This small photovoltaic system in Nahahum Canyon near Cashmere was one of four new solar installations added to the SNAP program in 2011.

Note: An earlier version of this story provided an incorrect figure for the number of new producers. The error has been corrected in this version.

Chelan County PUD’s SNAP program added five new private producers in 2011 — the most in any one year since SNAP began in 2001.

The PUD operates three hydropower projects so already is into renewable hydropower in a big way. SNAP — short for Sustainable Natural Alternative Power –  focuses on small-scale solar and wind power. 

A total of 47 schools, nonprofit agencies and individuals are producing power for the PUD through SNAP. Five new private producers joined the program in 2011: John Alt of Entiat, Dennis Vogt of Chelan, Regge Egger of Plain, Lauren Johnson and Barbara Rossing of Leavenworth, and Shlomo Freiman and Mindy Stern, who have a summer home in Cashmere. The five are generating solar with rooftop and pole-mounted systems; together they added 22 kilowatts of capacity to the SNAP program. 

Three of the four new producers are using solar modules and inverters manufactured in Washington state, making them eligible for the highest payouts available through the state’s renewable incentive program. Taking advantage of the state program, in addition to SNAP, brings an earlier payback and helps make the investment in solar equipment more cost-effective. 

While state payments come from the state’s utility tax fund, SNAP payments come from green-minded PUD customers who want to see new renewable resources developed. In the 2010-11 production year, customers contributed $25,506 to SNAP. 

There’s a place on the electric bill where customers can sign up to support SNAP in any amount. There’s also a spot on the PUD website where customers can sign up.  

The website is also the place to go if you’re looking for information on becoming a SNAP producer, or want to see facts and photos about producers in the program. 

In 2010-11, producers generated 117,792 kilowatt hours of electricity. To put that in perspective, that’s the average annual use of about six homes in Chelan County. “While that’s not a lot of power, that’s really not the point of the program,” said Susan Gillin, SNAP coordinator. “The point is to plant the seeds for a future resource that, as time goes by, will become more and more viable.”

Lighting contest winner Marilyn Sterley's home at 624 8th St. N.E., East Wenatchee

It’s been looking a lot like Christmas at Marilyn Sterley’s house in East Wenatchee for quite some time now — and she’s done it with energy-saving LEDs.

Sterley, the winner by popular vote of the 2011 Wenatchee World holiday lighting contest, said she began replacing her incandescent light strings with light-emitting diode strings as soon as the new technology was introduced. Now all the light strings are LEDs. “They’re brighter and better,” she noted. LEDs use a quarter of the energy used by traditional holiday lighting and last up to 10 times longer.

Sterley said the dominant color in her decorating scheme is blue. The blue incandescent bulbs she used to use faded quickly and had to be replaced after one season. The blue LEDs hold their color and never seem to fade, she said.

While all of Sterley’s strings are LEDs, she has several lighted figures that use incandescent bulbs. She’ll replace those with LEDs once manufacturers make the switch, she said.

Learn more about the benefits of LED holiday lighting here.

LED holiday lights – once difficult to find and expensive to purchase — are showing up in more and more stores at affordable prices.  At the same time manufacturers have improved the selection, producing bigger and brighter bulbs and new color options.

Here are some reasons to consider LED lighting for your holiday decorating this year:

• Energy-efficient – 0.08 watts per LED C7 multicolor bulb (compared with 0.48 watts for an incandescent mini-light and 6.0 watts for a standard incandescent C7 bulb.)
• Long life span – up to 100,000 hours or more used indoors, half that outdoors, and some manufacturers provide a limited lifetime warranty.
• Safety – no chance of combustion since the bulbs are cool to the touch, regardless of how long they are left on.
• Sturdy bulbs – the epoxy lenses are virtually indestructible.

Check out our brochure on LED holiday lighting, and happy holidays!

Third-grade teacher Vicki Anderson helps students with a science project in a classroom outfitted with new energy-efficient lighting.

