Springfield City Utilities Solar Initiative

Did you know that solar energy is available in the Springfield City Utilities service area without spending up to $25,000 on solar panels and other equipment?

The City Utilities Solar Initiative took effect October 1st and the hope is to move many Springfield residences to a conservative approach to energy consumption. While pre-enrollment started back in August, some spots still remain available. But now is the time to sign up, as spots are limited for the time being until the program really takes off.

How it Works

CU has installed a solar farm East of the McCartney Generating Station. The farm is owned by Strata Solar and CU is under a 25 year purchase power agreement with the owner, with the option to buy. This adds solar power to CU’s current power generation portfolio, along with natural gas, landfill gas and coal. The output from the solar farm generates enough power for over 900 homes.

CU customers who sign up (which could be anyone from a home owner to someone living in an apartment complex and even businesses, as long as you are in the CU service area) pay an extra fee to have solar power. Basically, it’s a way for the environmentally conscious to participate in eco-friendly way to produce energy.

So, the mechanics of it might be a bit confusing at first, but here’s the gist of it: customers subscribe to kilowatt (kW) blocks of energy. You can get a minimum of one block, up to 200 blocks. One kW block produces an average of 162 kWh per month, and, at CU’s current rates, would average out as $7.67 per month for that block, which would be in addition to your regular monthly bill. Of note, the amount of energy produced depends upon the season and weather conditions – for example, a rainy day obviously produces less solar energy, as do the shorter days in the winter compared to the long days of summer.

To best determine what this would cost you, have your CU bill handy and utilize the Solar Calculator on the CU website.

Why Do It

Tree Hugger arguments aside, you might be wondering why you would want to pay extra to use solar power through CU. Well, consider that solar power provides energy reliability. The sun rises; the sun sets. These are facts no one can dispute. There is also security in the fact that no one country can monopolize solar power over another – we won’t have to fight over it – yey for energy independence!

Additionally, the rates should stay relatively the same over a long term because there isn’t ever going to be a shortage of sunshine. In fact, when you sign up for the solar program with CU, you lock your rate in for 20 years. And, the management of solar energy creates twice as many jobs as coal energy management (and more than twice as much as natural gas).

And let’s talk about those rates. Yes, it costs more than your current utility bill to add solar energy. However, should you decide to install your own solar energy, it would be far more expensive. Do you think my number of $25 grand is high? Not according to Sunrun, a solar power company dedicated to helping families install solar panels on their home. Let’s look at the numbers, shall we? Sunrun says:

Depending on the location and design of your system, the typical home installation ranges from 3 to 7 kilowatts and costs between $18,000 to $40,000 to purchase. Solar panels: About a third of the cost of a residential photovoltaic system comes from the cost of solar panels, which can cost around $4,500-$12,000.

What it comes down to is, if you’re interested in helping the planet and local economy, and don’t have upwards of  $40,000 to install a system as efficient as the one CU built, then CU’s access is the way to go.

Broken Water Mains and Sleep Deprivation

Cue the rattling noise of a jack hammer crunching the asphalt of a busy street… at ten o’clock in the evening. Children nestled in their beds with visions of pounded rock dancing in their heads.

When Sally asked City Utilities why they chose to work on the street directly in front of her house so late in the evening, she was informed, with sincere apologies, that the water main under the street had burst. Failure to fix it immediately would result in the entire street out of water by morning.

Disturbed sleep aside, what would cause the water main to bust? And how would all of the water for the neighborhood run out so quickly? And if it hadn’t been fixed, what else could happen?

How it Works

A water main is the chief source for providing water from a water treatment plant to city neighborhoods. According to the EPA website:

Water distribution systems consist of an interconnected series of pipes, storage facilities, and components that convey drinking water and meeting fire protection needs for cities, homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, industries and other facilities.  Public water systems depend on distribution systems to provide an uninterrupted supply of pressurized safe drinking water to all consumers. It is the distribution system mains that carry water from the treatment plant (or from the source in the absence of treatment) to the consumer.  Spanning almost one million miles in the United States, distribution systems represent the vast majority of physical infrastructure for water supplies.

A broken main means a major disruption in the water system. There are several possible causes, but since most water mains are several feet underground, breaks are typically the result of worn out pipes. Cold weather conditions cause pipes to expand and contract as the water within gets colder and warmer with temperature changes, which weakens pipes over time. Additionally, changes in soil conditions, pipe corrosion, and movement underground can cause pipes to lose stability.

Immediate Attention Required

In order to limit disruption in the water supply to residence, or to prevent flooding and possible property damage, City Utilities must address a broken water main immediately. When the break occurs, water starts to find its way to the surface and flooding may even occur. This is typically how the break is discovered – when a resident reports water flow in a place this is unusual, especially when there is no rain or other precipitation in the area. Typically, the repair process occurs as follows:

• Crews respond to a report of water seepage and look for the source of the problem
• If necessary, water valves are closed to stop water flow to the damaged area and contain the leak
• Electrical equipment is used to obtain the exact location of the leak
• Crews dig to the section of the water main that is damaged and repair the leak as needed
• Valves are turned on and water is restored so the repair can be tested
• The hole is backfilled and sod or pavement replaced over the water main

So, even if the jack hammer resounds through your neighborhood all night long, it’s better than having flood damage or no usable water, wouldn’t you say? Maybe sleeping with some headphones on can keep the pounding at bay.