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News & Information About Your Consumer-Owned Utility.
March 2002
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| System Improvements The
new West Salem High School is on schedule to open in September 2002. Part of
the project included widening Orchard Heights Road, which required our poles to
be relocated.
 Rather
than relocate the poles, the decision was made to put our system underground.
In order to stay on schedule, the road was paved around our poles. All our
overhead lines will be relocated to underground conduit by late February or
early March. Once the phone and cable TV facilities are moved, we will remove
the poles. It is more costly to put facilities underground, but in the long run
it should help maintain our high level of reliable service. This is the only
place on our service with three main circuits on one line of poles. That means
that three to four thousand customers would be vulnerable to an outage if an
accident occurred involving one of these poles.
Considering
the high volume of traffic, undergrounding the circuits was the best choice.
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New Board Officers Elected
John Elliott (left) resigned as
Salem Electric's board President effective February 1, 2002, after being
transferred out of state. At a special meeting of the board, Vice-President
Alicia Bonesteele was elected President, and Jim Dyer was elected to fill
Bonesteele's vacated Vice-President position. Best wishes to John and his wife
Judy.
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Electric Technology
The North Salem High School
Electric Race Team received a $2,000 Electric Technology Grant from Salem
Electric to enhance their program. The grant is awarded annually to one of the
high schools that enroll students from Salem Electric's service area.
The North High School team includes 20-30 students and
has five race cars that compete in up to ten races annually against other
Oregon high schools.
Teachers Dave Anderson and Greg Smith start the
team from square one each year having students research, design and construct
their race car project.
Left to right: Electric race team members Erick Spicer and Lenny Cook
describe their electric car to Salem Electric Member Services Manager, Terry
Kelly.
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Meter Reading Accuracy
At Salem Electric we take a lot of
pride in providing reliable electric service, excellent customer service and
accurate billing. Our meter readers read approximately 16,000 meters per month
(192,000 per year). There were 184 meter reading errors in 2001, which means
they were accurate 99.9% of the time.
The electronic meter reading equipment they use can
automatically compare the customer's current usage to previous usage. If the
new reading is not within our strict guidelines, the meter reading is checked.
Salem Electric staff also checks a list of bills each month if they seem out of
line. A field representative will check the meter if necessary to assure its
accuracy. Each new meter is tested by our Meterman before being installed at
your home or business. The Public Utility Commission allows a meter accuracy
rating of + or - 2.0%, our policy is + or - 0.2%.
Next time you think your usage is too high, you might
consider calling our Member Services Department to discuss the conservation
programs we offer.
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Fix
That Leaky Faucet
When you hear that dripping
faucet, don't just think about how annoying it is, think about how much money
you're wasting.
If it's a hot water leak, look at the table below to
determine how much you could save per month with a simple repair.
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Bulletin Index |
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