BEND, Ore. (AP) — By turning off a few valves and adding some new pipes to Bend’s water system, the city may be able to shave a couple of hundred thousand dollars off its $700,000-a-year energy costs.
The Bulletin newspaper reports a study could reduce its wintertime energy costs by about 67 percent and its summertime costs by about 23 percent.
The study was performed by Optimatics, an international firm specializing in finding the most efficient ways to operate water systems.
The study used complex engineering formulas, and took into account things like daily energy costs for wells and pump stations, water levels in reservoirs and the amount of pressure coming through city pipes.
