Ubits March /April 2018
Data-driven
April 28 Rebuilding Day
In this issue
Utility Technology Services launches project to better manage data “I’m going to analyze the heck out of that data.” No one we know of at TPU has actually said that, but the ability to do so will greatly increase in the near future. Tacoma Power’s Utility Technology Services has kicked off a new operational analytics pilot program that could change the way we collect and analyze data. “We collect a lot of data, but we can’t access some of it, or we can’t easily retrieve it to help us make business decisions,” said Operational Analytics Project Manager, Brad Slusher. “We’re working on a pilot project now that will aggregate data for two programs and store it in a cloud-hosted system. We will build a structure
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Total Quality Award winners announced
so people who need access can easily pull reports in the format they need.” The pilot phase includes data supporting Natural Resources, Generation, and Water Quality. Brad says the project has the potential to be transformative. For example, TPU collects a lot of information about fish rearing, collection and passage on the Skokomish River, but it’s not readily accessible. After completing the project, people who need that information will be able to get it, study it, and use it to make more informed, data-driven decisions about our fisheries programs. He’s received requests from people throughout TPU who want to participate in the project.
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Tower replacements project underway
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Budget and rates project improvements
TPU’s Total Quality Council Awards honor year’s best Impressive projects are underway daily at TPU, and the Total Quality Council’s Team Recognition Awards honors employees who make them happen. The awards program recognizes and showcases teams that successfully complete a project demonstrating excellence, innovation, and teamwork. “What better way for us to walk our talk than to recognize employees who embrace our continuous improvement values,” said TQ Council Chair Eileen Foraker of Mail Services. “The Total Quality council is focused on promoting an open and collaborative workplace to bring about positive change.” In its second year, the awards program included a ceremony to announce winners in four categories.
Most Inclusive, CrossFunctional Award
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The Direct Mail Efficiency Kit project won the Most Inclusive, CrossFunctional Award. Team members from Mail Services, Energy Conservation, and Marketing Communications developed, designed and mailed about 1,500 energy and water efficiency kit to interested low-income customers. “We sought out ideas, expertise, and partnerships from other groups across the utility,” said Power Conservation Program Coordinator Sarah Sweet. “What resulted was an offer that benefits the utility and customers who can most use the efficiency products to save money.” Each kit contained LED light bulbs, a low-flow showerhead, plumber’s tape, kitchen and bathroom faucet aerators, leak die tablets, and energy savings information. “It was a way to provide information, show we’re a resource, and create relationships with our customers,” Sarah said. “We don’t want a bill to be the only interaction customers have with us. The kits provided a positive interaction with our customers.”
The majority of customers who responded to a survey about the kits reported being very satisfied with the showerheads, aerators and LED light bulbs. Survey comments show that recipients think the items they received help save water and money are easy to install, work well, and are long lasting.
Ultimate Innovation Award
The Ultimate Innovation Award went to the Soil Management Decant Facility project. Team members from Tacoma Power and Tacoma Water designed a facility to process, test, store, and dispose of contaminated soil, water, and hazardous waste. As a result of installing new power poles, fixing broken mains, installing new services and other ground work, TPU produces over 3,000 gallons of sludgy muck each day. The new facility provides the space, capacity, and equipment to process the soil, and ensures the utility complies with regulatory requirements. “The coolest thing about this project is that it was jointly done,” said Environmental Specialist James Bozic of Power Generation. “It’s tricky to build something for one organization, much less two.” Many employees came together to design and create the solution that: meets both utilities’ needs; allows the utilities to be environmentally responsible; and sets them up to meet regulatory requirements long into the future.
Most Important Legacy Award
The Water Mains Economic Modeling tool won the Most Important Legacy Award. Team members from Tacoma Water’s Asset Management group built the tool using more than 40 years of water main break data. Water Distribution Engineering uses it to analyze when, where and how to replace the utility’s 1,255 miles of pipe as it ages. That analysis informs Tacoma Water’s
budget and collaboration with other City projects. TQ’s award is not the first time the economic modeling tool has been recognized. The Pacific Northwest Section of the American Water Works Association awarded the tool its 2017 Excellence in Engineering Award for Best Engineering Planning Project. “We’ve been recognized as an industry leader because of the water system analysis we’re able to do with this tool,” said System Planning Engineer Matt Hubbard of Water Distribution Engineering. “This kind of modeling is a leading technology and best practice for water utilities, and we’re further along than most.” Learn more about the tool by watching this TV Tacoma video (starts at 5:15): bit.ly/mainmodel.
