Laurelhurst Substation, Near Tennis Courts, Decommissioned

Seattle City Light has completed work at the Laurelhurst Substation, located south of the tennis courts in the Park.

The project was to salvage the old Laurelhurst Substation equipment which has been decommissioned.

Seattle City Light told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff that the equipment is no longer needed, but the substation property will remain with one high voltage switch still in service.

The benefits of decommissioning the equipment has given the customers better system reliability by moving from the phasing out 4,000 volt system to the current 26,000 volt distribution system, Seattle City Light said. 

Another benefit is removing the hazard of having thousands of gallons of dielectric oil removed from the existing transformers on-site. All of the aging equipment was also removed.

Seattle City Light completed the upgrade of power lines from 4,000 to 26,000 Volts to the south portion of Laurelhurst in January of 2011. The boundaries for the upgrade were NE 38th Street on the north, NE 33rd Street on the south, East Laurelhurst Drive NE on the east and 43rd Avenue NE on the west. Old cable was removed and replaced with newer, more reliable cables.

Seattle City Light Finishing Upgrade In Webster Point Area

Seattle City Light has been upgrading the capacity and reliability of the electrical system near Webster Point, beginning in March 2015.

The work, which affected 84 residences in that area, included installation of underground conduits, vaults, and equipment in order to replace outdated 4kV electrical equipment with its electrical cable buried directly in the ground, to a new 26kV infrastructure throughout Webster Point.

Seattle City Light told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff recently that crews are completing the final improvements to the capacity and reliability of the electrical system this month, that was previously started. 

The current project will install 27 underground transformers throughout the Webster Point area.  

Seattle City Light said:

Planned power outages are necessary to do the work safely. A few customers will experience up to three planned power outages during the work. Affected customers are being notified in advance by letter, which includes the date, time and duration of the outage(s). 

“No parking” signs will be placed at some electrical vaults. Customers are asked to respect them so the work can proceed efficiently. 

Besides the increase in capacity and reliability, the new 26kV system with its conduit and increased switching points will make for easier and quicker maintenance when it is required.   

Seattle City Light appreciates the patience of its customers during the completion of the project.

For questions contact Dennis Dolezal, Customer Service Representative, at 206-684-4977 or dennis.dolezal@seattle.gov. 

Typical view during construction: Conduits under sidewalk

Typical after: sidewalk restored

(photos courtesy of Seattle City Light)

Planned Power Outage To Affect 72 Homes On July 10th

On July 10th,  power will be interrupted beginning at 9am for about eight hours.

Seattle City Light information says the outage will take place so that "crews can safely work to improve the electrical system."  

The particular area of the neighborhood that will be affected includes about  72 residential customers, located around the 3500 blocks of 45^th, 46^th and 47^th Avenues NE; the 4700 block of NE 36^thStreet, the 3100, 3300 and 3400 blocks of East Laurelhurst Drive NE; and the 4500 block of NE 38^th Street. 

Seattle City Light told the Laurelhurst Blog that everyone who will be affected by the outage was mailed the above notice. 

Once the outage happens, it will show on Seattle City Light's outage map.

For questions contact Dennis Dolezal at (206) 684-4977 or dennis.dolezal@seattle.gov.

For tips to prepare for the outage reference the above notice or go here. 

Why The Neighborhood Hood Lost Power During The Night

The Laurelhurst Blog received multiple reports from neighbors about losing power for about 90 minutes.  Seattle City Light reported that the cause of the outage was a "failed underground cable."

The power outage affected about 5,300 Seattle City Light customers including the Ravenna, Laurelhurst, and Windermere neighborhoods. 

According to their Twitter page, power was restored about 12:20am to 1,800 customers and crews  restored power to remaining customers by 12:45am.  This was earlier than the 2am estimate City Light initially provided.

Comments Received About New City Light's New Meter Boxes

Following the recent post about the new router being installed at the top of some City light poles in the neighborhood and throughout Seattle, the Laurelhurst Blog Staff received several comments. 

One router is located on the south side of NE 38th Street, between 47th Avenue NE and 46th Avenue NE. 

The Laurelhurst Blog contacted Seattle City Light who said the box is a router, also called a relay, in the communications network for the Advanced Metering system. City Light is replacing electric meters with these advanced meters this year, which they say will provide many benefits to customers and greatly improve operational efficiencies within City Light.. 

The City Light website says that the "advanced meters are the new meter standard for City Light’s service territory."  Installation began this year and is to be completely installed by 2019.

Customers who do not wish to receive the advanced meter can choose to opt out here.

