To renew your Energy Assist bill credit, complete the easy application online (https://www.opalco.com/about-your-account/energy-assistance-program/energy-assist-faq/) and provide documentation of your qualification – which can be MEDICAID, SSDI, SNAP, Free/reduced school lunch, San Juan County Senior/Disabled Tax Exemption, LIHEAP, Project PAL – or other assistance program. If you need help filling out your application, go to your island Family Resource Center or call us at 360-376-3500.

If you know someone who may benefit from Energy Assist, please encourage them to apply.

Funding for Energy Assist comes from a line item on all co-op members’ bills and also from Community Solar production credits that were donated to the program by participating members. It’s the co-op way to share the load and help address the unmet needs of our membership.

The post Get $30-$60 a month OFF your OPALCO and Rock Island bills! Time to renew your Energy Assist credit appeared first on OPALCO.

Foster Hildreth, General Manager of OPALCO and its wholly owned subsidiary Rock Island Communications, and Gerry Lawlor, Vice President of Fixed Broadband Services for T-Mobile USA updated Governor Inslee and a room full of stakeholders from businesses, schools, county government and public safety on the broadband infrastructure that now serves all of San Juan County.

“Our success with broadband is already having a dramatic effect on the quality of life, safety and opportunity threshold for our rural, remote residents in San Juan County,” said OPALCO Board Member Vince Dauciunas. Lawlor added that T-Mobile is replicating the OPALCO-Rock Island success story as a model for other rural communities to address critical issues such as education, telemedicine and public safety.

Governor Inslee applauded OPALCO and it’s team for their innovation and progress. “The digital divide should not limit any Washingtonian’s ability to learn, innovate or connect through robust internet access,” said Inslee, “whether it is students researching ideas at home, first responders handling an emergency or entrepreneurs launching a business.”

Broadband also gives us the tools in San Juan County to support the monitoring, operations and charging of electric ferries on our island routes, which improves conditions for the whales and reduces carbon pollution in our biologically diverse corner of the Salish Sea.

“Our fiber infrastructure is essential for the clean energy future envisioned by Governor Inslee,” said Hildreth. “With our communications backbone already in place, OPALCO is decades ahead of most utilities and is positioned to realize a zero-carbon footprint in our lifetimes. We owe a debt of gratitude to the forward thinking OPALCO board members who directed us toward fiber way back in 1999; to our members who are showing their support of Rock Island as subscribers; and we couldn’t have achieved so much so fast without the expertise of our partners at T-Mobile USA.”

The post Governor Inslee Meets with OPALCO to Talk Broadband, Clean Energy and Electric Ferries appeared first on OPALCO.

With no money down, members can make major improvements to their home or business that will create more comfort year-round and increase property value. In most cases, a member’s overall energy spending will be less each month – even while making finance payments on their power bill. Switch it Up! projects include:

1. Ductless Heat Pumps – Finance up to $15,000 for up to 10 years
2. Heat Pump Water Heater – Finance up to $3,500 for up to 5 years
3. EV Charger – Finance up to $2,500 for up to 3 years

Savings will vary by project but members who Switch it Up! from fossil fuels will see the greatest results. A ductless heat pump can cut heating bill spending in half and save thousands over the life of the project. Heat pump water heaters use 60% less energy and save an average of $300 per year – or nearly $4,000 over a typical life span (13 years).

While EV chargers are the smallest measure in this program, switching from a gas-powered vehicle to electric brings some of the greatest savings. Driving a gas-powered car makes up 53% of an average San Juan County resident’s energy use. A typical island driver will save at least $1,000 each year in fuel and oil changes – not to mention avoided maintenance and repair costs. With a Level 2 EV Charger, it takes 4-6 hours to completely charge an electric car, which costs about $5.60 (depending on your car’s range). With typical ranges of 120-230 miles per charge – how often would you have to charge? Calculate your estimated savings: http://energysavings.opalco.com/energy-savings/electric-vehicles-evs/savings/.

Co-op members qualify based on their credit history with OPALCO (do you pay your bill on time?). You can Switch it Up! no matter what your current heating sources are: propane, electric baseboard, forced air, wood or oil, etc. Not sure how well it will work for you or have a unique project? Contact us at energysavings@opalco.com.
It’s easy to apply:
1. Get a bid from a contractor. OPALCO has a list of contractors familiar with Switch it Up! online at www.opalco.com/rebates/.
2. Apply online. www.opalco.com/switchitup.
3. OPALCO reviews applications quickly and can have an approval letter to you in 10-15 days.
4. With your approval letter in hand: sign and return the agreement – and then install your measure!
5. Contractor bills OPALCO directly.
6. OPALCO pays the contractor and sends member a conservation agreement that lays out the expected savings, finance charges and term.

Learn more, calculate your estimated Switch it Up! savings and apply online at www.opalco.com/switchitup.

Funding for this project comes from the USDA’s Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP). The interest (2%) charged on financing agreements ensures that costs are born by the participants of this program, not the general membership. On-bill financing projects are available as long as RESP funds last.

The post Switch it Up! puts thousands back in members’ pockets appeared first on OPALCO.

The outage team quickly designed a plan to switch all power away from the faulted lines to a redundant 115kV BPA cable. Crews were in the field at the BPA substation on Lopez and in multiple locations on Orcas to operate switches for a smooth transition to the redundant feed.

At ~ 11:00 pm, the Outage Team began restoring power in phases in an effort to protect the system from overload. By 12-midnight, all but Decatur was back up with power. Once switching was complete, and in communication with BPA, a crew from Lopez took a work boat to Decatur to finalize the restoration at ~12:59am. While on Decatur, OPALCO crews patrolled the BPA lines in an attempt to identify a culprit.

