Uncover High Bill Issue. Page 2. News Feed: Business. Customer Forms Now Online. Page 3. Managing Energy Use at the. Ida
Connections May 2014
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myAccount Helps Uncover High Bill Issue
News Feed: Business Customer Forms Now Online
Managing Energy Use at the Idaho Army National Guard
Simple Steps to Register for myAccount
myAccount “The more I use it, the more I can’t live without it!” – Sandi Hainline at home in Hagerman with her children
Online Tools Help Resolve High Power Bill It was the unusually high power bill that caught Sandi Hainline’s attention last December — the day after Christmas. The monthly amount due for her allelectric home in Hagerman was triple what she had expected, even with the cold weather. The mother of two, was responsible for managing the family’s monthly budget while at home caring for
her children and studying at the College of Idaho, online.
“I assumed if we complained about the bill to the landlady, she probably would tell us we were using too much power,” explained Hainline. “I felt helpless.”
Hainline took control; she called Idaho Power for help. The customer service representative told her about tools on our website that help customers review bills and learn about their home’s energy use, then walked her through the process of registering online for myAccount.
(continued on page 2) She knew their energy use had not changed to such an extreme. That’s when
News Feed New Online Forms Help Business Customers 24/7 Construction Service Requests Building contractors and electricians now can submit a request for temporary service, order a “swing” to permanent service, verify an order and submit questions on our website. Before this option, these service requests required a phone call to our Customer Service Center to talk with a customer service representative during regular business hours. Our customers tell us the new online option is much more convenient for them.
Idaho Power Service Requests Now Available Online 24/7. www.idahopower.com/servicerequest
www.idahopower.com/servicerequests
Landlord/Property Manager Requests When a property manager or landlord needs to confirm a tenant has signed up for electric service, it can be easily done on our website. The new online form accepts requests for new Continuous Service Agreements, turning on and off service, checking property status, managing agreements, adding or removing authorized parties and other business with us any hour of the day.
Manage Your Properties with Idaho Power Online 24/7 ATTN: Landlord/Property Managers
www.idahopower.com/landlords
www.idahopower.com/landlords
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Online Tool
myAccount Helps Idaho Army National Guard Monitor Energy Use
(continued from page 1) “Rather than waiting for someone else to fix the problem, I felt empowered to resolve it,” she said. “myAccount gave me the ability to take control.”
At first, it was a bit overwhelming when she logged on; there were so many categories in which to view her home’s energy use. She educated herself one click at a time, exploring each section to see what it could do for her. She put in specific dates to see how much electricity she was using. She also looked at high and low temperatures for each day, comparing all the data available to her.
continued to monitor their energy use through myAccount and it still was higher than it should have been. Her husband, Richard, went into the home’s crawl space and found two ducts not connected to the heating system. He also found a broken water line to the refrigerator; they were using electricity to pump water from the well all the time, but it was running back into the ground. “Knowledge is power; I had graphs and data to show our landlady this wasn’t normal usage,” said Hainline. “myAccount enabled us to work together as a team to find a solution.”
When an Idaho Power representative followed up to Energy Use Comparison discuss her account, Annual Electricity Energy Use Hainline already had $2,292 Avg. Home reviewed the same Uses Uses Most Least Energy Energy information in $1,897 My Home myAccount; there Electricity were no surprises. The numbers were in a Appliance Use Comparison normal range. Annual Electricity Cost Heating $684 Hot Water/Laundry $501 Cooling $203 Food Storage $182 Other $130 Lighting $128 Cooking $69
Total
Electricity
Hainline completed a customized Home Profile and learned most of her family’s power was used to heat the house — and the numbers did not add up. Equipped with her electric usage graphs, pie charts and a checklist, she approached her landlady to identify opportunities for energy savings. They soon discovered a problem with the heat pump, resulting in the less-efficient back-up heater heating the house. After the equipment was fixed, Hainline
“As a customer, I finally have control over my power usage instead of being shocked by a Gas higher-than-normal bill. The estimated bill amount lets me know in advance — and it’s pretty accurate.” Hainline said you don’t have to be computer savvy to use myAccount. “Just go on there and play around; it’s easy. It’s all about you. Educate yourself, that way you have peace of mind that you’re taking care of your family and home, and not throwing your money away.”
