Showing posts with label seattle city light. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seattle city light. Show all posts

Seattle City Light Crews head to New York for Hurricane Sandy Recovery Effort

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Seattle City Light has sent 14 employees and support equipment to New York to assist in Long Island’s recovery from Hurricane Sandy. They left from Joint Base Lewis-McChord Saturday morning, Nov. 3.

Two five-person line crews, two engineers, a supervisor and a safety adviser are being sent along with large bucket trucks and digger derrick trucks that dig holes for setting utility poles. The crews are trained in construction methods for both transmission and distribution work.

 “We reached out to our sister utilities on the East Coast to see how we could help and Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) told us they could use our help,” City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “No utility can respond on its own when a storm of this magnitude hits. Our mutual aid agreements are in place for a time when we might need help. At a time like this, we are truly a community of partners ready to offer a helping hand.”

City Light’s crews and equipment traveled to New York on a military transport plane from Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Saturday. It is rare that a military transport would be used to carry utility equipment for this type of recovery work. City Light is very grateful for the help from Gov. Gregoire’s office and for the Obama Administration to make this military deployment possible.

Like City Light, LIPA is a non-profit, municipally owned utility. At the height of the storm, they lost nearly 950,000 customers. At last count, 550,000 customers were still without power, with a new storm coming.

City Light anticipates that its crews will be in New York for two weeks.


Read more...

Seattle City Light: Five quick tips for fall

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Updated 10-16-2012 11:22pm

Article courtesy Seattle City Light

Five Quick Tips For Fall...

  1. Save money and energy in the kitchen - try using a slow cooker instead of the stove. Many of your favorite autumn "comfort food" recipes can easily be adapted for the slow cooker.
  2. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, shut the flue when not in use - an open flue is like an open window. Plus, it will help keep sooty smells from getting in the house on gusty days. Just make sure any fire you had burning is completely out before closing the flue!
  3. To report outages, give us a call at 206-684-3000, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To see what parts of town are out, check our outage map. If you see a downed wire, always assume that it is energized, and keep yourselves and others well away from it. Call 911 at your first opportunity.
  4. If bad weather hits, remember to check on your neighbors - especially the elderly, or those who might have language barriers.
  5. Shorter days mean more streetlight repairs. To report a malfunctioning streetlight, give us a call at 206-684-7056, or visit our on-line streetlight trouble report form. You can even do it from our mobile app!


Read more...

Seattle City Light warns that coming rain could mean outages

Thursday, October 11, 2012



Utility prepares for possible outages due to effects of recent dry weather
Seattle City Light has crews ready for possible outages with forecasts calling for an end to the 80-day dry spell that has been in place in the Puget Sound area. No significant rain has fallen since July 20 and that can have an impact on both the overhead and underground electrical systems.

"What we are seeing is the possibility of outages due to a couple of issues,” says City Light Systems Control Director Pawel Krupa. “For overhead power lines, summer can bring a buildup of dust. When it rains after a long dry spell, that dust gets wet and can cause electricity leakage or short circuits. You might hear a buzzing sound when this starts to happen. That sound is the coating of the insulators burning off. When the coating is gone, a short circuit happens, creating an outage. A heavier rain will wash away the dirt and dust better.
“The same is true in our underground system. Underground power lines are insulated and designed to float in water that fills the concrete vaults, but over time the insulation becomes brittle.  As temperatures begin to drop and with shorter daylight hours, demand for power increases. The increased flow of electricity puts more stress on the cable, increasing the risk of failure. If the insulation on an underground cable cracks, any water in the vault will cause a short,” adds Krupa.

Another problem with the coming rains – leaves are still on the trees.  Many of the leaves and branches are very dry and the ground has been very dry.  A significant amount of wind and rain will bring leaves and branches down – and possibly could affect the shallow-root evergreen trees that are prevalent in the northwest. This could mean trees and branches falling into the power lines.

“Even though City Light will do more than 625 miles of power line trimming this year, we can’t protect against every falling tree,” says Brent Schmidt, manager of the utility’s Vegetation Management program.  “We would like to know when there are conflicts between trees and wires, especially if there is any arcing or sparking.” Customers are asked to call the utility at 386-1733 or look at our website  if they need more information.

The utility encourages everyone to be ready if there is an outage. One important step residents can take is to put together an emergency preparedness kit. A kit should include enough food and supplies to last your family for at least three days, hand-crank or battery-operated flashlight and radio, fresh batteries, a survival blanket, a first aid kit, pocket tissues and hand sanitizer wipes. For a checklist and other tips, go to www.takewinterbystorm.org.