Efficiency upgrades get high marks from students and staff at Chelan elementary school

Major heating and lighting improvements at the elementary school in Chelan are saving money and improving comfort.

Gone are the noisy, inefficient heat pumps and stagnant air. Gone are the irritating fluorescent lights that flicker, buzz and hum.

The only humming at Morgen Owings Elementary now is from school officials tickled with the improved environment and energy savings at the building. They’re singing the praises of PSF Mechanical, the Seattle contractor that worked through the summer to install the upgrades by the first day of school Sept. 5.

Morgen Owings Elementary School Principal Jeff Peck

Seattle-based PSF is an ESCO, or energy services company, pre-qualified by the state Superintendent of Public Instruction to work with K-12 schools.

An energy efficiency audit identified potential savings in HVAC and lighting at both the elementary school and middle/high school.  With help from PSF, the district secured  a state grant for $550,000. Chelan County PUD contributed $41,000 through its Resource$mart program and the school district paid the rest of the $1.1 million cost. 

The elementary school was treated to a complete upgrade of its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system and all new lighting. Chelan Middle/High School received new lighting only.  

The control center for Morgen Owings' new energy management system.

Energy savings at the two buildings is projected at 682,694 kilowatt hours per year — enough to power 31 Chelan County homes.

As part of the package, PSF guarantees that energy savings will occur. If savings projections aren’t reached, PSF agrees to pay the difference, said Dan Hering, business development manager for PSF.

More than 2,000 fluorescent lights were replaced at the two schools. At the elementary school, 52 new high-efficiency heat pumps were installed, air circulation equipment was upgraded, and “smart” controls were added. Thermostat set points now are controlled by a digital thermostat, central computer and network of “distributed intelligence” Hering said. Changes can be made remotely, and the building is monitored and metered for energy consumption.

Chelan Business Manager Scott Renick said if funds allow, a similar HVAC upgrade could occur at the middle/high school building.

Wenatchee High School is in line for a lighting retrofit this school year. Bryan Visscher, maintenance and operations supervisor, said lighting will be replaced throughout the building. Wenatchee is using Ameresco Quantum, another energy services company pre-qualified through the state energy program.

The high school project involves a complete overhaul of all lighting at a cost of about $650,000, Visscher said, with $255,000 covered by a state grant and $51,000 coming from the PUD’s Resource$mart energy efficiency program. The remainder will be paid by the school district.

Work will be done in the evenings beginning this fall and continuing through the spring. Projected energy savings is 858,085 kilowatt hours per year, or enough to power 39 homes.

Click here to view a graph showing early energy savings at Morgen Owings Elementary.

More information:
PSF Mechanical’s recap of the Chelan project

Superintendent of Public Instruction energy grants program

David Gerlach, left, from the Wenatchee Housing Rehabilitation Program, and Mark Wiser, Chelan PUD senior residential adviser, inspect new windows installed at a 1910 home on Kittitas Street.

Small improvements have added up to a big upgrade in comfort and efficiency in Francisca Martinez’s tiny home on Kittitas Street in Wenatchee.

With help from the city of Wenatchee’s Housing Rehabilitation Program, the 642-square-foot home has new ventilation fans and new energy-efficient windows and front door.

The house, built in 1910, had no ventilation. Wallboard in the bathroom and laundry room was falling apart from the humidity, said David Gerlach, housing program director. Dava Construction, a city contractor, installed fans, replaced the wallboard and extended pipes through the attic for improved ventilation. Energy-efficient vinyl-framed windows replaced single-pane, wood-framed glass. A new front door sealed the deal.

Francisca Martinez, center, with daughter Anna and son Mateo Lucero

Work was funded by a $5,000 housing program loan, with Chelan County PUD weatherization incentives covering a portion of the glass costs.

Martinez and her son, Mateo Lucero, said cold air in winter and warm air in summer used to come in around the windows and door. That’s gone now. The windows have also reduced street noise and made the home generally more comfortable, Martinez said.

Martinez is a fruit sorter at Northern Fruit. She has owned the home since 2005.