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PowerForward, Utah’s statewide energy conservation initiative, kicked-off its fifth season on June 3, 2005 in an effort to
maintain safe, reliable electrical energy at reasonable rates for consumers during the summer peak season.
New this year is the agency responsible for issuing PowerForward alerts to the media and the public. The Utah Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) will issue the familiar colors of a traffic light – green, yellow and red – to indicate a progression
of conservation actions desired of the public based on weather predictions, regional power supplies and market power prices.
PowerForward alerts will be issued separately for the Wasatch Front and for the Dixie region as part of DEQ’s daily air quality
reports sent to the media and available at DEQ's Web site.The alerts will also continue to be posted on the PowerForward Web site.
The PowerForward initiative empowers consumers with practical, timely information on simple, voluntary actions they can take
to conserve electricity during the high-demand summer peak season when electrical power is the most expensive to produce or
purchase,” said DEQ Executive Director Dianne Nielson.
Nielson said that most summer days are expected to be “green” PowerForward days, calling for normal, common-sense conservation,
such as turning off lights and TVs when you leave a room and doing laundry after 8 p.m. or on weekends.
“Yellow” days will be called when weather conditions and the demand for power coincide to push the state’s expected power
needs above available supply. The idea is to increase conservation on those days to prevent Utah’s utility companies from
having to pay high prices on the spot market to meet demand. Those spot-market prices eventually get passed on to the customers
in the form of rate hikes. On yellow days, power users are encouraged to avoid non-essential power use between 2 and 8 p.m.,
raise air conditioning thermostats to 78°F or higher and turn off non-critical appliances not in use.
“Red” days will be called only when power generation and transmission conditions are threatening electricity supplies. Conservation
on red days is critical to maintain electric system reliability.
“Energy conservation is something we should practice throughout the year, day in and day out, because it saves electricity,
reduces our electricity bills and helps maintain reasonable rates,” said Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert. “However, summer is the time
when our efforts to conserve electricity can really pay off. From a conservation standpoint and from an economic perspective,
the summer peak hours are when electricity is the most expensive to purchase or produce and when conservation can do the greatest
good.”
In addition, Herbert said that PowerForward helps maintain Utah’s electricity rates among the lowest in the nation.
“While Utah’s electricity is among the most reliable and least expensive in the nation, the increasing demand for electricity
during the summer peak season is putting a strain on the electrical infrastructure,” said Rich Walje, executive vice president
of Utah Power. “The demand for electricity during the summer peak season is increasing at twice the rate of the growth in
the area. The single biggest impact on the growth of that peak demand is the conversion from evaporative cooling to central
air conditioning in the area.”
Walje said that more than 50 percent of electrical energy used in homes today is used to cool things – people and food. He urged consumers to participate in programs offered by their respective utilities such as Utah Power’s Cool Keeper and See ya later, refrigerator, and to look for the ENERGY STAR logo on appliances that indicate the most efficient appliance models.
Nielson said that simple, easy actions to conserve energy can make a big difference when everyone participates.
“We’re not asking Utahns to dramatically change their lifestyle – just be sensible in their use of electricity,” Nielson said.
“We hope to make consumers more aware of those times during the day when energy conservation efforts will have the biggest
impact. When everyone helps out just a little, the payoff for all of us will be substantial.”
Following are 10 simple things you can do the conserve energy this summer:
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Set your air conditioning thermostat for 78°F or higher if health permits. Use fans instead of air conditioning when possible.
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Do laundry after 8 p.m. or on weekends. The most critical time for energy conservation is from 2 to 8 p.m. on weekdays. Anything
you can do to shift power use to hours before or after that six-hour daily block is helpful.
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Turn off lights, TVs, VCRs and computers when not in use.
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Use compact fluorescent light bulbs in fixtures that remain on three or more hours per day. They use 75 percent less energy
and have 6 to 10 times the life expectancy.
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Install light dimmers, motion sensors or timers. Use lights only when you need them.
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Use the “air dry” cycle on dishwashers instead of “heat dry.” Wait to run your dishwasher late at night so the dishes can
dry overnight.
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Cook in a microwave oven or on an outdoor grill instead of using electric ovens.
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If you have a second refrigerator, avoid using it and check with your local utility about recycling the appliance.
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If permitted by local regulations, line dry clothes instead of using electric clothes dryers.
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Open windows during the evening or early morning hours. Take advantage of the natural cooling effect of lower outside temperatures,
then close windows, blinds and draperies during the heat of the day to maintain the cooler air inside the home.
PowerFoward has been a highly successful program during periods of high demand for electricity due to high temperatures. For
example, in July 2001, Utahns conserved 100 megawatts of electricity – enough to supply 51,300 homes for a day – on each of
several “yellow” days. In July 2002, 90 megawatts of electricity was conserved on each of the 11 “yellow” days.
PowerForward runs from June 1 to Sept. 15 each year. The Utah Energy Office introduced it in 2001. Now under the direction
of DEQ, PowerForward continues to be a partnership of Utah consumers, businesses, electric utilities, media and state and
local government agencies.
For more information:
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