Neighbors weighed in about the meters:

To learn more about the greenwashing claims of Seattle City Light regarding Advance Metering Infrastructure (smart meters, standard meters), visit the Safe Utility Meters Alliance-NW website and read about the downside of this flawed technology policy.  

When one sees what has happened in others states where AMI has been deployed for several years or more, one clearly sees that there are NO benefits to consumers for this costly boondoggle coming our way. It simply benefits the wireless industries, utilities, and third party marketers. This AMI program will cost millions of dollars and is not needed to have a true smart grid.

You can also go to Getting Smarter About the Smart Grid  and Smart Grid Awareness  for well researched articles on AMI and what could instead have been done with millions of dollars now wasted on smart meters (standard meters). 

City Light's "smart" meter program will cost Seattle residents nearly 100 million dollars (assuming there aren't any costly hiccups in the rollout). That gets paid for either through higher utility rates, or city taxes which could otherwise fund projects which actually benefit people.

Meanwhile, there is a significant fire hazard associated with these meters and City Light transfers those risks to property owners in their fine print legal disclaimers.

There is a major privacy violation of Constitutional Rights, giving utilities the ability to fingerprint your electrical usage 24/7. This information could be used for any number of invasive exercises from selling the data to 3rd party marketers, to government "investigations", or even hacked by criminals for home invasions, etc.

There are cybersecurity risks to the power grid. The entire electrical grid will be accessible via any one of millions of different portal entry points. A former CIA official called smart meters "a very dumb idea.".

Lastly, the negative health issues associated with smart meters and radio frequency devices/infrastructure in general have volumes of independent scientific data which suggest a more precautionary approach is warranted. City Light's safety analysis was rubber stamped by medical professionals who make a living "consulting" for telecommunications companies.

Volunteers have spent hours and years investigating the smart meter issue due to serious concerns on this technology.

Seattle City Light's response to neighbor comments:

The comments include numerous inaccuracies about a program that will benefit Seattle City Light’s customer-owners with more accurate billing, improved reliability and enhanced services while helping to hold down operating costs and electricity rates.

Seattle City Light is upgrading all of the electricity meters in its service territory to modernize aging equipment. Some of our existing electromechanical meters were installed as early as the 1950s. They have gone beyond their expected lifespans and that equipment is no longer being manufactured.

More than 500 electric utilities have installed more than 50 million advanced meters across the country. Many have been in use for more than a decade. Advanced Metering is a proven technology and Seattle City Light is installing the latest, most effective generation of this technology.

City Light’s upgrade will replace about 420,000 meters by the end of 2018 and install about 30,000 more to serve new development in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. The cost of the program and the savings it will generate are accounted for in City Light’s strategic plan and the rates it forecasts for the next six years.

City Light is a municipally owned utility that operates as a self-sufficient non-profit. We collect just enough money from ratepayers to cover the utility’s operating costs and the cost of the electricity. Advanced Metering will help City Light provide enhanced services to customers while reducing operating costs and our environmental impact. 

City Light does not receive any tax money from the city. Actually, it’s the opposite – City Light pays a utility tax to the city.  

The meters we are installing are safe. They have been independently certified for safety by UL, which has 120 years of experience in product safety. Additionally, our new meters are equipped with a temperature sensor – an enhanced safety feature our existing meters don’t have. Meter fires can happen with any meter, including our existing electromechanical meters. The most common reason for a meter fire is a bad connection between the meter and the meter base. The temperature sensor on the new meters will help us identify potential problems before they become fires. 

Seattle City Light respects our customers’ privacy.  We support and comply with the City of Seattle’s privacy policy and will never sell customer information to third parties. The meters will only collect energy consumption information from the entire home or business. This allows the utility to better understand where, when and how much electricity is being used on its distribution grid, enabling us to operate in a more efficient manner, improve reliability and hold down costs. For example, customers in some neighborhoods might have energy demands that strain the limits of a transformer at certain times of the day, shortening its lifespan and increasing the likelihood of a power outage. Understanding that would allow the utility to install a bigger transformer that could handle the load. This ability becomes even more important as more customers install solar panels that are changing energy demand patterns and pushing electricity onto the distribution grid. Additionally, Advanced Metering increases personal privacy by reducing the need for utility workers to visit customers’ homes and back yards to read meters every two months.  

City Light’s Advanced Metering system is fully encrypted for security, much like online banking systems. The security protocols are independently audited on a regular basis by different firms to ensure effectiveness. 

