Thursday is the fourth "yellow alert" day in a row for Utah, as the state asks consumers to cut back on power use during the peak hours of 2 - 8 p.m.
High temperatures again this afternoon means the demand for power will increase.
Monday was Utah's first yellow alert day under the governor's new Power Forward program. It's designed to cut power use during those peak hours, so that providers won't have to buy extra power on the open market, when prices are highest.
Use the microwave or outdoor grill instead of a conventional oven.
Governor Leavitt says this conservation effort should save money, save power--and increase reliability.
We can expect to have about 25 yellow alert days this summer, and perhaps three or four red alert days.
Who Benefits?
Super hot weather on a Monday business day means there's a big thirst for power.
And the Governor's new conservation program is aimed at shaving off some of that demand during the peak hours of 2 to 8 pm.
But why?
And who gets the benefit if we save electricity?
Environment Specialist John Hollenhorst has been looking into that.
Some people are wondering: if we save a lot of electricity, can Utah Power just turn around and sell it for a profit to California to warm up all those hot tubs?
The answer is, that's unlikely. But whether they do or not, if we save power, it appears we can all save some money.
When you turned on that swamp cooler or air conditioner, someone had to find the electricity to run it.
If you live in Murray, or one of the other 42 towns served by UAMPS, Britany Maxfield was that person.
She's in the hotseat, projecting demand hour by hour, buying electricity 30 to 90 minutes before it's needed.
BRITANY MAXFIELD: "90 BUCKS? OK. WOULD YOU BY ANY CHANCE HAVE LIKE 15 MEGAWATTS I CAN GET FROM YOU?"
The only place she could find the extra juice was in Idaho. It was very expensive.
BRITANY MAXFIELD, UTAH ASSOCIATED MUNICIPAL POWER SYSTEMS: "IT'S KINDA HARD WHEN, EVERYBODY'S LOAD IS HIGH BECAUSE OF THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE. SO WHEN YOU'RE GOING OUT THERE TO FIND POWER, IT'S GOING TO BE QUITE HIGH."
That's why public officials and power execs are begging us to conserve electricity during peak demand hours.
Utah Power alone spent more than $100 million extra dollars for electricity last year, mostly on hot summer afternoons.
DAVE ESKELSEN/UTAH POWER: "MOST UTILITIES IN THE WEST FOUND THEMSELVES IN A VERY SIMILAR SITUATION, MANY MUCH WORSE OFF THAN UTAH POWER."
If you think that doesn't affect you, the customer, you're wrong.
Utah Power has proposed to pass last year's extra costs along to customers through a big rate increase.
The message to consumers this year is clear-- conserve power now, or pay even more later.
STEVE MECHAM/CHAIRMAN, UTAH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION: "IT IS THE ONE SHORT TERM THING WE CAN DO. IN THE LONGER TERM, YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO SEE ADDITIONAL SUPPLY COME ON LINE."
On the other side of the equation, if Utahns conserve so much that there's power left over, Utah Power could turn around and sell it to, say, Califnornia, at a profit.
DAVE ESKELSEN/UTAH POWER: "I DON'T ENVISION A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN WE WILL HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF EXCESS ENERGY TO SELL."
But if it does happens, and Utah Power turns a profit on conserved power, that helps ratepayers too.
In setting rates, the Publc Service Commission is supposed to pass benefits along to ratepayers as well as costs. So the message remains-- Save power. Save money.
