PORT ANGELES — With a price tag of about $5 million, the city of Port Angeles’ advanced metering project is no small expense.
But since it offers possible savings of up to $3 million a year, City Hall is looking to pull out all the stops to ensure that it succeeds.
Recognizing that the project — which will involve replacing electrical and water meters with automated versions this spring and summer — needs the public’s support to work, the city is planning to start a communications campaign after the new year.
That will be led by the consultant Parker LePla of Seattle, who was hired by the City Council in August.
Consultant contract
Parker LePla is working under a $35,917 contract, but the council will be asked to consider expanding it to about $70,000 at its Tuesday meeting.
The extra funds, $25,000 of which would come from the Bonneville Power Administration, would be used to create a project website, customer surveys, billing inserts, door hangers and other marketing materials on top of hosting town hall meetings on the project.
That leaves the city’s share at another $45,000.
Why the investment?
The switch to automated meters is a big step, and city staff said similar projects have failed elsewhere because of not enough public outreach.
In the words of City Manager Kent Myers, “This can really blow up on the city if not handled correctly.”
Through various media and public meetings, staff said they hope to inform the public on the plan and gain support for it.
And what exactly will it do?
The project will allow the city to read meters from City Hall, connect and disconnect service with the push of a button, and allow utility customers to gain more control of their electrical use.
The latter will be accomplished by giving customers the opportunity to allow the city to remotely turn their water heaters off for a few minutes during “peak hours.”
BPA charges the city more for electricity during those hours, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and the move will lower electrical costs, staff said
Savings could potentially reach $3 million a year for the city, said Phil Lusk, city power resources manager.
“That’s why we’re pursuing it aggressively,” he said.
“There’s literally millions of dollars on the table.”
While there are savings for the city, there will also be savings for those who participate in the volunteer program, Lusk said.
That’s because the city plans to mimic BPA’s peak hour charges, beginning in 2012.
And the more customers who participate in the program, the lower the city can keep its electrical charges, he said.
But there also will be other incentives.
Incentives
Lusk said the city plans to offer a $10-per-month credit for up to 600 residences that participate in the program next year.
He said public outreach will begin after the new year, with town hall meetings on the project sometime in January, February or March.
Lusk said water heater shutoffs will be so brief that they don’t affect service for those who participate in the program.
The replacement of the meters, which applies to all customers whether or not they participate in the shutoff program, is expected to take 5 minutes per meter, he said.
All of the city’s water meters, and 65 percent of its electrical meters, are in need of replacement, Lusk said.
It would cost about the same to replace them with more traditional meters than the automated versions, he said.
For more information on the program, phone Lusk at 360-417-4703.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
