Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce
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MEMBER NEWS

Benton PUD: Colder Temperatures Increase Your Usage

3/1/2019

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The extreme cold in February is causing customer usage to be up substantially from normal levels at Benton PUD and utilities across the region. This is resulting in large increases in customer bills as compared to the previous couple of months and prior years.

“If a customer has a question regarding the increase in their bill or needs extra time to pay, we encourage them to call us or contact us through our website,” said Paula Ball, Director of Customer Programs and Services. “We can discuss payment options, such as payment arrangements or the budget payment plan which levelizes monthly payments over the year and avoids spikes with extreme temperatures.” 

For December and January, average customer bills were down about 5-15% from what they typically would have been.  Temperatures in December were about 5ºF warmer than normal and January was 2ºF warmer than normal. 

Temperatures plummeted around February 4 and have remained consistently colder.  Average daily temperatures in February were between 10º to 20º F below normal with the trend currently projected to continue through the first week of March.  

Because the cold spell has lasted many weeks, the higher usage may affect one or more bills a customer receives. Bills issued in the last week of February are showing average increases in the range of 20-25% or higher over bills issued in January. Bills issued in the next week or two could be even higher if cold trends continue.  

Each customer is different and may experience higher or lower increases depending on specific circumstances such as heating source. During cold weather, furnaces work longer which accounts for nearly two-thirds of an average home’s usage. In addition, people tend to be home more in inclement weather, which means more electricity is used for lighting, electronics, appliances and heating water. 

We encourage customers to use Benton PUD’s SmartHub® which offers the ability to monitor usage on an hourly, daily or monthly basis and track trends over time.  

Customers can also set up usage alerts to be notified when daily usage exceeds established thresholds. These tools will help customers take steps to reduce usage and lower their bills in the future. Benton PUD energy advisors are also available to speak to customers or visit their home to help identify steps to lower bills.

There is some good news. Benton PUD’s advanced meters are read remotely eliminating the need to estimate meter reads when a customer’s meter is inaccessible due to snow. 
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Copyright © Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
7130 W Grandridge Blvd., Suite C, Kennewick, WA 99336 USA
Phone: (509) 736-0510
[email protected]
Hours
Monday - Thursday: 8 am - 5 pm
​(closed for lunch 12 - 1 pm)
​Friday: 8 am - 12 pm
​Closed Weekends

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Photos from Bestpicko, The National Guard, Gamma Man, US Department of Education, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Tony Webster, jalexartis, Blue Mountains Library, denisbin, Baker County Tourism, amtec_photos, CartridgePeopleUK, Alan Light
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Membership Directory
    • Member Login
    • Join the Chamber
    • Membership Features
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Stakeholder, Leader, & Growth Level Members >
      • Stakeholder and Leader Profiles
  • EVENTS
    • Chamber Calendar
    • Annual Events >
      • Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon
      • Women in Business Conference >
        • Call for Speakers - Tri-Cities Women in Business Conference
        • ATHENA Awards
      • Tri-Cities Diversity Summit
      • State of the Cities
      • Elected Leaders Reception
      • Tri-Cities Day at the Capitol
      • Bridging Partnerships Small Business Symposium
    • Monthly Membership Luncheon
    • Business After Hours
    • Ribbon Cutting Request
  • PROGRAMS & SERVICES
    • Ambassador Club
    • Ask the Experts
    • Business Builders Resource Roundtable
    • Business Resource Navigator
    • LEARN Groups
    • Member Advertising Opportunities
    • myTRI 2030
    • Office Depot Savings Program
    • Washington APEX Accelerator >
      • Meet the Buyer
      • Yes, You Can! Contracts with the Government
    • Workforce & Education >
      • Tri-Cities Regional Career Signing Day
      • Washington Workforce Portal
      • Job Board
  • Advocacy
    • Legislative Action and Advocacy
    • Business Advocacy Letters
    • 2025 State Budget
    • Vote for Business
    • 2024 Legislative Score Card
  • NEWS
    • Press Releases
    • In the News
    • Blog
    • Member News
    • Annual Report
    • Email Updates
    • Website Sponsors
  • ABOUT US
    • Contact
    • Our Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Committees
    • Policies
    • Tri-Cities Strategic Alliance Partners >
      • Benton-Franklin Council of Governments
      • TRIDEC
      • Visit Tri-Cities
    • Tri-Cities Community Map
    • Built for Prosperity - Strategic Plan 2024-2026