www.idahopower.com/myAccount
With more than 100 Idaho Power accounts and a monthly hard copy bill of at least 80 pages, energy oversight is critical for the Idaho Army National Guard. That’s why state employee Jason Styba, an engineer and Certified Energy Manager, uses myAccount to help manage the Guard’s energy use, as well as energy efficiency and conservation projects. Styba began working with Idaho Power about three years ago to identify a more convenient method for reviewing details from electric service points at many locations across the state. As with many large organizations, employees who received and processed bills at the base were not the same ones who managed energy use. He needed more visibility of detailed data for analyzing bills, conducting energy audits and reporting energy use to the government. “I didn’t always see the paper statements unless I requested them,” said Styba. “Now, it’s easier to go online to view bills on myAccount.” He can look at a specific service meter with detailed hourly and daily usage history, some monthly data going back as far as two years. If there is any abnormal activity at a service point, he can promptly investigate. For example, there was an unusual peak of energy use at one of their facilities on Thanksgiving Day. Because it was a holiday, it didn’t make sense to Styba until he verified someone had entered the building and turned on electricity to the entire
facility when it was only needed for a smaller work area. myAccount data helped them understand operations and make adjustments. He also noticed an increase in usage at an ammunition storage facility’s electric meter each evening. The explanation was a high lighting requirement at night for video monitoring equipment covering the span of a stadium-size facility. The result was an energyefficiency lighting upgrade to meet security requirements while reducing energy use. In fact, following a recent LED exterior lighting upgrade, Styba saw the results in myAccount even before the bill arrived. He used that data to document an energy savings of at least 40 percent in reports to his leadership. “Having this information helps us better understand how we operate,” Styba said. “From a business perspective, it takes someone who has a vested interest and cares about saving energy. Just spend some time looking through the tools and data online, and you’ll soon understand what’s really going on and identify obvious ways to save.”
Jason Styba is an engineer and certified energy manager with the Idaho Army National Guard, at Gowen Field in Boise.
New LEDs at Gowen Field resulted in an energy savings of at least 40 percent for these street lights.
You don’t have to be a certified energy manager like Styba to manage your own energy use — you, too, can take control by using myAccount.
An energy-efficient lighting upgrade at a Guard drill hall keeps energy use manageable. 3
How to Register For myAccount
• Pay Your Bill
If you’ve already registered for Account Manager, you are registered for myAccount.
• Get Account Information • Understand Your Use
If you haven’t registered, go to the “myAccount Login” box on our home page at www.idahopower.com. Click “Register Now,” and provide your account number and last payment amount (available on your bill). You now are ready to review your Idaho Power account and take control of your electric usage. Here are a few simple things you can do: • Pay your bill via a no-fee electronic check • Get an estimate of your next bill • View your billing and payment history • Start, stop or transfer service • Track your electricity use by the day, hour and more • Compare your use over time — month-to-month, year-to-year, weekday vs. weekend, etc. • See how the weather affects your electricity use
myAccount
As a residential customer, you can complete a Home Profile for a detailed energy analysis. There’s also a series of energy calculators to help you identify the best energy-efficient improvement projects. As a business customer, you can access myAccount to manage, understand and control your business’ energy bills. Register today!
Log in today: www.idahopower.com/myAccount
From The Electric Kitchen
Almond Nut and Seed Energy Bars 1 cup oats 3 cups nuts and seeds (suggested combination: ½ cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds; 1/4 cup each of raw unsalted cashew pieces, pumpkin seeds, almond slices; ¼ cup toasted watermelon seeds) ½ cup almond butter ¼ cup honey ½ teaspoon vanilla Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with wax paper, extending the paper over two opposing sides of pan to use as handles later. In a medium bowl, combine oats, nuts, and seeds. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low, heat the almond butter, honey and vanilla for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add oats, seeds and nuts to almond butter mixture and stir to evenly coat. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and pack firmly into an even layer. Let mixture stand until firm; about an hour. Using wax paper handles, lift out the nut and seed mixture. Cut into 12 rectangles. Store in refrigerator. Make 12 2 x 2¾ inch bars.
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Snack Dietary information per serving: Calories: 173 Protein: 4g Carbohydrates: 12g Fat: 13g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 27mg Fiber: 1g
May 2014
Connections is published monthly to communicate information for our customers about services we provide, programs we offer and industry issues impacting our service area in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. Our goal is to engage and inspire you to learn more about Idaho Power and how we are working together to meet your energy needs today and tomorrow. Comments or questions are welcome at www.idahopower.com/contactus or contact us at: Corporate Communications P.O. Box 70, Boise, ID 83707
Recipes are selected for nutritional value and low energy use in preparation. They are approved by Joanne Graff, Health Policy Analyst from the Central District Health Department in Boise, Idaho. Printed on recycled paper