City Light has done extensive research on the radio frequency emissions related to wireless transmission of data by advanced meters. The science shows that radio frequency emissions typical of many common household devices, like advanced meters, do not affect health (California Council on Science and Technology, 2011). Radio frequency emissions from advanced meters are far below the limits set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). One study for the state of Vermont found that radio frequency levels at one foot from the meter are about 1,500 times below the exposure limits (Richard Tell Associates, Inc., 2013). And City Light’s meters will transmit less than 90 seconds each day. 

After advanced meters are installed, customers will benefit from: more accurate billing. Without the need to send a meter reader to your home, we will eliminate most instances of estimated bills; tampering sensors will increase City Light’s ability to detect and prevent electricity theft, which is estimated at $3 million per year; a reduction of 200,000 miles of driving by City Light employees along with eliminating the carbon emissions associated with those trips.  

Once Advanced Metering is connected to other utility computer systems, customers will benefit from automated outage reporting, which will speed and improve City Light’s response and restoration work and online access to their energy use information and how much that costs.   

Advanced Metering creates a platform that could support even more enhanced services in the future. Among that possibilities that City Light could consider are pre-paid accounts; billing alerts when your balance reaches a level that you choose and optional alternate rate structures that could reduce your energy costs based on when you use that electricity, which could be especially helpful for people with electric vehicles.

A reader commented following City Light's secondary comments:

The following comments by City Light are filled with inaccuracies. For one example, numerous fires have occurred from smart meters in the US, including those made by Landis & Gyr.   

The sensor is not needed at all with analog meters, the sensor is still a design in progress.  The meter base is stated by City Light SCL to be owned by the property owner.  If a fire occurs at the meter site, the homeowner becomes responsible.  Utility companies in California and Nevada have actually removed melted meters before an fire investigation was completed.  This is documented testimony under oath by insurance property examiners.   

This group:  California Council on Science and Technology, 2011, is funded by the wireless industry, not independent scientific researchers. 

Many are already familiar with City Light's stated position.  Smart meters have not been in use for more than a decade.  Those in the past were not two way wireless meters subject to more problems.  Smart meters have a known life span of 5 to 9 years only and are then subject to being replaced.   

However the cost benefit analysis used by utilities to create the budget for approval by city councils, uses a cost figure based on a 15 year life span for smart meters and no smart meter system has lasted that long.  Cost overruns have commonly occurred throughout the US after AMI systems are installed -- the costs are past on to you - the rate payer.  Encryption experts have already stated that these AMI systems are hackable, so if you believe the data is not subject to be hacked, then you need to do more research in this area yourself and view various  cases where cybersecurity breaches have occurred.  

City Light is basically repeating the industry spin used for several years now while other researchers  in England, Europe, and the US, have discussed the downside of this technology.  There is a lot of money to be made with these wireless meter systems and where that occurs, the science and policy really becomes colored and distorted.

To learn more about the Advanced Metering program and the opt out provision go here.    

 

New Routers At Top Of Some City Light Poles Replacing Electrical Meters

The Laurelhurst Blog Staff received several inquiries about a new rectangular box at the top of some City light poles.

One neighbor asked about one in particular on the south side of NE 38th Street, between 47th Avenue NE and 46th Avenue NE, The neighbor said it looked to be connected to the light and had an antenna.

The Laurelhurst Blog contacted Seattle City Light who said the box is a router, also called a relay, in the communications network for the Advanced Metering system being installed.

The information on the City Light website says:

Advanced meters are the new meter standard for City Light’s service territory.  In October 2016, City Light started the installation of advanced meters on new residential and small commercial construction projects under normal business operations. The majority of residential and commercial customers will begin receiving new meters in the summer of 2017. This is an incremental approach, with benefits realized` once the entire system is installed by 2019.  

Customers who do not wish to receive the benefits of an advanced meter can choose to opt out. To learn more visit the opt-out page here.

Seattle City Light is the nation's greenest utility. We are committed to providing

our customers with industry-leading service and reliability while empowering them to make energy-saving choices. As part of this commitment, we will begin replacing electric meters with advanced meters in 2017. 

Advanced Metering is a building block for a more efficient electric system, often called the smart grid. It will provide many benefits to customers and greatly improve operational efficiencies within City Light including:

• Empower customers to make energy-saving choices
• Improve customer service
• Reduce environmental impact

 

For more information about the router go here.

Beware Of Scammers Pretending To Be City Light Employees

Seattle City Light sent out this information:

Use Caution to Avoid Scammers Pretending to be Seattle City Light

Video Offers Tips for Protecting Yourself from Con Artists

Seattle City Light is reminding customers to protect their personal financial information to avoid becoming a victim of scammers posing as City Light employees.

City Light produced a video with the Seattle Police Department with tips on how to protect yourself.