City Light also reminds customers to be safe. Downed lines can be dangerous.

Here’s what customers can do if they experience a power outage:

  • Do not go near any downed wire. Wires should always be assumed to be "live" and dangerous. If someone seeks a downed wire, they should call (206) 684-3000;
  • Do not use a barbecue grill or generator inside the house or in a garage that is attached to the house.
  • Do not use a grill or generator near a home air intake vent or near windows;
  • Do not use fossil fuel burning auxiliary heating sources;
  • Know how to manually override electric garage doors, security doors and gates;
  • Have a land line phone or fully charged cell phone available -- cordless phones won’t work when the power is out;
  • Make sure City Light has your home phone number and your cell phone number to ensure the system recognizes your telephone number if you call in to report an outage.  Update your account information;
  • Unplug electrical appliances if the power goes out so that when the power comes back on, there won’t be a surge that could damage sensitive electronic equipment;
  • Use battery-powered flashlights - not candles or oil lamps;
  • Close doors, windows, curtains, and unused fireplace dampers to retain heat if there is an outage.

A reminder that you can now track power outages on your mobile phone if you have Internet access. Just type into your browser for the latest information while you’re on the go.

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States.  It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents.  City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.


Read more...

Young artists sought for Shrinking Bigfoot calendar contest

Monday, October 8, 2012


Contest Promotes Energy Efficiency, Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Seattle City Light is looking for young artists to participate in a Shrinking Bigfoot art contest. The utility is asking them to share their ideas for shrinking their carbon footprints by reducing their energy consumption.

“Using electricity wisely reduces your impact on the environment and saves you money,” Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how the young people in our community illustrate this important point.”

Twelve grand prize winners will have their artwork featured in a calendar that will be sold to benefit Project Share, City Light’s emergency utility assistance program. Project Share provides one-time assistance to people who need help with their utility bill.

Grand prize winners also will receive a one-year family membership of their choice to either Woodland Park Zoo, the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Aquarium or the Seattle Children’s Museum; a science kit filled with 125 green science projects; and a Skagit River boat tour for up to four family members.

Every child who participates will receive a Seattle City Light backpack complete with a safety flashlight and tips on saving energy and preparing for a power outage.

To enter, an artist must live in Seattle City Light’s service territory and be in grade 3-6. The entry must by original artwork by the student, no electronic entries. It must be signed by a parent or guardian who is a City Light customer. Only one entry per student. Complete rules, energy tips and entry forms are available on City Light’s contest page

Entries are due by 4 p.m. Oct. 12
Send them to:
Seattle City Light Calendar Contest MS-3212
P.O. Box 34023
Seattle, WA 98124-4023

Or, you can drop it off at:
Seattle City Light – Main Location
Seattle Municipal Tower – Floor 32
700 Fifth Avenue (Fifth & Columbia)
Seattle, WA

Seattle City Light has shared free interactive Shrinking Bigfoot assemblies with schools throughout our service territories, helping hundreds of teachers and students learn about climate change and what they can do to reduce their impact on our environment. Learn more about the program here.

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States.  It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents.  City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.


Read more...

Tree caused power outage in Lake Forest Park

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Seattle City Light repair crews restored service to all customers affected by a power outage in Lake Forest Park by 6 pm today.


The outage was caused by a large tree that fell about 11pm Wednesday night near Bothell Way and SR 104, damaging two utility poles, a transformer, power lines and a connection to underground power cables. About 7,500 homes and businesses were out of power at the peak of the outage.

Bothell Way (SR 522) was closed by the fallen tree and downed power lines. As City Light crews began their work to restore power, the road remained closed so cable TV and phone companies could re-hang their lines to the new utility poles. They expected to finish their work and reopen the road about 7pm.

Traffic was jammed for the morning and evening commute as the lanes were first closed and then limited to one lane.

The day before 4,561 customers in NE Shoreline and Lake Forest Park were without power because of a transformer fire near NE 165th Street and 15th Ave NE. Two feeder circuits, distributing power from the Shoreline substation were affected. Power was restored Thursday morning, August 16, 2012.



Read more...

City Light reports high customer satisfaction in recent survey

Friday, July 20, 2012

Seattle City Light received its highest rankings ever in the recently released J.D. Power and Associates residential customer satisfaction survey. City Light moved to second in the western midsize utility segment. It was ranked sixth in 2011 results. The utility also jumped to 12th nationally, moving from the 25th spot in 2011.

