Light Reading - March 2020

Inland Power is my cooperative!

March 2020

LightReading inlandpower.com

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10110 W Hallett Rd. Spokane, WA 99224 MAIN OFFICE

(509) 747-7151 TOLL FREE

(800) 747-7151 BILLING QUESTIONS

(509) 789-4277 PAYMENT SERVICES

(855) 386-9903 ENERGY CONSERVATION AND REBATES

(509) 789-1801 EMAIL

inlandpower@inlandpower.com SOCIAL

@inlandpower

inside...

Energy Tax credits available

Your Cooperative Scholarship deadline quickly approaching

Scholarship deadline approaching T

he Inland Power Scholarship deadline is Thursday, April 16, 2020.

Since 1992, Inland has awarded scholarships to members and their dependents who have excelled academically and in community service.

Currently, the cooperative awards 15 – $1,000 scholarships to either graduating high school seniors or continuing college/ trade school students. In addition, and in an effort to inspire and promote future linemen, this scholarship program is open to students enrolling in line schools.

The program is exclusively for active Inland Power members and their children. The program includes college students who can still be claimed as legal dependents of Inland Power members (legal dependent is defined as one who is claimed on their parent or guardian’s tax return).

An all-volunteer committee comprised of approximately five to 10 Inland members will make the selection of scholarship recipients.

Your Cooperative Inland Power attends Ag Expo

Inland staff will coordinate the selection committee. The selection committee, serving for one year, will administer the program according to set criteria.

Relatives of committee members are not eligible to apply for a scholarship.

Along with the application, the following information is required and weighted respectively: • • • •

Official transcript/grades – 30 percent Personal profile – 30 percent Essay – 30 percent Two letters of recommendation – 10 percent For more information or to download the application, visit inlandpower.com/ scholarships.

Power costs and regulations spark increase R ising costs from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) along with the Energy Independence Act (I-937) requirements are causing Inland Power to increase costs. While rates remain the same, Inland Power’s service availability charge will increase by one dollar starting April 1, 2020. For residential members, the service availability rate will increase from $23.55 to $24.55 per month. Commercial members will see a 4.3 percent increase on commercial demand charges and service availability charges.

Rising power costs and legislative regulations are the main culprits behind the service availability charge increase.

Inland Power spends 55 percent of its budget buying wholesale electricity from the (BPA). In October 2019, BPA raised our power rates by approximately 2 percent.

charge during peak summer and winter months when air conditioners and heaters are in full use.

I-937 also increased requirements for all Washington utilities this BPA was driven to By law, hydropower is year. Inland Power now raise rates as less excluded as an approved must supply 15 percent low-cost hydroof its energy from wind renewable power source... generated electricity and solar sources at a is coming from the Columbia and Snake higher cost, up from 9 percent last year. dams, because of trends toward lower The act was the result of voters approving water flows in the summer and a federal I-937 for larger electric utilities in the court order to spill more water over the state of Washington to increase the use dams rather than use it for hydropower to of certain renewables. help juvenile fish migration.

While hydropower is an obvious Inland Power has to pay a higher demand renewable resource, by law, it is excluded Continued inside

OUR

mission

(Inland Rates Continued)

IS OUR

members.

as an approved renewable power source under the act.

– M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T

every effort to keep our operating costs as low as possible. For example, it is always a balancing act when we have to decide on staffing levels, inventory and equipment that is used for routine operations, compared to what we have to have on hand in the event of a large wind or winter weather event. When making these types of decisions, rate impact is always one of our determining factors.

Additional regulations are also impacting energy prices. In 2018, the legislature passed the Clean Energy Transformation Act. The goal of this act is to make Washington state 100 percent carbon-free by 2045. This could cause a massive power shortage once coal and natural gas is eliminated.

We understand that any price increase, no matter how small, has an impact on the individual member. We make

We continue to maintain a professional member service staff. If you need help

Clean Energy Transformation Act

when paying your utility bill, please contact us as soon as you are aware of the issue. Our staff has many tools at their disposal that can help, but only if you call and put them to work for you.

As always, our mission is our members and we are committed to providing safe, reliable service at competitive rates. To accomplish this, we have insured that your cooperative is financially sound, maintains an efficient and reliable distribution system, and is ready to respond to any emergency issue.

