Feb Connections

Commercial Energy Efficiency Makes Good Business Cents
You may be able to lower your
operating costs and earn an
incentive from Idaho Power.
•
Would you like to improve your
bottom line and enhance your
return on investment? Incorporating energy efficiency into your
business plan can help. Eightyfive percent of companies agree
that reducing electricity costs is
essential to staying competitive.*
• replacing exterior lighting with more energy efficient options,
• installing occupancy sensors (where applicable), and
Idaho Power’s Easy Upgrades
program not only provides
energy efficiency incentives, but
expertise to help businesses determine how to get the most out
of their upgrades. Here are some
areas where you can lower your
facility’s operating costs and earn
an incentive in the process.
Lighting incentives
Easy Upgrades Success Story
Dominick’s Printing in Ontario, Ore., upgraded to
more energy efficient lighting. Not only has the
quality of lighting improved, the new lighting is
expected to reduce the company’s electric usage by
7,500 kilowatt-hours per year, an annual savings of
approximately $400, resulting in a payback of just
20 months.
Energy efficient lighting helps
reduce energy consumption, and
also provides a higher quality of
lighting. Energy efficient lighting
has been reported to increase
productivity and may even reduce eye strain by the removal of
magnetic ballast fixtures. Eligible
lighting incentives may include:
8 large rainbow Swiss chard leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Wash rainbow chard. Remove and discard tough center stem. Roll
leaves and thinly slice using a sharp knife. Place in a large serving bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and
cook until just starting to turn brown. Add vinegar and salt; increase
temperature to medium-high and boil for 2–3 minutes to meld flavors
and reduce liquid.
Pour dressing over sliced chard, using tongs to toss and coat evenly. Mix
in parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings, each ½ cup.
4
• replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluores-
cent (CFL) or LED lamps.
Connections
Cover
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Studying the
Impact of EVs
News Feed:
Walking the Talk
New Fish Video
for Students
Energy-Saving
Upgrades for Business
Non-lighting incentives
Easy Upgrades also has incentives for:
• replacing older, inefficient air conditioning units with new efficient units,
• installing HVAC controls, and
• adding variable-speed drives to motors.
For more information about Easy
Upgrades, call 208-388-2323 or
800-488-6151 outside the Treasure Valley.
*Deloitte Resources 2012 Study,
Insights into Corporate Energy
Management Trends
• replacing T12 fixtures with T8 fixtures,
www.idahopower.com/easyupgrades
Electric vehicle owner,
Peter Madsen
• updating incandescent exit signs with LED exit signs,
Connections is published monthly by the
Corporate Communications Department.
From The Electric Kitchen
Wilted Rainbow Chard with Parmesan
replacing metal halide or high-pressure sodium ware-
house lighting with fluores-
cent fixtures,
February 2013
Salad
February 2013
Dietary information
per serving:
Calories: 50
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrates: 2g
Fat: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 5mg
Sodium: 420mg
Fiber: 1g
Comments or questions are welcome at
www.idahopower.com/contactus.
or write to
Corporate Communications
P.O. Box 70
Boise, ID 83707
Recipes are selected for nutritional value and low
energy use in preparation. They are approved by
Joanne Graff, Certified Health Educator from the
Central District Health Department in Boise, Idaho.
Driving into the Future
A Hailey resident is participating
in Idaho Power’s electric vehicle
impact project.
“I’m not afraid of trying something
new,” said Peter Madsen, owner of
a 2012 Chevrolet Volt and an Idaho
Power customer in Hailey, Idaho. “I’ve
always been interested in finding new
ways to power our cars.”
Madsen is one of six customers participating in Idaho Power’s Charging
Impacts Project which began last May.
The purpose of the project is to help us
better understand how charging electric vehicles (EVs) will add additional
load to the power grid, what the effect
might be for the company and our customers; and what demand for electricity we can anticipate as more and more
EVs come into our service area.
For Madsen, the choice to participate was easy. He was driving a 2006
Toyota hybrid Highlander, but was
interested in purchasing a plug-in
electric vehicle. His first priority was
to buy a car that he rarely had to put
gas in, and that was comfortable
and safe for his family. He chose the
Volt. Madsen likes how the Volt’s
battery is charged with its own gas
(continued on page 2)
News Feed
Idaho Power is committed to sustainable
business practices and is “walking the talk.”
Energy-Saving Mode
Personal computers are responsible for a large
portion of energy use at a business. Following a
successful pilot program last year, we initiated
the use of the energy-saving mode on all Idaho
Power computers at employee workstations —
with the exception of those used for real-time
activities such as Grid Operations. Our goal is
to reduce energy consumption from computer
monitors companywide by 50 percent.
