Everett Wastewater Plant Wins $60,000.00 Award For Saving Energy

Employees of Everett’s Water Pollution Control Facility were recently recognized for saving energy which in turn resulted in saving money not only for the city but also ratepayers. Here’s more.

The Snohomish County PUD has awarded the City of Everett’s Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) $60,000 for their work on the Wastewater Energy Coaching Cohort program. Between May 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018, WPCF staff reduced energy usage at the plant by nearly 3 million kilowatt hours, which translates to more than $220,000 in energy cost savings over the course of one year.

“This award acknowledges the hard work and innovative spirit that City staff exhibited in participating in this program,” said Mark Sadler, operations superintendent. “Staff took the initiative to pursue this opportunity, and because of their dedication, the City, its water utility customers and the broader community benefit in a big way.”

WPCF staff accomplished this effort while still meeting all environmental requirements and achieving the Peak Gold Medal Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for the second year in a row.

Participation in the PUD’s Cohort program was approved by the Everett City Council in March of 2017. During the program, WPCF staff attended training workshops, reviewed Everett plant processes, challenged assumptions and identified specific functions to evaluate for potential energy savings.

Following testing and data analysis, staff  took a series of steps to reduce energy usage, including changing the pumping strategy for treated water to maximize the use of gravity instead of electrical pumping when possible and converting plant lighting to more energy-efficient systems. All of the changes that have been implemented are ongoing and will be sustainable into the future.

“At Snohomish PUD, promoting energy efficiency is one of our core values,” said PUD Commissioner Sid Logan. “We’re pleased to work with the City of Everett to help it achieve another energy efficiency win.”

What this savings looks like to customers

The 2,759,005 kWh/year savings is equal to running 237 average-sized homes in Snohomish County for one year.

$220,720 in electrical cost savings will equate roughly to a 30 cent/month savings for the average Everett water utility ratepayer. This savings will be incorporated in the calculations for the next rate ordinance and will mitigate increases needed to keep up with inflation and debt service costs.

More information about Everett’s Water Pollution Control Facility is available at everettwa.gov/WPCF

Kari Goepfert with the City of Everett tells MyEverettNews.com of the $60,000.00 award, $10k goes to reimburse the City for materials that went toward making changes to reduce energy use, such as lighting and HVAC changes. $50k helps to mitigate anticipated rate changes on a small scale, since the savings per month per household is small. This is a one time savings.