Amazing Community Value Award
The Manufactured Home Energy Efficiency Pilot won the Amazing Community Value Award. Customer Energy Programs targeted utility customers in a manufactured home park to help them lower their energy costs by installing efficient products. The project brought about a lot of firsts for Tacoma Power: Employees made personal connections with 50 randomly chosen customers by knocking on doors, outreach material was produced in Spanish, and the project was conceptualized and implemented in three months. The pilot program tests whether targeting neighborhoods with certain demographics can save the utility significant costs by batch processing and buying in bulk. The utility expects pilot results in late spring. “This type of project exemplifies our community value first approach to business,” said Conservation Manager Lis Saunders. “At a low cost to the utility, we were able to help low-income customers
who really benefit from these measures, while also trying something new. The pilot is a totally different concept than our typical program of offering rebates.” Program Coordinator Sara Bowles said she feels the ideas, speed, approach and innovation of the project were only possible because of the great team that came together. She said she appreciates that the TQ awards emphasize the importance of teams.
How winners were selected
Choosing TQ award winners is a tough job. This year’s nominations more than doubled from the 13 received during its first year. “Council members pored over this year’s 28 nominations to discuss and assess how effectively each of the nominated teams applied valuable teamwork qualities,” Eileen said. “We looked for things like inclusion, communication, cooperation, openness, and trust. Of course, business outcomes are important, but it’s the way we collaborate and work together in teams that matter most.” Total Quality Council
Many other nominations show a variety of teams accomplishing wins for TPU. Some highlights include: • The revitalized Evergreen Options program – customers pay an additional monthly charge to support local renewable energy development. • The HelpHub portal for requesting UTS’ services. • A mobile-friendly version of MyAccount. • Parking and street safety improvements, including the shuttle . • Mutual Aid partnerships with other utilities and their customers. • Tacoma Water-branded water stations at Metro Park facilities.
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FITNESS FREEZE-FRAME
bits & pieces
Get sweaty already!
Power tower replacement project to enhance North 21st Street Tacoma Power will soon begin a tower replacement project that will improve the sightline along North 21st Street. Work involves replacing the 93-year-old, bulky, and rusting lattice towers that line the otherwise picturesque 1.7 miles between North Highland Street and North Adams Street with sleek, new taller steel poles that have a smaller footprint. A majority of structures were built in 1925 as part of the Potlatch Transmission Line to bring power from Cushman Dam No. 1 to Tacoma.
The 19 existing structures include:
• 17 deteriorating and aging lattice towers along North 21st Street • 2 existing steel poles in the Westgate North Shopping Center
The new structures will include 12 taller poles:
• 9 in the medians, one on every other block along North 21st Street from North Proctor to North Highland Street • 2 in the Westgate North Shopping Center • 1 adjacent to Pearl Substation
The utility’s contractor will begin work this spring and construction will occur into the fall. The project will cost about $8 million. When complete, the poles will allow more room for the City of Tacoma to plan future roadway improvements. A separate project is also underway to determine the future of the Cushman Substation on North 19th Street, which will be decommissioned. Visit MyTPU.org/21Street for more information and project updates.
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TPU’s Wellness Center offers employees a safe, convenient, and affordable way to pursue fitness goals. Now open about six months, the facility averages 40 visitors daily. While the number of people using the facility is less than 2016 estimates, Wellness Program leaders commit to increasing use and offerings. “We’re not disappointed with the number of employees using the facility each day,” said Wellness Coordinator Shannon Carmody. “We plan to gather employee input soon to decide what improvements we can make with the space and budget available.” The Wellness Center offers equipment for aerobic and strength conditioning including machines, bands, and weights. Employees can also access online exercise videos through Beach Body and Daily Burn. “Give our work gym a shot,” said Teresa Nelson of Transmission & Distribution, who uses the facility daily. “It’s super convenient and allows you to meet people you’ve never talked to at work before.” The Wellness Center is open daily from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. The facility is busiest on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you’d like to use the facility, fill out and return a Release of Liability form online at wellness.cityoftacoma.org. A $5 monthly charge will occur through payroll deduction. Once paid, you can access the center with your employee badge.
KEEPING CAMPERS HAPPY
Mossyrock Park supervisors honored with Superior Service Award Employees and volunteer hosts at Tacoma Power’s four parks work hard to keep visitors happy. It’s a big job: almost 265,000 outdoor enthusiasts visited the parks last year! In honor of that tenacity, one of the parks is recognized each year with Generation’s Superior Service Award, a tradition that began 14 years ago. “Our staff works diligently to delight our customers,” said Generation Manager Chris Mattson. “We want to honor that commitment to excellence.” Mossyrock Park staff, led by Larry Jones and Fred Hendricks (now the Taidnapam Park supervisor), received the 2017 award. “They weathered our Riffe Lake drawdown, which significantly impacted the swim area and boat launch,” Chris said. “Yet, 99 percent of customers surveyed rated the employees as helpful and 93 percent would recommend Mossyrock Park to a friend. Accomplishing those results was no easy feat.” Larry says they aim to exceed customer expectations. “Our goal is to provide the level of service that keeps them returning every year,” he said.
