January 2025
Easy Ways to Lower Utility Costs
Reducing wasted energy can lower household expenses and add a boost to the budget during the heating season. The least expensive kilowatt is the one that’s never used and there are easy ways to add up savings with small changes:
- Keep warm air in and cold air out. Hang thick curtains or other coverings over tightly closed windows to prevent heat escape.
- Set a schedule. Adjust the temperature to 68 degrees in heating months and, if possible, program the thermostat to match the household routine. Heating to a comfortable setting only when you’re up and about in the home, and sliding it back when away or asleep will help make the most of every heating dollar.
- Know your system. Homes have a variety of heating systems that determine the best way to stay warm. If your home has a ducted furnace, leave all the vents open for most efficient operation, and make sure the filter is clean. For electric zonal heaters, like cable ceiling, wall or baseboard heaters, close the door when in a room and raise the temperature then lower when you leave (staying above 55 degrees to prevent moisture issues).
- Stop the trickle of energy waste. Don’t forget to turn out the lights or electronics when you’re finished using them, and consider a power strip for related electronics like computer set-ups or entertainment systems to turn off all devices with one switch.
When cold weather rolls in, heating bills go up, but taking some care to make every kilowatt work as hard as possible can help keep costs in check without sacrificing comfort and safety. Curious about more ways to reduce energy waste?
Free online energy calculators are another way to better understand energy use in the home: clarkpublicutilities.com/reducewaste.
Lights Out? Let Us Know!
Use the online reporting tool on our website or call the automated PowerLine at 360-992-8000 to report power outages and find updates. You can also sign up for text or email outage alerts in MyAccount.
Only call 911 if there’s a fire or injury, and never approach or move a downed power line.
Customer reports help crews locate the cause of outages and restore power faster. For safety, turn off sensitive electronics and unplug devices that produce heat to help prevent a fire when power is restored.
If possible, turn on a porch light so crews can see when repairs are complete.
Board Approves 2025 Budget with No Rate Changes
Clark Public Utilities Commissioners have approved 2025 annual budgets for the electric, generating and water systems, with no changes to customer rates.
The 2025 electric system operating revenue budget is $488 million, with $314.8 million allocated to power supply costs including contracted and market hydropower and wind purchases, and transmission services. The operating and maintenance budget is $82.3 million with the remainder comprised of taxes, debt service, rate-funded capital and funding for energy efficiency programs. The generating system operating revenue budget is $97.4 million for 2025, and the water system operating revenue budget is $23.3 million.
Clark Public Utilities maintains the lowest-per customer operations and maintenance costs of any public utility district in Washington, and operates one of the most reliable electric grids in the nation, with outage frequency and durations well below state and national averages, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
More information on budget planning, public meetings and rate setting is available on the utility website.