“Fundamental to the work we do is our commitment to provide the best customer service experience of any utility in the nation,” City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “Our customers are telling us they like the changes we are making, and all of us at the utility are working hard to improve our performance even more.”

City Light’s customer satisfaction score rose 10 points compared to 2011 while the larger trend for utilities across the country was an industry-wide decline in satisfaction. City Light enjoyed similar improvements in its business customer satisfaction survey released earlier this year, moving into the 10th spot nationally. 

Among the areas customers cited for City Light’s improvement were customer service, communicating with customers about power outages and corporate citizenship.

"The more information electric utilities proactively provide during an outage, the higher customer satisfaction will likely be," said Chris Oberle, senior director of the energy and utility practice at J.D. Power. "Customers value being kept up to date and want to resume their lives as quickly as possible. Notifying them in a proactive manner ensures that they know the latest information and are kept apprised of their unique situation."

City Light added an online outage map, mobile-enabled web pages, developed a social media presence and introduced a customer call-back feature during the past three years to enhance customer communications and service. The utility also is proud of its employee volunteer efforts. Employees are proud of the work they do for customers and look for even more opportunities to give back to the community during off-hours.

The J.D. Power study measures customer satisfaction with 126 electric utility companies by examining six factors: power quality and reliability; price; billing and payment; corporate citizenship; communications; and customer service. A total of 1,000 points are possible. City Light scored 674. The industry average was 625.

Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.


Read more...

Seattle City Light crews working the poles in Ridgecrest

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

By Patty Hale


Seattle City Light crews were working the poles in Northcrest Park, located in the Ridgecrest Neighborhood. The poles supply electrical service to the residential homes on the east side of 8th Ave NE between NE 165th and NE 170th , and are the last of the original pole installation dating from 1946. A few months ago, new poles were planted side-by-side to the original poles. On Tuesday, July 10, the electrical service line was transferred from the old poles to the taller new ones by Ryan and Landon with the support of additional crew on the ground. Following the line transfer, the upper portion of the old pole is cut off. The next step will be for the remaining utilities (phone, cable, etc) to transfer their lines to the new pole. Procedure has it that the last utility to switch their lines over is the one responsible to remove the old pole. Now that’s what I call incentive to get the job done sooner rather than later!

Photos by Patty Hale.

Photo by Patty Hale

Picture 1   Landon (on the right) lifts what looks like a large orange rake - it actually is an orange plastic insallation sleeve used to cover and pick up the line to be transfered from one pole to the other.  The plastic does not conduct electricity.  Ryan on the left, puts the finishing touches to the horizontal safety device that protects the worker below should the line drop.                                                                     

Picture 2 – Ryan (on left) and Landon

Picture 3  - Landon pushes away on the top of the pole to keep the blade of the chainsaw from binding, while Ryan cuts off the top off the old pole.                                                          

Picture 4 - Success! 

Read more...

Seattle City Light six-year strategic plan approved

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Boundary Dam. Part of the Seattle City Light power system.
Photo courtesy City of Seattle

The six-year strategic plan and rate path was recently adopted by the Seattle City Council. 
What they decide also applies to Shoreline and Lake Forest Park

SEATTLE – By a vote of 8-0, the Seattle City Council has passed a resolution adopting Seattle City Light’s proposed six-year strategic plan. The plan includes revenue requirements that equal about a 4.7 percent rate increase for each of the next six years.

“This plan gives customers and policy-makers a much more predictable rate path while committing to critical investments in infrastructure maintenance and new technologies,” stated Councilmember Mike O’Brien, chair of the Energy and Technology Committee of the City Council. “The nine-member City Light Review Panel made up individuals representing all of the utility’s customer classes spent two years working with City Light to develop this plan and to talk with customers throughout City Light’s service territory about what is in the plan. It’s an excellent example of a thorough public process.”

The plan includes a new substation to be located north of downtown at the old Greyhound bus maintenance yard. City Light hasn’t built a new substation in more than 30 years. It will allow the utility to distribute power more efficiently within its service area. The plan also includes an initiative to provide increased training opportunities for employees in addition to increasing recruitment and retention efforts as the utility faces an increasing number of retirements in an already competitive labor market.

“Reliable, low-cost and environmentally-responsible power is important to our customers,” says City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco. “This plan looks out six years to ensure that we are meeting customer expectations while protecting rates from volatile fluctuations in the energy market or due to adverse impacts on surplus power sales due to low water years.”

