Tag: electric utility

City Light Completes South End Utility Pole Replacements

Contracted crews recently completed their work to replace aging utility poles in parts of Seattle City Light’s south end of the service territory. Crews replaced a total of 274 poles from March 2017 to December 2017.

Example of crews working on a utility pole.

Utility pole replacements are needed for several reasons. In many cases, poles need to be upgraded to add space for other third-party utilities (such as power, cable TV, phone service, etc.). Poles are also replaced if they are structurally unstable. This can be affected by the age of the pole, weather conditions, wildlife and even vehicle-pole collisions.

Completion of this work supports improvements in enhancing electrical reliability for customers.

Seattle City Light thanks its customers for their patience during the successful completion of this work.

Learn more about this project and others by visiting Seattle City Light’s “At Work in Your Neighborhood” website.

City Light Completes Electrical System Upgrades in SODO

Seattle City Light crews recently completed a project in late December 2017 to replace aging electrical infrastructure in the SODO neighborhood. The work included the replacement of aging utility poles, overhead wire and equipment to help upgrade the existing electrical system.

Map of the construction work area in the SODO neighborhood.

This work was part of a second phase to upgrade the electrical system in the Chinatown-International District, Yesler Terrace and SODO neighborhoods.

Previous work in the Chinatown-International District area was completed in June 2017. Upgrades to these three neighborhoods will support redevelopment projects and increased electrical reliability, flexibility and capacity.

City Light thanks its customers for their patience during the successful completion of this project.

For more information on this project and others in your area, please visit Seattle City Light’s “At Work in Your Neighborhood” website.

Arroyo Community Meeting Scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017

Seattle City Light will be hosting a community meeting for Arroyo neighborhood residents on Thursday, December 14 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Westside School to discuss an unplanned power outage that took place on December 3. The meeting will also include information about the history of the neighborhood’s electrical infrastructure, and future upgrades for the Arroyo area.

Click on the flier for more information.

The Westside School is located at 10404 34th Avenue Southwest, in West Seattle’s Arbor Heights neighborhood. Street parking is available around the neighborhood and east of the campus on 32nd Avenue Southwest. The meeting will be held in the school’s theater.

For more information, please contact Shelby Calipes, Customer Engineering Supervisor at (206) 386-4274 or shelby.calipes@seattle.gov.

 

Electrical Infrastructure Repairs on Harvard Avenue Begin This August

Starting in early August 2017, Seattle City Light will be taking steps to maintain reliability in the Capitol Hill area by repairing handholes and conduit along Harvard Avenue. This work is being coordinated with W.G. Clark Construction and the 722 East Pike Street project.

Stage 1 – Week of August 7, 2017

Crews will be trenching for electrical conduit across Harvard Avenue, between East Pine Street and East Pike Street.

Harvard Avenue will be open for local access only during construction hours.

Stage 2 – Week of August 14, 2017

Crews will close the north side of Harvard Avenue between East Pike Street and East Union Street to access a handhole.

The south side of Harvard Avenue will be accessible for local access. Parking will be restricted on Bolyston Avenue to allow for detoured traffic.

Project Impacts

Parking will be restricted within the construction work area. Traffic and pedestrian safety will be maintained by uniformed police officers and flaggers.

Crews will be careful to maintain access to buildings. Driveways will remain open during construction.

Maintenance outages are required to do the work safely. Customers will be notified in advance of any outage.

Timing & Coordination

This project is anticipated to start during the week of August 7, 2017. It is expected that the work will take approximately two weeks to complete. Daily work hours are from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with possible weekend work.

For more information, customers can contact Kristy Tibbetts, Crew Coordinator at (206) 684-3043 or kristy.tibbetts@seattle.gov.

Visit Seattle City Light’s “At Work in Your Neighborhood” website for the latest updates on this project: http://www.seattle.gov/light/atwork/release.asp?RN=396.

Business Customers Rate Seattle City Light Highest in Customer Satisfaction

Business customers rated Seattle City Light highest in customer satisfaction among western region midsize electric utilities in the J.D. Power 2016 calendar-year study released today.

“Providing excellent customer service in the delivery of reliable, low-cost, environmentally responsible electricity is what we strive for every day,” Seattle City Light General Manager and CEO Larry Weis said. “I’m proud of our employees for the effort they consistently bring to make that goal a reality for our customers.”

City Light’s score in the survey increased 44 points over the previous year, with improvement in every category of the survey. Throughout the past year, J.D. Power asked business customers to rate their satisfaction with utilities related to power quality and reliability; corporate citizenship; price; billing and payment; communications; and customer service.

City Light received a score of 782 in the survey, which was 27 points higher than the national average. Following City Light among western midsize utilities were Idaho Power, and then a tie between NorthWestern Energy and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

We believe City Light’s efforts to increase safety, its environmental initiatives and their familiarity with energy efficiency programs among the reasons for their satisfaction.

Safety was a focus area for City Light in 2016. The utility is a national leader in environmental stewardship and energy conservation. In 2005, it became the first utility in the country to fully offset all its greenhouse gas emissions and has maintained its carbon neutral status ever since. City Light has supported energy efficiency and conservation programs since 1977, helping its customers to use less electricity and save money.

City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to about 750,000 Seattle area residents.