New budget and rate processes to improve dialogue and decisions As Tacoma Power and Tacoma Water plan for the 2019/2020 biennium, the utilities have changed their budgeting and rates planning processes to help better prepare for long-term financial needs. The changes will help the Public Utility Board and Tacoma City Council make more informed policy decisions.
Three of the key changes include:
1. Streamlining budget and rates development processes to save time and create connectivity and balance. Tacoma Water and Tacoma Power used to stagger policymakers’ review of budget and rate proposals. Budgets were approved late in the year and rates were approved three months later. In the future, the utilities will present the information together. The hope is that the change will simplify, and bring more continuity to the public process, by allowing policymakers and customers to better understand the dependencies between budgets and rates. “Our budget will still feed rate development, but the old way didn’t allow customers the ability to easily understand how all the moving parts work in concert. Now customers and policymakers have an opportunity to better understand the big picture,” said Tacoma Water’s Finance and Analytics Section Manager Sean Senescall. The new process also creates more balance and stability between rates and revenues, and adds clarity to rate increases for policymakers and customers. “Rather than having no rate increases for years, and then suddenly a huge increase, we’ll work to keep rates low, and keep increases steady and based on actual needs instead of projections,” said Tacoma Power Rates, Planning and Analysis Section Manager Bill Berry. Continued on back page
Park supervisors Fred Hendricks (left) and Larry Jones recently accepted Generation’s Superior Service Award on behalf of Mossyrock Park staff and volunteers.
I SAW THE SIGNS
New kiosks provide consistent customer experience
If you plan on heading to one of Tacoma Power’s parks (Alder Lake, Mayfield Lake, Mossyrock, Taidnapam), check out the newly refreshed kiosks during your visit. You’ll find information about safety, wildlife, plants, local activities and park rules, all wrapped up with a consistent look and feel.
New kiosks
Old kiosks
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Rebuilding Together volunteers give and receive
Incentive Program builds community TPU’s Incentive Program encourages positive engagement at work and in the community by challenging employees to set annual goals, and then rewards those who accomplish them. Employees can earn up to four Incentive Days off work – three for meeting Business Unit Goals and one for meeting an individual Community Involvement Goal (if at least one Business Unit Goal has been met). Employees meet Community Involvement goals by volunteering at least eight hours (four of the eight may
be earned through product donations) to a qualifying nonprofit in TPU’s service territory. This ensures TPU customers receive the benefits of employees’ charitable giving. “A significant percentage of our community struggles to pay their utility bills, and many of our employees see or hear those stories firsthand through their daily work,” said Community Affairs Manager Erika Tucci. “Community Connection and the Community Involvement Goal give employees a strategic and planned way to support the customers we serve.”
A variety of coordinated opportunities made available through Community Connection, TPU’s corporate social responsibility program, make earning Incentive Days easy. Some examples include participating in Bowl-a-Thon, a Rebuilding Together work day, Habitat for Humanity build, the annual Dam Ride, and working at local food banks. Find more details about the Incentive Program on Unet.
points each day – the automated metering infrastructure project. Although the operational analytics project is not directly related to the meter upgrade project, it can provide some direction for how TPU stores and uses data in general. “The analytics initiative and its related projects will allow TPU to harness the value of data-driven decision-making that is guided by a comprehensive utility analytics strategy,” said Chief Technology Officer Joe Tellez. “Analytics help TPU easily gain and use insights to help it achieve business objectives and leverage data as a strategic asset.”
As the pilot moves forward, a new Operational Analytics team will work with others to develop guidelines and policies for TPU’s data. “We need to focus on a variety of components related to data, like setting up quality standards, ensuring security, identifying approval processes, determining who can access data, establishing frequency of collection and reporting, and defining how and where we will retain the information we collect, Brad said.” The UTS team anticipates wrapping up the pilot project later this year.
UTS continued from page 1 “There’s clearly a pent-up need here,” he said. “We are starting with two manageable projects, while at the same time building a foundation to meet the needs of others who use data to perform their work.” For now, the project will not focus on data collected in SAP. “There are many systems that collect data that are not connected to SAP,” Brad said. “We are working on those, but anticipate some of the things we learn through this project can then be applied to SAP data.” TPU is in the throes working on a project that will bring in millions of data
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We Remember
Zachery Zuhlsdorf worked for Tacoma Power as a Power System Dispatcher for four years. He passed away February 17.
