Spring 2020 - Lewis County PUDPage 1

Lewis County PUDSpring 2020 Newsletter

Your Public Power Utility

Recreation OpportunitiesPAGE 3

Online Bill PayPAGE 4

Fuel Mix ReportPAGE 2

Keep Your Home CoolPAGE 2

Contact us at (800)562-5612 or (360)748-9261

Amid these uncertain times we are committed to providing service to the community. We are also committed to doing everything we can to assist customers who find themselves in an unexpected time of need.

On March 17th, the PUD Board adopted a resolution reaffirming the recently declared state of emergency and created a fund aimed at providing bill relief to customers. Commissioner Ben Kostick stated “Our PUD is a community-driven organization. We’ve been tightening our belt and making strategic investments that allow us

Lewis County PUD is one of the top-rated employers in the area, with highly competitive wage and benefits package. For a complete list of job opening and how to apply, visit www.lcpud.org.

Lewis County PUD Commissioners typically meet the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month at 9:00 a.m. for a workshop and at 10:00 a.m. for their official business meeting. For more information, visit www.lcpud.org.

to offer this relief during a time when our customers need it most.”

Under the billing relief program, the basic charge for residential and commercial accounts will be suspended for the month of April. The PUD customer service department is making adjustments directly to customer bills and no application is necessary. The reduction equals to $28.50 per customer and appears on statements with usage in April.

If you have questions on your bill or about how to reduce your usage; please visit us at www.lcpud.org or on Facebook at @lewiscountypud.

Providing support and service during an unprecedented emergency

CONTENT

CAREER OPPORTUNITES

https://www.facebook.com/lewiscountypud

https://twitter.com/lewiscountypud

COVID-19 and Your PUD

COMMISSION MEETINGS

Budgeting ProcessPAGE 4

Spring 2020 - Lewis County PUDPage 2

Each year, the PUD, along with all other electric utilities in Washington State publishes a report showing where the District gets its electric energy from.

The 2018 Report shows 100% of the power used to serve customers comes from Northwest renewable resources. Additionally, nearly all of the power is carbon free and this is all before we consider the surplus hydro power we sell to other utilities.

Keep Your Home COOL

Close the Blinds

Set AC to 780

Change Your Air Filters

Clean Energy Transformation

Act

As the warm weather approaches, keep the cool in, the heat out, and your energy bills down with these cost effective tips for the summer

Shutting drapes and curtains keeps out the sun and heat, keeping your home cooler.

Every degree increase can save you 2-4% in energy costs depending on your heating

system.

Reductions in air flow cause your cooling system to work harder and use more energy.

On May 7, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law CETA. To find out

more, visit https://www.commerce.wa.gov/

growing-the-economy/energy/ceta/

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In 2019, the Clean Energy Transformation Act was passed in our State. The Act paves the way for all utilities to be carbon neutral by 2030 and have a 100% clean grid by 2045. The Department of Commerce is currently developing rules for implementation of the Act and our PUD is actively engaged.

Lewis County PUD's complete energy portfolio includes approximately 100% clean, renewable, carbon neutral resources.

PUD releases fuel mix report showing renewable resources serving its customer nears 88%.

Fuel Mix ReportData from Washington State Department of Commerce2018

Hydroelectric81.03%

Nuclear9.99%

Wind6.39%

Unspecified Resources2.58% Natural Gas

0.01%

2018 FUEL MIX REPORT

Contact us for a free energy audit at www.lcpud.org

Type of Fuel % Hydroelectric 81.03%Nuclear 9.99%Wind 6.39%Unspecified Resources 2.58%Natural Gas 0.01%Solar 0.00%Coal 0.00%Petroleum 0.00%Other Generation 0.00%TOTAL 100%

Spring 2020 - Lewis County PUDPage 3

The Cowlitz Falls Project is a 70 megawatt hydroelectric dam that was constructed in the early 1990's. The dam generation facility was completed in 1994 and is 140 feet high and spans 700 feet across the Cowlitz River. The resulting reservoir is 700 acres.

