Recently a customer called Trevor Frick, the Clark Public Utilities’ Energy Counselor of the Day, with a real mystery. Over the last few years the customer’s home energy bills steadily increased, but took a big leap this summer. The household’s size hadn’t changed, and they didn’t purchase any big appliances or ever use air conditioning.
“Through a few minutes of questions and answers we figured out that this was likely a hot water leak. A plumber later found a staple punctured a hot water pipe in the crawlspace years ago,” Frick said. “The leak gradually got worse until it really started showing up on the water and electric bills. Fixing the pipe should put the household’s energy bills back down to normal.”
For years, free consultations with the Energy Services Team has been a popular resource for Clark Public Utilities customers who want to reduce their energy waste and lower their bills. Theses trained and highly experienced professionals help customers understand their property’s unique circumstances and offer practical, energy-saving advice.
The utility has halted in-person appointments for the duration of the public health emergency, but that hasn’t slowed things down for Energy Services. A call or email to the Energy Counselor of the Day is usually the first step.
“The phone line has been really busy since the pandemic began,” Frick said. “People have been spending extra time at home and consuming more energy than normal so they’re looking for ways to save while others people are seriously considering those home improvement projects they’ve had in mind for a while.”
Because in-person appointments are temporarily halted, Frick said he’s putting extra energy into each conversation so he and the customer can find a solution. Fortunately for them, he has years of experience in residential construction, building sciences and energy efficiency.
Whether speaking with Frick or any one of the utility’s other energy counselors, customers of all sorts can get the help and information they need. Any member of the team can speak about the utility’s energy efficiency upgrade rebate, loans and incentive programs. But each one also has their own area of expertise.
Energy Services Supervisor DuWayne Dunham manages the utility’s contractor network, the list of businesses that have met the utility’s many requirements for participating in its programs, and helps design, implement and supports the utility’s energy efficiency programs.
Energy Services Counselor Mike Wallace works closely with businesses who want to save energy by participating in the Commercial Lighting Incentive Program.
“Minus in-person residential and commercial site visits, we’re still offering the same services to our customers we always have,” Dunham said. “Often, an in-person visit wouldn’t be necessary. By combining our customer’s property knowledge with our records and the public information available to us we’re able to get a good grasp on the building’s condition and drill down to the best solutions.”
Energy counselors are available Monday through Friday during business hours to answer questions about home energy use and help you reduce energy waste. Call them at 360-992-3355 or send an email to ecod@clarkpud.com. Customers can also visit our website to discover energy-savings tips whenever its convenient for them by visiting our website, clarkpublicutilities.com.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
