King County partners with Puget Sound Energy to take an 'all resource' approach to conservation

2005 Archived News

King County Executive Ron Sims today announced a conservation partnership with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) that is expected to enhance the county's energy and environmental stewardship and save the county up to $200,000 in the first year.

The agreement will make King County the largest organization taking part in PSE's Resource Conservation Manager Service Program, which takes an 'all resource' approach to conservation. The county's savings would come from increasing efficiencies in electricity and natural gas use, and reducing the amount of solid waste produced and water consumed.

"King County is already highly committed to water and energy conservation, and to recycling, and this partnership will only enhance those efforts," said Sims. "Reducing our costs helps us keep our rates low and reduces our dependence on general taxes."

PSE says most of the savings would come from changes in practices, and do not require major investments in equipment. PSE estimates the first year dollar savings for King County to be between $150,000 and $200,000. Sims said King County will begin the program in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks and eventually expand countywide.

"Through our ongoing collaborative efforts with King County to save energy and reduce costs, this new conservation partnership program will continue to extend the county's reach in reducing its operating costs while conserving our natural resources," said Cal Shirley, Director of Energy Efficiency Services at Puget Sound Energy.

PSE will pay 25 percent of the first year's salary for a resource conservation manager as a start-up incentive to assist with getting the program up and running and provide a grant to buy resource tracking software. PSE will work with the manager to reduce costs for electricity, natural gas, water, sewer, garbage, and recycling. Savings are accomplished systematically through careful attention to utility cost accounting, benchmarking of facilities, and implementation of low cost operational and behavioral changes. More conservation grants and/or rebates may also be available for certain measures and equipment retrofits.

The value of the program comes from making many small changes with little to no investment in equipment. According to PSE, these types of operational changes often result in 10 percent to 15 percent reductions within three years, and dollars saved from this program often are redirected to other needs such as maintenance projects, critical equipment repair or replacement, and efficiency incentives programs.