The Cowlitz Falls Project produces 260,000 megawatt hours annually, about 1/3 of our PUD's energy needs. The PUD and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) cooperatively developed the Project and still work together to ensure we have a local resource to be proud of.

Part of owing a large hydro Project means we take a larger role in protecting our environment and minimizing the impacts of having the

structure in the river. The PUD owns land to create a reservoir buffer zone for natural vegetation and native wildlife maintenance. Trees have been altered for eagles and osprey to nest and annual plantings are done for deer and elk. We also stock trout in Lake Scanewa for sport fishing.

Our hydro Project brings affordable, renewable, reliable, and carbon free electric power to our area, in addition to enhancing recreational and scenic opportunities around Lewis County.

To find out more about the Project's benefits, visit www.lcpud.org.

Our local Hydro Project brings sustainably sourced energy to your home

Hydroelectricity Project Offers Many Benefits to Lewis County

(360) 345-1484Recreation Hotline:

Recreation Areas to Visit

Recreation opportunities in Lewis County brought to you by the PUD. Due to COVID-19, visit www.lcpud.org/recreation for availability of recreational facilities.

Cowlitz Falls CampgroundLocated 15 miles east of Morton the campground covers over 110 acres.

Day Use ParkA great place sit back and relax along the shores of Lake Scanewa.

Rafting & Kayaking Take-out SiteCispus River is popular to rafters/kayakers for its many miles of continuous white-water.

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Cowlitz Falls Annual Kids Fishing DerbyDue to the COVID-19 outbreak, the 2020 Kids

Fishing Derby has been cancelled.

Back in

2021

Spring 2020 - Lewis County PUDPage 4

BudgetingThe PUD is proud of our transparency and provides the following information free of charge:

• Credit and deposit requirements

• Rates and charges• Metering policies/

procedures• Bill payment policies/

procedures• Payment arrangement

options• Notice to disconnect

service• Confidentiality of customer

info• Filing complaints.

Lewis County PUD also provides customers access to our annual report including:

• General description of utility

• Summary of average rates• Investment amounts• Taxes paid and collected.

All this information and more is available on the PUD's website at www.lcpud.org or you can request the information at any of our offices.

Commissioners set the timeline for the PUD's budgeting process

Your bill includes charges for electricity,

delivery services, general administration and

overhead, metering, taxes, conservation expenses,

and other items.

Online Payments

Benefits of the Equal Payment Plan

Lewis County PUD offers an easy and convenient method to view and pay utility bills online.

No registration is required for "One Time Pay", the fastest way to pay and confirm payment. Your information is kept confidential, secure, and backed by the highest security standards. Paying online reduces paper use and is an easy way to help the environment.

If you are interested in signing up, visit https://www.lcpud.org/account-services/payment-billing-options/.

The Equal Payment Plan (EPP) lowers the impact of high bills by averaging the cost of your electricity evenly throughout the year. EPP accounts are recalculated every year starting in April. Enrolment in the program runs from April 1st until August 3st. Contact our customer service department to learn more.

Information for our Customers

Commissioner of Lewis County PUD invite you to be part of the budgeting process for 2021. The Commissioners have scheduled several workshops as part of the budgeting process. Each of the three workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. prior to the regularly scheduled commission meetings. On May 5, 2020, the Capital Workshop will focus on large project prioritization, selection, timeline and funding. The Maintenance Workshop scheduled on July 7, 2020 will emphasise operations and maintenance projects. The final budget workshop on August 4, 2020 will concentrate on revenue forecasts, power costs, cash and financial reserves.

Our budget feeds directly into the rate setting process and is important to understand for customers that would like to learn more about their power bill and where the money goes.

To find out more about the budgeting process, visit

h tt p s : //w w w. l c p u d .o rg /budget/.