Pacific Power ‘Blue Sky’ options cheaper

Starting now, Pacific Power customers in Oregon can pay less to support an even stronger local mix of renewable energy resources from the Pacific Northwest through the popular Blue Sky Renewable Energy program.

The welcome changes are available through the company’s two most popular renewable energy options–Blue Sky Usage and Blue Sky Habitat.

The cost of renewable energy is dropping and Pacific Power is passing the savings along to Blue Sky participants.

The price to participate in the Blue Sky Usage and Blue Sky Habitat programs will be reduced by 12.5 percent, from 1.2 cents per kilowatt-hour to 1.05 cents per kilowatt-hour. The Blue Sky premium will remain well below the national average of 1.75 cents per kilowatt-hour for similar programs across the country.

Oregonians know a good deal all around when they see one. Approximately 7.6 percent of Pacific Power’s Oregon customers participate in the company’s voluntary Blue Sky renewable energy program, which is more than four times the national average.

In addition, in 2013 these Blue Sky programs will place a new emphasis on supporting locally generated renewable energy, sourcing exclusively from renewable generation in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. This commitment will enable Pacific Power customers to drive demand for renewable energy facilities that are providing a benefit even closer to home.

Blue Sky Usage and Habitat choices

The Blue Sky Usage and Habitat options provide Pacific Power’s Oregon customers with the personal ability to direct renewable energy support equal to their own monthly electricity use, which sends a clear signal of demand for renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest. More than 31,500 of Pacific Power’s Oregon customers already participate in one of these two Blue Sky options.

An additional 11,000 Oregon customers participate in the Blue Sky Block program where customers can support western region wind energy in fixed price, 100-kilowatt-hour “blocks” and help fund community based renewable energy projects in Oregon through grants made by Pacific Power’s Blue Sky each year.

The price of these blocks will remain the same in 2013 as in 2012–$1.95 per block. Business customers can take advantage of bulk pricing discounts when buying more than 100 blocks per month for a minimum period of one year.

About Blue Sky

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has ranked Blue Sky fifth or better in the nation for the eighth consecutive year in the number of customers buying renewable power and for renewable power sales volume.

The program is Green-e Energy certified, which means the renewable energy supported meets the rigorous national environmental and consumer-protection standards established by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions.

About 46,300 Pacific Power customers currently participate in the Blue Sky program across Oregon, Washington and California.

For more information, visit www.pacificpower.net/bluesky. For more information on Green-e Energy, visit www.green-e.org/energy.