Congratulations Seniors!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - During their May 26, 2009 meeting, the Moorhead Public Service Commission recognized the winners from the 2009 MPS Scholarship Contests.

Congratulations go out to:

• Tristan Larson: son of Mary Jo Schmid and Brent Larson. Tristan is being awarded the $800 Moorhead Public Service Public Power Scholarship. Tristan is graduating from Moorhead High School and is planning on attending Illinois Institute of Technology and will be studying Civil Engineering. Tristan’s essay won the MPS grand prize and was submitted to Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association’s annual Tom Bovitz’s Memorial Scholarship Contest and took second place in a statewide competition. With the second place win, Tristan will be awarded an additional $1,500.


• Rebecca Ystebo: daughter of Fred and Julie Ystebo. Rebecca is being awarded the $1,000 Moorhead Public Service Video Scholarship. Rebecca is graduating from Park Christian and is planning on attending North Dakota State University and will be studying Clinical Laboratory Science.


• Luke Sollie: son of Alden and Lynnell Sollie. Luke is being awarded the $800 Moorhead Public Service Video Scholarship. Luke is a 2009 home school graduate and is planning on attending Concordia College and will be studying Music Education.


• Elisabeth Hanson: daughter of Bruce and Margaret Hanson. Elisabeth is being awarded the $1,000 Missouri River Energy Services Scholarship. Elisabeth is graduating from Moorhead High School and is planning on attending Concordia College.

Congratulations to all our winners. We wish them the best in their academic pursuits!

Photo (L-R): Ken Norman (MPS Commission President), Elisabeth Hanson,
Tristan Larson, Luke Sollie, Bill Schwandt (MPS General Manager)

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Wind Tubine Outage

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - As you drive through Moorhead, there are two objects that are a visible part of our community skyline. In 1999, MPS constructed the first of two wind turbines with the second being completed in 2001. MPS is the proud owner of our own renewable wind power generation, right here in Moorhead. (If you would like to learn more about our Capture the Wind program, visit our website)

From time to time, one, or both, of these turbines may not be running. One such time happened last night. According to a staff memo, one of the turbines (the west turbine, Zephyr) shut down around 7:30pm due to a hot gear oil alarm. A shut down also occured on May 16th due to the same alarm. Hot gear oil can be common during times of high wind speeds, as the turbines blades can move at fast speeds.

The turbine was restarted and everything was working fine by 8:30 this morning.

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Moorhead Public Service Commission Meeting

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - Last night the Moorhead Public Service Commission held their first meeting for the month of May. It was a meeting that covered many topics. MPS General Manager Bill Schwandt said in a staff meeting, "this meeting is a pretty wide spectrum, we've got it all on this one." This meeting covered topics ranging from the 2008 Audit Report, to Energy-Efficient Street lighting, to Voluntary Watering Restrictions and more. Let's try to highlight a few of the topics discussed:



Audit Report. Each year MPS engages Eide Bailly LLP to conduct an audit of the financial statements of Moorhead Public Service. Again, this year there were no major areas of concern from the audit. Brian Stavenger, CPA, (Senior Manager with Eide Bailly) said that all MPS financial records were "fairly stated and materially accurate," which is a thumbs up in auditors language! MPS had a $6.5 million increase in net assets and all three divisions (electric, water, and broadband) ended the year with positive changes in net assets. All good news for the audit report.



Energy-Efficient Street lighting. MPS Electric Division Manager Dave Kahly gave a report on our street lighting program here in Moorhead and offered an opinion on some emerging technology, such as LED lighting. Although LED lights are more energy efficient, they are still very costly. MPS currently has a few LED lights on our system for testing and we needs to continue to monitor the activities and developments with this technology.



2009 Flood Update. The Commission heard an update on the 2009 flood and MPS' response. The report including highlights and areas of improvement for MPS. If you would like to see the list of the items, check out the Commission agenda at mpsutility.com. Also, if you have any comments for MPS, please let us know what we did well, or what we could improve on.



Watering Restrictions . There were a couple items in last night's meeting that came from the Water Department. The first was a voluntary watering restriction for the residents of Moorhead. It seems odd to think about conserving water after the flood we just experienced; however, as we move into the summer months, the Commission is asking the residents of Moorhead to be smart about their water use. The Commission is asking residents to observe an odd-even water schedule. Lawn watering and car washing is asked to be limited to customers by street address. All customers with even-numbered address can use water for these two items on even-numbered days, and vice-versa for odd-numbered homes. Again, this is a voluntary program that is established to remind residents to use water wisely. We have tips for keeping a lush lawn on our website. Visit the "Water Conservation Page" under "For Your Home" on mpsutility.com.



There were many other items on the May 12, 2009 Commission agenda that were discussed. The minutes for this meeting will be made available online at mpsutility.com as soon as the Commission approves them. As always, everyone is encouraged to attend the Commission meetings. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 4:30pm.



Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

2009 MRES Annual Meeting

Monday, May 11, 2008 - Recently I had the opportunity to attend the 2009 Annual Meeting for Missouri River Energy Systems (MRES) in Sioux Falls, SD. MRES is one of Moorhead’s two major electric power suppliers. The overall theme was “Balancing Our Energy Future”. Over the course of the two day conference I heard from various speakers regarding our energy balance, energy efficiency, environmental impacts, legislation, the smart grid and power delivery issues.

