Conservation – It’s Good for Everyone

e all know the drill: Conserve water and electricity for lower utility bills and a cleaner environment.

It’s very simple, really, but for many Pasadena residents the hustle and bustle of daily living doesn’t always make it easy to remember. After all, it has been some time since the terms “energy crisis” or “water shortage” have been part of our vocabulary.

The fact remains that water and electricity usage have never been higher than in the past 30 years. Let’s look at the statistics: The population in California has nearly doubled in the past 30 years but the water supply remains limited. What’s more, total electricity use in California has more than doubled in the same time frame.

Energy use this summer will most likely strain available supplies in California as in years past, and tight supplies means higher prices Pasadena Water and Power has to pay for energy that is not produced locally.

PWP customers know that when they flip a switch and turn on a faucet the lights will glow and the water will flow. Pasadena Water and Power provides electricity to about 57,000 households and businesses in Pasadena and delivers water to 37,000. For 99 years PWP has been encouraging customers to conserve and today is no different. Remember, PWP is not a privately owned utility – it is owned by the community and therefore provides customers with low rates and local control. It is not obliged to create huge dividends for investors.

It’s a good thing for individual customers, PWP, the community and the planet when everyone in Pasadena uses less water and electricity. PWP leads the way in offering incentives and information so you can make the right choices and use energy and
water wisely.

In this special edition of Pasadena In Focus you’ll learn more about how to cut back on your water and electricity use, why it matters and how to sign up for “green power.”
You’ll be helping the environment and the community.

Greening Pasadena

Greening Pasadena means making a conscious choice to take an active role in promoting a healthier environment, supporting renewable energy sources and incorporating energy and water conservation practices into our daily lives.

Greening Pasadena also means rebates, incentives and helpful information given directly to participating customers by Pasadena Water and Power.

Buy an approved EnergyStar® product and you could be eligible for a rebate of up to $200. Sign up for green power and your rebate will be even higher.

Tap into the power of the sun! Solar power is clean, limitless, reliable and inexpensive. You’ll qualify for a rebate of $4 per watt on a solar panel system (offer is good for the first 2,500 watts). A 2,500 watt system meets about 2/3 of a typical Pasadena household’s annual energy use.

Is your home all-electric? You’ll qualify for rebates when you purchase an
energy-efficient heat pump and water heater plus an EnergyStar clothes washer
and dishwasher.

Visit www.PWPweb.com or call the PWP AnswerLine at
744-6970 for more information.

The Switch is On!

MANY PASADENA HOUSEHOLDS have switched to green power. We don’t have space in this newsletter to provide feedback from all those customers, but here are three among those who have led the way.

family Tim Sale moved to Pasadena four years ago from Seattle, a progressive community that strongly encourages environmental programs. So when Tim saw an article about green power in Pasadena In Focus, he went to www.PWPweb.com, downloaded an application form and sent it in. Did he notice a difference once the switch was completed? “It was a flawless transition,”
he said. “I’m paying only slightly more to behave responsibly.”

For Rick Dinkel and Kathy Fogerty, a drive to the desert was the impetus for signing up for green power. “Our six-year-old son, Christopher, asked about the windmills and we told him they were making electric power,” said Kathy. “When PWP made green power available to customers, my husband and I decided it’s our responsibility to do everything we can to save energy and not have a negative impact on the Earth.” Rick and Kathy have several EnergyStar® appliances, drive cars that get good mileage, recycle proactively and more. And Christopher is a chip off the old block: “Our son is very conscious of his energy use.”

“I knew it would cost a little more but it was worth it.” These are the words of Danielle Raines, another PWP customer who has gone green. As soon as Danielle saw information about PWP’s green power option, she decided to sign up right away. “Anyone who is able to do so should subscribe to green power to promote a cleaner environment,” she said. “It’s the responsibility of all of us to do what we can.
I’m all for it!”

You Have the Power to Make a Difference

TRADITIONALLY ELECTRICITY HAS BEEN GENERATED from coal, natural gas and other sources that have placed a burden on the environment and eventually may become limited in supply.

Why not go green? There is a growing demand for green power worldwide. It is a cleaner way of producing electricity and is continuously replenished by nature so it never runs out. Because green power has little or no environmental impact and its sources are nearly limitless, it continues to be replenished naturally. There are a variety of sources, including wind, solar, geothermal, hydro and biomass, that emit no pollutants and have no net increase on greenhouse gases.

Pasadena Water and Power is among more than 500 utilities that have implemented or announced plans to offer green power as an option to give customers an opportunity to support a greater level of investment in renewable energy technologies. Currently all of PWP’s green power comes from wind power generated in Northern California.

Signing up for green power for one year creates a significant environmental benefit. For every 1,000 green power customers with a typical monthly energy use of 500 kilowatt hours (kWh), the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is equivalent to removing 820 cars from our roads for one year or growing 97,000 new trees for 10 years.

When you sign up for green power, you’ll choose to pay either $5 or $10 a month in addition to your regular bill to cover incremental costs. If you want all your electricity to come from green power, you’ll only pay an 2.5¢ per kWh above the base rate. There are great perks: You’ll receive rewards and incentives that are not available to customers who do not use green power.

Even though it costs slightly more, you can still save with green power by cutting back on your electricity use and participating in Greening Pasadena. A list of energy conservation tips is included in this newsletter and there are even more on the website. Or you can call one of our friendly employees who operate the PWP AnswerLine. It’s a win-win situation: You’ll be environmentally responsible and you’ll save on your electric bill!

PWP staff will make presentations at neighborhood association meetings over the next few months, so be sure to attend! You’ll be able to speak face-to-face with a PWP representative and get all your questions answered. Can’t attend a meeting? Call 744-6970 to talk with a representative over the phone.

Ready to sign up? Fill out the attached application, seal it and mail it back to PWP. We’ve already paid the postage, so all you really need is the account number from your Pasadena electric bill.

The new High Winds Energy Center rises above six farms and ranches in Solano County. The turbines are taller, more powerful and more efficient than those found at older farms throughout the state, which means the project can generate more energy with fewer machines. These newer turbines swivel to face oncoming breezes. The blades turn more slowly, greatly minimizing the high bird mortality experienced at older wind farms. Small clusters of turbines are spaced far apart to provide compatibility with farming and grazing. Pasadena, Anaheim and Glendale are among the cities that have long-term agreements with High Winds Energy Center.

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