When a customer is past due on a bill, Seattle City Light will take steps to notify the customer multiple times before shutting off power. Seattle City Light will always direct customers to the secure online payment system or to call (206) 684-3000 to make a payment. Seattle City Light employees will never ask for payment in person and will always be able to produce identification if informing a customer in-person of a past-due bill.

During winter, scammers may attempt to take advantage of the perfect storm of higher heating bills that come with lower temperatures. Scammers may demand thousands of dollars and threaten to shut off power if payment isn’t made immediately. Vulnerable residents, including non-English speaking individuals, elderly people, and small-business owners may be targeted by scammers. These threats can take place over the phone, by email or in person at customer homes and businesses. Some scammers use caller ID impersonating Seattle City Light’s customer service number to convince customers that they are talking to the utility.

“We have a great team that works hard to make sure your service is provided safely and securely,” says Kelly Enright, Director of Customer Care at Seattle City Light. “If you’re ever in doubt when you receive a suspicious call, hang up and reach out to us directly. By initiating the call, you’ll have more confidence in who you’re speaking with on the other end of the line.”

If customers have concerns about the validity of a contact and want to ensure they’re talking to Seattle City Light, they are encouraged to call Seattle City Light directly at (206) 684-3000. Learn more about how to avoid becoming a victim 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 about 750,000 Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.

Give Feedback On Seattle City Light

Seattle City Light is currently conducting a survey on their 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, which is updated every two years and is a progress report on the future of customers' electric service.

Customers can provide City Light with feedback on how it is doing and how to "improve the utility’s performance, rate reliability and predictability.

City Light is seeing the results through improved savings and operations." told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff.

During the 2014 Strategic Plan Update survey, residential customers rate affordability, investing in renewable energy, and increased efficiencies as important priorities.  And regarding the Strategic Plan objectives, customers continue to rate renewable energy investments, increased efficiencies, rate affordability and improved electrical reliability as important priorities.

City Light is currently updating the plan for 2017-2022, which is currently at the City Council for review and adoption this summer.   Following the Strategic Plan adoption, the Council will review and adopt the 2017 and 2018 rate ordinance to implement those two years of the plan.

To learn more about the plan go here.

Webster Point Electrical Upgrades Completed

Since March of last year, Seattle City Light has began upgrading the capacity and reliability of the electrical system near Webster Point, which affected 84 residences in that area, including approximately NE 33^rd Street on the north, Webster Point Road NE on the south, East Laurelhurst Drive NE on the east and West Laurelhurst Drive NE on the west.

The work included installation of underground conduits, vaults, and equipment in order to replace outdated 4kV electrical equipment with updated 26kV infrastructure throughout Webster Point.

Last month, Seattle City Light completed the infrastructure phase of the reliability and capacity upgrade in Webster Point and sent this final information:

City Light Completes Infrastructure Investment at Webster Point

Seattle City Light and its contractor have completed a major milestone in the utility’s plans to improve the capacity, technology, and reliability of the electrical system in the Webster Point neighborhood of Laurelhurst.

KC Equipment has recently completed the installation of underground conduits, vaults, and equipment in order to replace outdated 4kV (4,000 volt) electrical equipment with updated 26kV (26,000 volt) infrastructure. Sidewalks, driveways, planting strips, and street panels affected by the work have been restored. A map showing the construction area and representative during and after photos are shown below. 

The current 4kV cable is buried directly in the ground. The high capacity 26 kV cable will be protected by the installed conduit and vaults for greater reliability. The new 26kV electrical system will also have more switching points resulting in shorter outages with fewer customers affected when maintenance is required.  

The higher-capacity 26kV cable will be pulled in at a later date. Seattle City Light appreciates the patience of its customers during the successful completion of this important part of the project.

Webster Point Work Location

Typical view during construction: Conduits under sidewalk

Typical after: sidewalk restored

Give Input On Future Of Electric Service

Seattle City Light is accepting customer input on future electric service:

Take the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan Update Customer Survey Have you ever wondered what your utility is up to?  Seattle City Light's Strategic Plan is a progress report on the future of your electric service. The plan reflects the utility's current conditions, incorporates necessary adjustments and highlights the utility's progress.   Every two years, City Light revisits and updates the plan. The Strategic Plan's foundation remains unchanged for the 2016 update in order to maintain current levels of service while planning for a challenging future.   Throughout the strategic planning process, City Light strives to build community engagement and collect input from customers.  Tell Seattle City Light what you think. The utility is encouraging customers to complete the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan Update customer survey.   To learn more about Seattle City Light's 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, please visit the Strategic Plan website.