Energy Independence Act

• Eliminate coal and natural gas by 2025

• 15% of Inland’s load must come from wind/solar

• Carbon-neutral by 2030

• Hydropower is not considered renewable under the act

• 100% carbon-free by 2045

Don’t miss out on your tax credit!

Retroactive tax credits for certain energy efficient upgrades are available.

T

he Federal Non-business Energy Property Tax Credit is retroactively extended for equipment installed from Dec. 31, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2020. Be sure to work with your tax professional to file a form 5695 with the IRS. Heating and Cooling

The home in which the upgrades occurred must be an existing home and must be the applicant’s primary residence. New construction and rental properties do not apply.

Credits are available for the costs of purchasing and installing the following: Air source heat pumps - $300 Central air conditioning - $300 Gas, propane or oil hot water boiler - $150 Gas, propane or oil furnaces & fans - $150 Water heaters (non-solar) - $300 Advanced main air circulating fan - $50 Biomass stoves - $300 Qualified Energy Efficiency Improvements

In addition to the heating and cooling purchases, tax credits are also available for insulation, metal or asphalt roofs and windows, doors and skylights. For these specific upgrades, installation costs cannot be included for credit.

Insulation

Your Co-op Connection | Getting to know who works for you

H

aley Burk has been with Inland Power since 2015. Prior to joining Inland, she was a full-time student and worked for an insurance agency.

“Inland Power is a community of amazing individuals,” Haley said. “We all have the same goals in mind, which is providing reliable energy and outstanding customer service. Our members are fantastic to talk to on a daily basis.”

Outside of work, Haley enjoys riding horses, hiking, traveling and spending time at the lake. She also loves spending time with her family and friends.

Haley Burk

Member Service Representative - II

The tax credit amount for insulation is 10 percent of the purchase cost, up to $500.

The following bulk insulation products can qualify:

• • • • • •

Batts Rolls Blow-in fibers Rigid boards Expanding spray Pour-in-place

Products that air seal (reduce air leaks) can also qualify, as long as they come with a Manufacturers Certification Statement, including:

• • • •

Weather stripping Spray foam in a can, designed to air seal Caulk designed to air seal House wrap

Roofs (Metal & Asphalt)

The tax credit amount for roofs is 10 percent of the purchase cost, up to $500.

The credit requires homeowners to use metal roofs with appropriate pigmented coatings and asphalt roofs with appropriate cooling granules that also meet ENERGY STAR requirements.

Windows, Doors & Skylights

The tax credit for doors and skylights is 10 percent of the purchase cost, up to $500.

For windows, the tax credit is 10 percent of the purchase price, but is capped at $200.

All products must be ENERGY STAR certified. It is not required to replace all windows, doors or skylights to qualify for this credit.

Furthermore, it is not required to be a replacement. For example, installing a new window where there was not one previously (like in an addition) qualifies for the credit.

For more information regarding these tax credits, visit energystar.gov, or call your energy services team at (509) 789-1801.

As a reminder, be sure to work with your tax professional to file a Form 5695 with the IRS.

VISIT INLANDPOWER.COM FOR MORE ENERGY EFFICIENCY TIPS

2020 Ag Expo Recap Inland Power attends Ag Expo and facilitates future of energy discussion.

From giant tractors to on-site embroidery, the 2020 Ag Expo attracted thousands to downtown Spokane to see the latest and greatest technologies in the agricultural industry.

The event took place Feb. 4-6 and Inland Power was among the many vendors at this widely-known and highly-attended event. Aside from an informational booth where members could ask questions and learn about new incentive programs, Inland Power presented a seminar regarding the future of energy in Washington state during the farm forum.

The title of the presentation was “Greening up green: the impacts of a carbon-free future.” During the seminar, attendees learned how overregulation from Washington lawmakers is threatening the affordability and availability of electricity in the state.

Once coal and natural gas is eliminated, per legislation that was passed in 2018, there will be a minimum 7,000 average MW shortage. During the presentation, it was stressed that solar and wind alone will never be able to meet the energy demand.

Expo goers of all ages visited Inland’s booth and took pictures with our linemen cutouts. We love meeting with our members. We look forward to seeing all of you at next year’s expo. Until then, let us know if we can be of any assistance with your energy needs.