The Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) currently charges residential customers just under 7 cents per kilowatt hour.
This appears to be a flat rate that stays the same no matter what time of day the power is consumed.
With the advent of battery electric vehicles and powerwalls, I think there is an opportunity to establish a new two-tier fee schedule that would offer great benefit to customers and the PUD alike.
Powerwalls are large lithium ion battery banks that easily integrate with home electric service boxes and any sustainable energy system (i.e. wind or solar) a homeowner might want to set up.
Electric vehicles and powerwalls give a homeowner the ability to choose when they want to draw power from PUD’s grid.
If Lewis County PUD established a time tier from say 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily and set the rate for that tier a couple of cents lower than the current rate, homeowners would be encouraged to draw more power during this period of lower demand.
This could greatly flatten demand from the grid and make life a lot easier for PUD power planners and, since power supply infrastructure needs to be designed for peak demands, a flatter demand curve with lower peaks will lower infrastructure capital requirements.
Many PUD’s around the country have moved to this kind of multi-tier power rate system, so the technology is definitely available.
It’s time for Lewis County PUD to start planning for this upgrade.
Robert Crocker
Chehalis