“Zach was a gifted, yet Zachery Zuhlsdorf humble member of our team – a very intelligent young man with a bright future,” said Tacoma Power’s Transmission and Distribution Systems Operations Chief Operations Supervisor Harley Johnson. “We could always depend on him to consistently exceed expectations while helping other members of our team. He will be sorely missed by all of us.”
Steve Standley worked for Tacoma Water as a professional engineer for about 12 years. He passed away unexpectedly on March 14, 2018.
“Steve was part of the Tacoma Water family and we are stunned and saddened by his tragic and irreconcilable passing. To know and work with Steve was a pleasure. He positively affected all he encountered with his constant smile and genuine care for others,” said Tacoma Water Deputy Superintendent Heather Pennington. “Steve was a friend, trusted colleague, and left a legacy in Water and the City with the many programs and projects he led and contributed to. The impact Steve made on our infrastructure will last and serve our customers for generations.” Steve Standley
Who’s ready to relax The following employees recently retired: David Hubbs, Tacoma Power hydro utility worker, retired after 21 years of service.
Richard Peterson, Tacoma Power telecom engineer, retired after 12 years of service.
Amilia Tufts, Tacoma Power telecom sales coordinator, retired after 19 years of service.
Max Chabo, Tacoma Rail conductor, retired after 30 years of service.
Kenneth Cross, Tacoma Power broadband service technician, retired after 17 years of service. Keagan Kauzlaric, Tacoma Power dispatcher, retired after 27 years of service. Pat McCarty, Tacoma Power section manager, retired after 38 years of service. Bryan Smith, Tacoma Power park supervisor, retired after 24 years of service.
Kenneth Kurfurst, Tacoma Water watershed inspector, retired after 14 years of service. Robert Sheldon, Tacoma Water chief surveyor assistant, retired after 31 years of service. Lisa Stapleton, Tacoma Water information technology supervisor, retired after 4 years of service.
Who’s new around here
Jamie Burks Management Analyst Tacoma Power
Annie Pantzke Community Relations Officer Tacoma Public Utilities
Charelle Finley Office Administrator Tacoma Water
Lyna Vo Economist Tacoma Water
Mark Wikander Hydro Project Mechanic Tacoma Power
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Tacoma Public Utilities PO Box 11007 • Tacoma WA 98411
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New budget and rate processes continued from page 5
Ubits is a publication for Tacoma Public Utilities employees and is provided as a courtesy to retirees. Sonja Bert, editor cms@cityoftacoma.org • 253-502-8223
Streamlining also reduces the amount of legislative process staff and policymakers have to navigate to present the proposals. Instead of going through that process with the Public Utility Board and City Council four times, it only happens twice because staff will complete more work upfront. 2. Using more data helps inform needs-based budget and rate proposals. The utilities have begun to use more data to drive budget decisions. This helps them support their budgetary needs by making a better case for funding allocations based on actual needs rather than conservative projections. “We have to use the best available information in a concerted way, or the budget process becomes more about persuasive argument and conservative hedging than actual needs,” Sean said. “Using more data allows us to show we’ve explored alternatives and are investing ratepayer resources in the best way. In the future, data from advanced meters will help us do this even better.” 3. Accelerating and increasing dialogue with policymakers helps the utilities better achieve policy objectives. TPU held a workshop with the Public Utility Board on rates and financial planning in February. The utility will also present various rates and budget-related topics to the board during study sessions throughout the year before formal review of budgets and rates by policymakers occurs in October and November. Meetings will help guide meaningful policies,
and support the objectives of financial stability for the utilities and rates stability for customers. “Bringing policy changes to the Public Utility Board earlier, for example, helps policymakers better understand the pros and cons of longterm staff recommendations and the alternatives we’ve explored before making decisions about them,” Sean said. Both utilities operate in the best interest of customers, and have conservative budgets on the expense and revenue sides. The utilities historically spend less than they budget. Bill says it’s important to the utilities that policymakers clearly understand why that occurs. “Tacoma Power has a surplus of electricity because its generation is hydro-based. The amount of electricity we produce exceeds customers’ needs. The utility sells surplus power on the wholesale market or revenue is lost,” Bill said. “We have no control over the prices on the wholesale market. Weather conditions also determine the amount of water available to generate power, therefore the utility cannot predict how much will be available each year. These factors impact our revenues.” Tacoma Power always assumes adverse conditions and doesn’t plan for excess revenue. This creates an imbalance the utility must explain. Many other more complex factors impact budget and rates planning and subsequent proposals, therefore it’s advantageous for the utilities to have conversations and share information well in advance.