Speakers included:

• Tom Heller, General Manager, MRES
• Susan Stratton, Executive Director, Energy Center of Wisconsin Cost-Effective Energy Efficiency
• Tim Meeks, Administrator, Western Area Power Administration Perspectives on Energy Priorities
• Paul Boyd, Regional Technical Specialist, US Army Corp of Engineers Sedimentation Actions and Impacts in the Missouri River Basin
• Marty Kanner, Kanner & Associates, LLC Federal Legislative Outlook
• Carl Mycoff, Mycoff, Fry & Prouse LLC The Aging Workforce and Public Power’s Competitive Position
• Mike Beehler, Associate VP Transmission and Distribution, Burns & McDonnell Defining the Smart Grid for Electric Utilities
• Ray Wahle, Director of Power Supply and Operations, MRES MRES Generation and Transmission Update
• Harold Schiebout, Sioux Center Municipal Utilities and MRES Chairman of the Board.

I would like to single out the presentation from Ms. Stratton to give you a glimpse of the information presented by these top-quality speakers.

As mentioned above, Stratton’s presentation was titled: Cost-Effective Energy Efficiency. Stratton’s position is that when it comes to using energy more wisely the very first thing we should consider is to implement energy efficient measures if possible. You’ve heard it before, “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” Efficiency is the “reduce” part.

Stratton also reminded us that incandescent bulbs will start to be phased out in 2012. When only compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) are available she humorously noted that utilities might want to reconsider their CFL bulb give-away programs!

Another reminder from Stratton was the deadline for federal stimulus applications, June 25, 2009. Moorhead Public Service (MPS) is looking into some possibilities here so keep posted for further updates on this topic.

An interesting concept that Stratton brought up was that of “Blitz” programs, that is to say implementing community-wide energy efficient programs. I take blitzing to mean more than just a marketing campaign, but something more concrete where people and businesses engage in some measureable energy efficient activity. This is a great idea that I believe MPS should give some thought to.

Finally, Stratton summarized energy efficiency tools utilities should be familiar with:

• Energy Efficiency measures. Remember the “reduce” part?
• Consider increase use of renewable energy supplies.
• Energy from waste materials.
• Infrastructure improvements.
• Continued/increased use of load management strategies.
• Combined heat and power applications.

In short, it was a great conference with a lot of great ideas presented!
Posted by: MPS Energy Services Manager, Dennis Eisenbraun

Electrical Safety Month

Monday, May 11, 2009 - During the month of May, we celebrate Electrical Safety Month. Electricity is a great asset as we live our everyday lives, but it can also be very dangerous if not handled properly. Here are a few safety tips for both indoor and outdoor electrical usage:

Indoor Safety:

• Don't overload outlets. An overloaded outlet is a fire hazard. If your outlets are overloaded with many appliances, consider having a qualified electrician install additional outlets.
• Frayed cords are dangerous. Cord insulation keeps electricity in the wires, where it belongs. Regularly check appliance power cords and connections for wear; don't use frayed or cracked cords.
• Extension cords are for temporary indoor use. Keep them away from moisture, heat, or metal pipes. Never put them under rugs because they can become frayed or cracked without out being able to see the damage.
• Water + Electricity = Shocking! Always unplug any kitchen appliance before cleaning it. Even if turned off, it can shock you. Use outlets with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) for appliances near kitchen sinks.

Outdoor Safety:

• Keep your distance from overhead lines. When carrying and using ladder and other long tools, make sure to keep them at least 10 feet away from all overhead lines-including the line from the power pole to your home.
• Stay out of substations! Tell children that if a ball or toy gets into a substation they should tell an adult and call the power company (MPS' phone number is 299-5400). Never try to retrieve the toy yourself.
• Call before you dig. If you hit an underground line you could be seriously or fatally injured. Before digging or moving earth in any way, call 811 or 1-800-252-1166 to have all underground utilities located.
• Select power tools designed for outdoor use. They should have heavier wiring and be double insulated or have three-way grounded plugs. When working outside near water, be sure to plug tools into a GFCI.

Why you can get shocked: Electricity takes the easiest path to the ground. If you touch electricity (or something touching electricity) and the ground at the same time, you become the path, and electricity will flow through you causing you to become seriously, or fatally, injured.

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

myMPSbill.com

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 -Have you been wanting to pay your bills online? Many of our customers have been asking if MPS will be offering online bill pay. We are proud to announce that we are doing more than just offering online bill pay, we are offering a complete online account system for our customers.

myMPSbill.com is our new online customer portal that allows our customers to:

• Make online payments using credit/debit cards
• View your electric and water usage
• Receive eBills
• View your transaction history
• and more!

If you haven't created an account with myMPSbill.com yet, log in and check it out. simply visit http://www.mympsbill.com/. If you have any questions about the website or setting up an account, call our customer service representatives at 218-299-5400 or e-mail us at mps@mpsutility.com.

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Drinking Water Week 2009!

Monday, May 4, 2009 -Happy Drinking Water Week everyone!

May 3 through May 9, 2009 in Drinking Water Week in the United States. During this week, MPS asks you, "What can your water do?"

Water can:

• Clean your dishes
• Keep your car clean
• Fight fires
• Wash clothes
• Help your plants grow
• and Keep you healthy

Tap water is the lifeblood of our communities. Think about it, our tap water sustains us. It provides health protection, fire protection, support for our economy, and the high-quality of life we enjoy. There are no daily trips to the town well to gather water; water is simply delivered to our homes and is available every time we turn on a faucet. Most measures of a successful society (low mortality rates, economic growth and diversity, productivity, and public safety) are in some way related to access to safe water.

This week, as you use your tap water, MPS asks you to think about what a marvel it is to have this resource available, and we ask you celebrate what only tap water can deliver.

For more information about your tap water, visit www.drinktap.org. Also, check out the Drinking Water Week page on mpsutility.com ... ... Happy Drinking Water Week!

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness