STRAIGHT TALK FROM KPUD, part 6 in a series

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Part 6 of a series by Jim Smith and Rodger Nichols

Last week, we reminded you that right now 54% of KPUD meters are self-read. It can be a chore, and if people forget, then we have to use estimates, which can be off, high or low. That means you’ll either be billed for more than you actually used, or have to come up with a larger sum later to catch up.

This is a particular problem for snowbirds and others who have second homes in the area.

AMI, which again means Advanced Metering Infrastructure, eliminates this problem with accurate readings.

Customers can sign up for automated alerts for outages or when usage goes above a certain amount.

Knowing when your electricity use is highest will let you assess what's going on within your home to drive the usage up. KPUD knowledge about your usage stops at the meter, so it is up to customers to identify what is driving usage, so they can schedule those activities to take advantage of lower power costs.

Should you relocate, whether inside or outside of our service area, the advanced meters can also give the office an up-to-the-minute reading to close out the account while you are checking out in the office. That way, you don't have a final KPUD power bill chasing you to your new address.

AMI is a great benefit to KPUD operations, which is, in turn, a benefit to you. That’s because we are not beholden to a bunch of shareholders. We have a vested interest in Klickitat County and are governed by locally-elected officials.

One of the best ways these new meters can help is by immediately detecting and reporting outages.

Not only will we know there’s an outage without having to wait for someone to call it in, knowing which meters are affected will tell us exactly where the outage is located. That saves time getting crews to the right location to make any needed repairs quickly to get you back online, whether inside our outside to get you back on line. 

These meters can also detect and report momentary outages which can help us troubleshoot problems that can improve our service reliability.

With the information about usage allowing customers to shift usage to off-peak hours, it will reduce the amount of electricity the PUD has to purchase at more expensive peak prices. And that keeps rates down, which benefits everyone.