary ways EWEB recovers the costs of serving customers and generates the funds needed to keep the power on and the water flowing.

EWEB hosted a demonstration in August of one of our Emergency Water Stations.

At the Prairie Mountain School in the Bethel neighborhood, staff gave out about 300 emergency water containers to enthusiastic community members eager to learn more about the water station and boost their home emergency kits with a free, three-gallon water container.  

Over the past few years, EWEB has built five emergency water distribution stations to ensure safe and reliable drinking water flows into our community, even if a disaster strikes that may disrupt our drinking water supply.  

Events like this help increase community’s awareness about emergency water stations, and double as an activation drill for staff and volunteers from Eugene’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). 

Read more about emergency water stations and locate the station nearest to your home.

Beyond planning for emergency events, preparedness also means planning for a sufficient supply of electricity for today, tomorrow, next year, next decade and beyond. 

We’ve spent the last year and a half forecasting Eugene’s electricity needs 20 years into the future and using modeling analysis software to assess various combinations of electricity resources – such as wind, hydropower and batteries – that can meet those needs. 

What did we find? 

The analysis showed us that a diverse mix of resources will be necessary in the years ahead, but the details are up to us, as a community. We’ll need to grapple with the tradeoffs of each resource as we reassemble our electricity generation portfolio in the years ahead. 

Read more from EWEB General Manager Frank Lawson in this Eugene Weekly Viewpoint.

Local control and governance is a hallmark of public utilities. EWEB is owned by our customers who democratically elect a five-member Board of Commissioners. The agenda for the September 5 public Board of Commissioners meeting includes:   

• Trends in the evolving power system, such as changes in demand, resources and emerging technologies for meeting future electric power needs – presentation by executive director and analytics and policy director of the Pacific Northwest Utility Conference Committee (PNUCC).

• Recent federal policy changes requiring EWEB to consider and respond to new demand response and electric vehicle charging programs standards.

• Oregon legislative and regional policy issues that impact EWEB and our customers, resulting from the 2023 state legislative session and emerging 2024 state legislative session.
• Plans to construct new water storage at College Hill and how we will inform and engage the public, including those who live and play at the reservoir as well as customers who live outside the College Hill neighborhood but are impacted by the project through water rates, quality, safety, and reliability. 

You can view the full agenda for the September 5 meeting here. You can also learn how to watch online, attend in-person and provide public comments. 

With September being National Preparedness Month, now is a good time to take a look around your home and see what energy efficiency measures you can take to help make your home more resilient.  

Making simple home improvements to your insulation, windows and doors can improve durability, increase comfort, create a healthier indoor environment, and help cut costs by reducing heating and cooling demands.   

Caulking and weatherstripping are two simple and effective techniques that offer a quick return on investment. Caulk is generally used for cracks and small openings, while weatherstripping is used to seal components that move, such as doors and windows. Learn more about air sealing your home here. 

Additionally, if power does go out and you are unable to use your heater or air conditioner, having a more energy efficient home can make you more comfortable as we work to restore power. Check out these articles from Popular Science on how to stay comfortable during outages in the winter and a summer heatwave. 

Did you know?

Adding insulation to your home is one of the most cost-effective ways you can increase your energy efficiency and save on your energy bill. EWEB offers rebates and loans for customers who use electric heat as their primary heating system. 

Rebate: $1 per square foot of insulation up to 50% of the job cost, and $40 for insulated entry doors

Loans: Up to a $6,000 zero-interest loan for single family residences 

EWEB also offers an income-based rebate that covers 100% of eligible insulation costs. Review income-based qualifications here.  

Learn more about rebates & loans here.  

EWEB's Pledge to Prepare is a 12-month blueprint to get you and your household two-weeks ready in the case of a large emergency outage.  

Each month we add an additional day of food, water and cash to our home emergency supply, but this month we take it a step further and create small, portable go-bags. Go-bags are packed with essential supplies you can grab quickly in case you need to evacuate. Each member of your household should have their own go-bag.  

Download the full September Checklist for suggestions on items to include in your go-bags. You can share a photo of your progress to be entered to win the monthly raffle by emailing follow.us@eweb.org. 

Las listas de verificación también están disponibles en español. 

Join Pledge to Prepare 

As the Rates Manager, you will play a important role in ensuring that our rates align with industry standards, regulatory requirements, and customer needs. This is a unique chance to contribute to the success of our organization by optimizing our rate structures, enhancing customer satisfaction, and driving financial sustainability. 

This position reports to and partners with the Chief Financial Officer to develop and lead EWEB’s retail rates program. This role is focused on supporting EWEB’s strategic initiatives through the retail rate design for electric and water utility clients, including modern pricing for new customer programs such as distributed energy resources, electric vehicles, net energy metering and others, as well as traditional power and water rate design.

Check out this and other job openings. 

Receive emergency notifications for events such as winter storms, wildfire mitigation, or other significant events affecting EWEB power or water. You will also receive a quarterly newsletter on seasonal emergency preparedness. 

Sign up here. 

Check out these resources to strengthen your home and family emergency preparedness

Lane County Emergency Management 

Lane County Cooling & Smoke Shelters 

McKenzie Fire & Rescue 

Oregon Department of Forestry 

Ready.Gov/NationalPreparednessMonth 

EWEB in the media

Deep dives for fellow utility nerds :-)

Northwest data centers’ electricity use could more than double, imperiling climate goals.

All the data for those social media posts, Amazon orders, work emails and ChatGPT conversations have to be processed somewhere. And lot of it is processed at data centers here in the Pacific Northwest – driving a projected increase in demand for electricity. Read more at The Oregonian. 
 

Oregonians won’t see clean energy rebates until mid-2024.

The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act promised massive investments in energy efficient, electric appliances for people nationwide. Where’s the money? It turns out that money will flow through states, then to individuals. Federal guidelines were published in July, and Oregon is now developing programs to administer the funding. Learn more from the Oregon Department of Energy. Read more at The Oregonian. 
 

There’s a Vast Source of Clean Energy Beneath Our Feet. And a Race to Tap It. 

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