Companies trade power for lower energy rates

Delbert Fish’s work area inside Goodrich Corp.’s plant was darker and warmer than usual Wednesday. His radio and fan were turned off. But the machine operator for the airline seat and product manufacturer wasn’t complaining.

“As long as it helps the company and the utilities, I say go for it,” Fish said, eating a Popsicle on break.

All 300 Goodrich employees were rewarded with free cool treats, compliments of the company, for helping save energy.

A high temperature of 91 degrees Wednesday was expected to push power usage up, which led municipally owned Colorado Springs Utilities to declare a “super peak” day as part of a program that 16 of the city’s largest industrial electric users have joined.

Goodrich is one of the 16; a utilities spokesman declined to identify the others.

The companies agree to reduce their electric consumption for 100 hours during a year on days the utilities company not only anticipates heavy electric usage but also factors in the power available from its power plants and on the market to purchase.

There is an incentive for companies to consider environmental friendliness, said utilities spokesman Dave Grossman: Participating businesses in the program are charged three times their normal electric rate on super peak days, but pay a lower-than-normal rate the rest of the year.

“It’s usually revenue neutral for the industrial customers, but what it does is save money for utilities customers systemwide because reduction by our largest users during peak demand decreases our need to buy power on the expensive spot market,” he said.

The cost to buy power on the spot, or open, market during high usage can be $80 to $90 per megawatt hour, compared with $50 to $60 per megawatt hour during normal energy consumption periods, Grossman said.

The utilities program saves about 3.5 megawatts each day when a super peak day is proclaimed, he added. Wednesday’s citywide electric usage was 816 megawatts, Grossman said, just below the record power usage of 837 megawatts set July 17. One megawatt equals 1,000 kilowatts; the typical residential customer uses about 600 kilowatts a month, Grossman said.

Goodrich’s environmental health and safety manager, Cathy Exline, said participating in the utilities program doesn’t save the company money on its electric bills, which run about $24,000 a month.

“We break even with the lower rate we have during the rest of the year,” she said. “But we’ve been in the program three years and think it’s a great idea to help overall usage.”

Wednesday was the fifth super peak day this year. The other four also were in July, Grossman said.

The program’s 16 companies get a 24-hour notice from utilities that a super peak day is coming.

Goodrich asks employees to wear lighter clothing, such as shorts and T-shirts, consider adjusting their shifts to start earlier in the day, such as 5 a.m. instead of 7 a.m., and not use personal electric devices, such as radios and fans.

Between the program’s hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., Goodrich takes some machines offline, turns off many overhead lights, sets the airconditioning system higher and doesn’t run swamp coolers, unless necessary.

The temperature inside the plant holds steady at about 85 degrees during super peak days, Fish, the machine operator, said.

“You sweat a little,” he said. “But the company takes care of us — we can turn on the fans if you need to.”

Employee cooperation is good, said Terry Oachs, vice president at the local site.

“As members of this community, employees are focused on helping the community,” he said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0235 or debbie.kelley@gazette.com