Crews returned this morning to confirm in daylight, a tree outside of the right of way had fallen on the overhead lines. The Outage Team communicated their findings to BPA so that they can begin  restoration of the 69kV line to Decatur and Lopez.  Operations will work to restore the system to its normal configuration over the next few days.

Here’s a short video that explains the process our lineworkers go through to restore power: https://youtu.be/PPqYFzVD1FM

The post Recap of Power Outage on 4/26/19 appeared first on OPALCO.

This issue is beyond OPALCO’s control and we are frustrated, too. Collaborating with our vendor we can see that the mail is tracking perfectly from our billing partner: checking in and out of their first postal stop on time and as planned. We have escalated this problem to the highest levels in the USPS chain of command to try and resolve the issue.

Some members have asked why we don’t mail the bills locally. The main reason is that the cost savings are significant with our cooperative billing partner. Another reason is that local mailing would not alleviate this issue of postal delays as all mail goes to the Seattle area for sorting before coming back to the islands for delivery. We believe the problem is isolated to the sorting facility in the Seattle area. Our local post offices are doing all they can to get the mail to you – it seems that this issue is beyond their control.

Please be patient with our staff as we work to correct this issue. We want you to have your bills on time and won’t stop pushing until we get past this glitch in the system.

We understand that some members prefer to get a paper bill and pay by check. However, there are ways to get your bill amount and details without waiting for the USPS to deliver your mail. Please review the following payment options to see if any other method will work for you:

1. AutoPay: sign up with a bank account or credit card.

2. SmartHub (online): it’s easy to see and pay your bill and review your energy usage online with SmartHub. You can choose to pay with bank account or credit card – or simply use SmartHub to view your bill and then pay using one of the options below.

3. In person: Lopez – pay at the Lopez Pharmacy; Eastsound and Friday Harbor – pay in person 8am – 4:30pm Monday – Friday.

4. SecurePay (phone): call 376-3500 and select option 2 to pay by phone with credit card.

5. Your Bank: find out your bill amount due (see above) and ask your bank initiate an electronic payment to OPALCO.

OPALCO bills monthly with the due date on the 5th of each following month. If you have questions, please contact us at 376-3500. We’re here to help. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

–Your co-op team at OPALCO

The post NOTICE TO OPALCO MEMBERS IN 98261 & 98279 appeared first on OPALCO.

“With some of our linecrew hitting the 25-, 30- and even 40-year mark in their careers with the Co-op, we have to plan for future,” says General Manager, Foster Hildreth. “These guys are the key to the work we do at OPALCO.”

Becoming a Journeyman Lineworker is no small task. The apprenticeship is a structured four-year program that includes bi-monthly trips to the mainland, testing every six months, after-hour studying and boot-camp style training courses at a specialized camp in Oregon. Journeymen Lineworkers must be prepared to work outside in all weather conditions, keep themselves safe in a high-voltage environment and make the commitment to stay focused on this intensive program over four years, while working.

During the training period, apprentices must work full time (8000 hours) and advance through the seven steps of the program. Apprentices install, maintain and repair power lines, identify defective equipment, climb poles and work long hours to restore power.  They must follow the strict set of safety standards and procedures. They will also master a wide variety of skills including electrical work, operating heavy machinery, rigging, hand tools and more.

Jordan Ross of San Juan Island, who is completing his apprenticeship with the San Juan crew this month, graduated from Friday Harbor High and came back to the island in 2015. Jordan describes the apprenticeship as, “a challenging but extremely rewarding experience – one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”  Jordan is excited to start building his house once he becomes a full-fledged Journeyman Lineman.

Most apprentices spend the four years on call and working as many late night outage calls as they can. Some of the most extensive learning happens when the crew rallies together to solve the mystery of an unplanned power outage. The apprentices work closely with journeymen linemen for many long, cold hours gaining knowledge and the satisfaction of getting the power on.

Apprentices can choose to participate in other internships to learn things their utility doesn’t have. During his second year as an apprentice, Jordan completed a two-week internship with BPA to learn about high-voltage overhead transmission lines.

OPALCO’s three new apprentices, who are all from the islands, were hired through a highly competitive process. If possible, OPALCO prefers to hire from a local pool of applicants to provide living wage work to our own community members. This is one of the critical ways the Co-op supports its membership.

Kyle Hofmann graduated from Orcas Christian School and was living in Tacoma with his wife and daughter (18 months). He was selling insurance and fishing commercially for the company owned by his parents (Orcas Island residents). Kyle and his wife were more than ready to move back to Orcas. “I loved growing up here and want to give that to my daughter,” Kyle says.

Rio Black, a recent graduate of Friday Harbor High, was living in Arizona making minimum wage in a welding apprenticeship. Rio didn’t see himself continuing with welding and is much happier with the OPALCO apprenticeship. “This is my home and I’m glad to be able find a good, solid job I can rely on for well into my future,” says Rio.

Ken Bair from Lopez Island states, “I like being involved in my community and helping people so the OPALCO job was a perfect fit for me.” He grew up on Lopez and graduated from Spring Street International School. He’s been a volunteer firefighter for 14 years and also helps each year with the fireworks. Ken lives with his wife and 4-year old son.

“We lucked out!” says Hildreth, “These apprentices are top notch, island-grown kids and now they are the future of OPALCO. We feel very fortunate to have such a stellar team.” This cohort of apprentices will be providing power for many years to come on the islands (one of the apprentices could make it all the way to 2062).

The post OPALCO Hires Three Local Apprentices: The Future is Here! appeared first on OPALCO.