Comingled Recycling
Part of our sustainability effort has been
to divert paper from bins destined for the
shredder to standard comingled recycling.
This keeps the paper out of the waste stream
while reducing overall costs. In January 2012,
the company’s headquarters in Boise
generated the equivalent of 91, 32-gallon
bins of paper for shredding. In October, that
number was reduced to 21 bins.
Lighting Upgrade
Work is now complete on a significant
lighting upgrade to Idaho Power’s corporate
headquarters that’s expected to save roughly
160,000 kilowatt hours per year. The existing
T-12 lighting fixtures were replaced with new
T-8 fixtures that use smaller-diameter bulbs
which draw less energy but emit more light.
FlexPeak Demand Reduction
For the second year in a row, Idaho Power’s
corporate headquarters participated in
its own FlexPeak Management program
designed to incent commercial and industrial
customers to voluntarily reduce their energy
consumption during periods of peak system
demand. In 2012, two company buildings in
downtown Boise participated in four FlexPeak
demand response events between June
and August, achieving an average demand
reduction of 425 kilowatts. The company does
not receive an incentive for its participation.
2
Driving into the Future (cont. from page 1)
generator and comes with an
eight-year battery warranty.
approximately 6.95 kilowatt-hours
per day.
When he contacted Idaho Power
in July for advice on setting up
a charging station in his garage,
he learned about the project. To
qualify, Idaho Power customers
must be EV owners with a Level
2 charging station permanently
wired into their home’s electrical
supply, and on its own 208/240
volt circuit. A dedicated meter
on the same circuit as the charging station monitors the energy
demand associated with the EV
for a two-year period. During that
time, participants receive detailed
reports on their vehicle’s individual charging characteristics.
Madsen compares the adoption
of EVs to the years when personal
computers became available to
consumers. He believes that, if
enough people begin buying these
vehicles, the prices will come
down and the technology will
improve.
The Hailey resident drives about
30 miles a day, four days a week,
to and from his Ketchum business, Salon Gamine. He says the
EV is perfect for people who commute less than 50 miles a day and
it does great in the snow. After
receiving a three-month informal
report from Idaho Power, he projects the cost to charge his vehicle
at about 50 cents a day, using
Video Teaches Students
About Fish Hatchery Program
“I’m always asked if I’m a liberal,”
said Madsen. “You don’t have to
be a liberal to think ahead. A conservative person should always be
concerned about how we provide
energy for those who come after
us.”
For more information on the
EV project or to enroll, email
[email protected] or call
208-388-2565.
Watch The EV-olution of Cars:
Idaho Power Studies Electric
Vehicles.
www.youtube.com/idahopower
www.idahopower.com/EV
Idaho Power also is participating
in the Charging Impacts Project
— on the job. In 2012, our fleet
added two all-electric Nissan
Leafs and one plug-in hybridelectric Chevy Volt. Five charging
stations were provided through
the Idaho National Laboratory
at no cost. Thousands of these
stations across the U.S. will
provide detailed charging
statistics for the study.
Pocatello students visit Idaho Power’s Pahsimeroi
Hatchery near Challis, Idaho, in the new video.
An updated “Project Fins” educational video now is available
to classrooms in Idaho Power’s
service area.
If a fourth-grader you know starts
talking about anadromous steelhead and Chinook salmon, he or
she may have learned about these
amazing fish after watching our
new Project Fins video at school.
This 20-minute video, shown in
schools across our service area,
helps students understand the
importance of these fish species
to our culture and the changes
that have occurred in Northwest
rivers during the last century. It
also demonstrates the role Idaho
Power’s four hatcheries play in
providing sport, commercial and
tribal harvest opportunities while
supporting the region’s economic
prosperity.
The video was shot along the
Boise River and at the company’s Pahsimeroi, Rapid River
and Niagara Springs hatcheries.
Students from Pocatello, staff from
the Idaho Department of Fish and
Game, and Idaho Power employees had roles or assisted in the
production.
www.youtube.com/idahopower
The new video replaces an older
film our community education
representatives share with fourthgraders when studying Idaho and
Oregon history. The video examines the life cycle of these fish that
hatch in freshwater mountain
streams, rivers and hatcheries,
and then swim out to live and
grow in the ocean. After several
years the fish return, swimming
hundreds of miles upstream to
spawn the next generation.
Students learn about the developmental stages
of hatchery fish.
The story of “Project Fins” features
a little girl, June Bug, who learns
how to tie flies and fly fish for
salmon with her grandmother.
