September 16, 2020
Since 2015, Hansen, Allen & Luce (HAL) and Cascade Energy have delivered industrial energy efficiency programs to water and wastewater customers of Idaho Power.
This year, Idaho Power published a brochure, entitled “Water Ways: Idaho Power’s Water Supply Cohort Success Story,” that explains the process and its results for the first “cohort” of 15 southern Idaho water utilities that participated in a multi-year strategic energy management (SEM) program.
In the first two years of the program, participants collectively saved 2.4 million kilowatt-hours through a combination of capital and operational improvements incentivized by Idaho Power. After the success of the first two years, 11 water utilities re-enlisted for three more years, which are now under way.
“Participants should be very proud—for not only delivering high-quality water reliably to their customers, but also identifying inefficiencies and developing sustainable solutions that save energy and money,” Chellie Jensen, Idaho Power’s senior engineer overseeing the program, said in the brochure.
“Before the cohort, our pump designs were focused on hitting a target flow rate and total dynamic head,” said Dennis Teller and Kyle Radek of Meridian’s Public Works Department. “Future designs will focus on optimizing pump efficiency within a range of flow.”
HAL and Cascade Energy have provided similar services to over 50 water utilities to date and have formalized their partnership under the name Aquafficiency (www.aquafficiency.com). Anyone interested in this service may contact Rob Sowby at info@hansenallenluce.com.
Photo: The Snake River near Twin Falls, Idaho.