Customers will see new rates beginning in January of 2013 that will add about $2.90 to the average residential bill. More information about the strategic plan.


Read more...

Who keeps flipping the switch? Power outages in Shoreline

Wednesday, June 20, 2012


Just before 4pm on Tuesday, June 19, the power went out for 2.700 households in Shoreline and North Seattle.

Boundaries of the outage were: on the north, NE 185th St.; on the east, 33rd Ave. NE; on the south, NE 120th St.; and on the west,Corliss Ave. N.

By 10pm, crews had restored power to all but 768 households and shortly after midnight, the number was down to 600.

Then, around 10pm another power outage hit a different part of Shoreline. This one affected 3,874 but that number was quickly reduced to about 1,046 customers.

The boundaries of the new outage were: on the north: NE 198th; on the east, Lake Washington; on the south; NE 148th; and on the west, 25th Ave. NE.

Power in both areas was restored by 4am Wednesday.  The cause of the first outage was determined to be wires down from equipment failures on utility poles. The second outage is still under investigation.


Read more...

A bird in the wire - power outage in Shoreline

Tuesday, June 12, 2012


569 customers in Shoreline were still without power at 11pm


City Light is responding to a power outage in Shoreline that reported began about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.  The initial cause of the outage was thought to be a tree in a power line but was later discovered to be a bird in the lines. About 2,765 customers were without power at the worst of the outage. 

The general boundaries of the outage were 205 Street to the north, 8th Ave NW to the west, N 149 St. to the south, and Corliss Ave N to the east. Not all customers in this area were affected.

By 8pm, City Light had restored power to all but 569 customers. Crews are expected to restore electrical service to all Shoreline customers by about 2 am.


Read more...

Lake Forest Park power outage caused by falling tree

Sunday, June 10, 2012

2,800 customers in Lake Forest Park were without power when a falling tree brought down power lines about 2am Friday morning.


According to Seattle City Light, power was restored about 10:30am Friday or the last 618 customers.

The original outage boundaries were: NE 197th St. to the north, 25th  Avenue NE to the west, NE 148th St. to the South, and Lake Washington to the west. Not all customers in this area lost power.


Read more...

City Light wants to know what we think about renewable energy

Friday, March 2, 2012

It says "Seattle" City Light, but everyone in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park gets their electricity from Seattle.

Now the utility is doing long-range planning and wants to know what we think about the many options available for renewable energy - like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass.

They have set up an on-line forum and really do want as many people as possible to participate. We have been specifically invited to participate.

Here's the website: Community Energy Forum

And here's the info from City Light:

Seattle City Light customers enjoy some of the cleanest energy in the country, with nearly 90% of our electricity supplied by clean, renewable hydropower.  But what about new renewable energy resources, like wind, solar, biomass and geothermal? And what about locally grown clean energy? All of these options have potential in Seattle. As energy users we all have a responsibility to think about these issues, and support what is best for our environment, our economy and the future generations to come. 
Seattle City Light invites you to share your ideas and opinions by joining the Community Energy Forum, a monthly online survey for customers of the Utility. Enrolling in the Forum ensures your voice will be heard on a variety of energy issues, including future renewable energy efforts. 
As a member of the Community Energy Forum, you will:
  • Share your opinions with us about clean energy and other energy-related topics.
  • Help influence future voluntary clean energy programs offered by Seattle City Light.
  • BE REWARDED! Each month, participants will be entered into a monthly drawing for prizes.

Read more...

The lights are back on in Shoreline

Monday, January 23, 2012

As of 1:45am, no Shoreline or Lake Forest Park outages appear on the Seattle City Light map. 700 customers are still in the dark in north Seattle, but none locally.

Keep the batteries stocked up, though. It just takes one big branch in the right location to take down thousands of customers.

City Light crews have been right on top of the problem areas and managing to stay ahead of falling branches.

If your power is out, call the Outage Hotline at 206-684-7400.



Read more...

Power outages reduced to 1615 customers

At 12:06 am Monday, power outages in Shoreline and North Seattle were reduced to seven outages with 1400 Shoreline customers without power.

The Ridgecrest / North City outage is blamed on equipment failure and estimated restoration time is 3 am. There is a single customer in Ballinger who is expected to be back online by 5 am.

If your power is out and you are not on the map, call the Outage Hotline at 206-684-7400.


Read more...