The stories June’s grandmother
shares inspire June to go to college. Later she becomes a fish
biologist working with Idaho
Power, encouraging others to
work on behalf of this precious
natural resource. To learn more
about our community education
program, go to www.idahopower.
com/edreps.
Watch Project Fins.
“June Bug” fly fishing with her grandmother
in Project Fins video.
3
Commercial Energy Efficiency Makes Good Business Cents
You may be able to lower your
operating costs and earn an
incentive from Idaho Power.
•
Would you like to improve your
bottom line and enhance your
return on investment? Incorporating energy efficiency into your
business plan can help. Eightyfive percent of companies agree
that reducing electricity costs is
essential to staying competitive.*
• replacing exterior lighting with more energy efficient options,
• installing occupancy sensors (where applicable), and
Idaho Power’s Easy Upgrades
program not only provides
energy efficiency incentives, but
expertise to help businesses determine how to get the most out
of their upgrades. Here are some
areas where you can lower your
facility’s operating costs and earn
an incentive in the process.
Lighting incentives
Easy Upgrades Success Story
Dominick’s Printing in Ontario, Ore., upgraded to
more energy efficient lighting. Not only has the
quality of lighting improved, the new lighting is
expected to reduce the company’s electric usage by
7,500 kilowatt-hours per year, an annual savings of
approximately $400, resulting in a payback of just
20 months.
Energy efficient lighting helps
reduce energy consumption, and
also provides a higher quality of
lighting. Energy efficient lighting
has been reported to increase
productivity and may even reduce eye strain by the removal of
magnetic ballast fixtures. Eligible
lighting incentives may include:
8 large rainbow Swiss chard leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Wash rainbow chard. Remove and discard tough center stem. Roll
leaves and thinly slice using a sharp knife. Place in a large serving bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and
cook until just starting to turn brown. Add vinegar and salt; increase
temperature to medium-high and boil for 2–3 minutes to meld flavors
and reduce liquid.
Pour dressing over sliced chard, using tongs to toss and coat evenly. Mix
in parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings, each ½ cup.
4
• replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluores-
cent (CFL) or LED lamps.
Connections
Cover
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Studying the
Impact of EVs
News Feed:
Walking the Talk
New Fish Video
for Students
Energy-Saving
Upgrades for Business
Non-lighting incentives
Easy Upgrades also has incentives for:
• replacing older, inefficient air conditioning units with new efficient units,
• installing HVAC controls, and
• adding variable-speed drives to motors.
For more information about Easy
Upgrades, call 208-388-2323 or
800-488-6151 outside the Treasure Valley.
*Deloitte Resources 2012 Study,
Insights into Corporate Energy
Management Trends
• replacing T12 fixtures with T8 fixtures,
www.idahopower.com/easyupgrades
Electric vehicle owner,
Peter Madsen
• updating incandescent exit signs with LED exit signs,
Connections is published monthly by the
Corporate Communications Department.
From The Electric Kitchen
Wilted Rainbow Chard with Parmesan
replacing metal halide or high-pressure sodium ware-
house lighting with fluores-
cent fixtures,
February 2013
Salad
February 2013
Dietary information
per serving:
Calories: 50
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrates: 2g
Fat: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 5mg
Sodium: 420mg
Fiber: 1g
Comments or questions are welcome at
www.idahopower.com/contactus.
or write to
Corporate Communications
P.O. Box 70
Boise, ID 83707
Recipes are selected for nutritional value and low
energy use in preparation. They are approved by
Joanne Graff, Certified Health Educator from the
Central District Health Department in Boise, Idaho.
Driving into the Future
A Hailey resident is participating
in Idaho Power’s electric vehicle
impact project.
“I’m not afraid of trying something
new,” said Peter Madsen, owner of
a 2012 Chevrolet Volt and an Idaho
Power customer in Hailey, Idaho. “I’ve
always been interested in finding new
ways to power our cars.”
Madsen is one of six customers participating in Idaho Power’s Charging
Impacts Project which began last May.
The purpose of the project is to help us
better understand how charging electric vehicles (EVs) will add additional
load to the power grid, what the effect
might be for the company and our customers; and what demand for electricity we can anticipate as more and more
EVs come into our service area.
For Madsen, the choice to participate was easy. He was driving a 2006
Toyota hybrid Highlander, but was
interested in purchasing a plug-in
electric vehicle. His first priority was
to buy a car that he rarely had to put
gas in, and that was comfortable
and safe for his family. He chose the
Volt. Madsen likes how the Volt’s
battery is charged with its own gas
(continued on page 2)