Power outage affecting 2,600 Shoreline/North Seattle customers

Sunday, January 22, 2012

A Sunday night power outage in the Ridgecrest/North City neighborhood of Shoreline and in North Seattle has left approximately 2,658 customers without power.

The outage started at approximately 9:15 pm. The boundaries are NE 185th Street on the north; NE 120th Street on the south; 33rd Ave NE on the east; and Corliss Ave N on the west.

According to Seattle City Light, not all customers within those boundaries may be affected. Crews are responding. Cause and estimated time when power will be restored is not yet known.

Power outage as of 11:03pm 1-22-2012

If you are not on the map and your electrical power is out, call the Outage Hotline at 206-684-7400.



Read more...

14 households without power in area

Thursday, January 19, 2012

According to the Seattle City Light outage map, only 14 households are without power as of 10:45pm Thursday. All are east of I-5.

Blue dots are single outages, red dot as indicated.
Seattle City Light outage map

If power is still out in your neighborhood, City Light may not know about it. Report it to the Outage Hotline at 206-684-7400.  

City Light still has a significant cluster of outages in south Seattle, and branches weighted by snow and ice continue to fall.



Read more...

Power restored to Shoreline, 500 without power in LFP

1-19-2012  10:40am

According to Seattle City Light, crews restored service overnight to the Shoreline customers affected by two weather-related outages. The area’s snowstorm weighed down trees and caused them to come into contact with power lines.

A branch on a power line was cleared by 10 pm last night restoring power to 2,658 customers in northeast Shoreline. Crews restored the second large outage caused when a tree took down overhead lines in the Ridgecrest area of Shoreline. The second outage was restored by 4:20 am.

The outage map shows a current outage at 34th NE, about midway between Hamlin Park and Bothell Way, in LFP, affecting 503 customers.

If power is still out in your neighborhood, City Light may not know about it. Report it to the Outage Hotline at 206-684-7400.




Read more...

Power outages in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Crews working on lines on Sunnyside Dr
and N 180th St.
Photo by Carl Dinse
Seattle City Light reports outages affecting 6,300 customers in NE Shoreline and North Seattle area and one of them was at your Editor's house. When I called in to report it, hoping that it wasn't just my house because the recorded voice always cheerfully threatens to charge you if it's just you, the message said there was one outage of about 100 people in Lake Forest Park. This was about 5pm Wednesday.

Now (11:20pm) they are talking about 6,300 customers and the power won't be back until the early hours. I was told that streetlights were out along SR 104. My power was out for about an hour. My Comcast cable has been cutting in and out ever since but only went out for a few minutes.

Snow overloading tree branches, no doubt.

The outage map only reports 3909 customers without power in Shoreline and LFP.

Seattle City Light outage map 11:25pm



Read more...

Sheridan Beach residents to meet with Seattle City Light

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Seattle City Light is planning a maintenance project to extend the life of underground electrical cables in Lake Forest Park.

The work involves a process to inject the cables with silicon, which spreads to fill cracks in the insulation. Rubber connectors around the wires are replaced.

City Light believes that this process will extend the life of the cables by 20 years.

The utility has completed 17 neighborhoods. The next planned area of work is in the cables that serve the Sheridan Beach neighborhood.

Planned outages are required for the work. Customers will be notified on the Thursday afternoon prior to the next week’s planned outages via a door hanger on the front door. Outages typically last eight hours. Outages will not occur on consecutive days. The maximum number of outages you might experience during this phase of the project is usually no more than three. Many times work will be completed with one outage.

Seattle City Light is hosting a community meeting Tuesday January 17, 2012 for Sheridan Beach customers to learn about the project. The meeting will be held in the Stadler Room of Third Place Commons, next to Kitto's Restaurant.

Third Place is on the upper level of LFP Towne Centre at the intersection of Ballinger and Bothell Way.




Read more...

All power restored in Shoreline, LFP

Monday, December 26, 2011

According to Seattle City Light, Seattle City Light crews restored service to the last customers affected by Christmas Day’s windstorm by 2:30 a.m. today, December 26.

Seattle City Light experienced multiple outages throughout its service territory, starting about 11:15 a.m. yesterday, December 25, when a cold front moved through the area causing wind gusts of 50 mph. At the peak of the windstorm approximately 18,000 customers were without power.



Read more...
ShorelineAreaNews.com
Facebook: Shoreline Area News
Twitter: @ShorelineArea
Daily Email edition (don't forget to respond to the Follow.it email)

  © Blogger template The Professional Template II by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009

Back to TOP