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New PGE Program Pays Pool Owners To Help Save Power Source: kcbs Publication date: 2001-05-05

(KCBS) - Pacific Gas and Electric is launching a new program that will pay pool owners to help the utility save power. PGE Spokeswoman Staci Homrig says the utility will pay pool owners a one-time bonus of $20 if they switch their in ground swimming pool pumps to run between 8pm at night and 10am in the morning.

Homrig says if 80 percent of residential pool owners sign up for the program the utility can save up to 15 megawatts of power during peak demand hours. Homrig says that would put power usage lower than what is forecast this summer and could help prevent rolling blackouts.

Homrig says PGE is using money from the utility's Public Purpose Program Fund to pay pool owners to make the switch.

-- Helium (HeliumAvid@yahoo.com), May 05, 2001

Answers

sorry, no can do. just got on solar so it has to run during the day. is there a rebate for getting off gas? probably not since it is propane, not their area.

but i SHOULD get a rebate from somebody for being a good citizen shouldn't i? i know, i'll ask gray davis . . .

-- david moore (davidmoore01@excccite.com), May 05, 2001.

Boy, I wish our power company would make that offer. Especially since pool is set to come on at 3am and run until 7am. They ought to pay for the bubble wrap pool covers too. I keep my pool at 90 as I use it as a giant hot tub for excercise as I have a muscle disease. But we bought one of those sheets of heavy duty bubble wrap where you cut it to fit your pool. Using that we usually only lose 1 to 2 degrees over night, so that cover is on unless someone is in the pool. It heats up much faster with the cover too. I can't recommend this type of cheapy pool cover enough. Taz Taz

-- Taz (Tassie123@aol.com), May 05, 2001.

Only people who's pool pumps aren't near their bedrooms will be intersted in the early morning gig. Hopefully their neighbor's bedrooms aren't too near the pumps, either.

-- Mr. Pool (-@your.service), May 05, 2001.

Private pool owners can do what they want. but the only way to maintain a safe public pool is to circulate the water 24/7. I just completeded myt CPO training. The instructor had horror stories of unsafe pools and spas in hotels and health clubs. The number of people being treated for spa-water infections is said to be epidemic.

Spas are especially risky because the warm water opens thew skin pores and whatever is in the water gets into the body. Wouuld you take a bath in water that a bunch of dirty strangers used?

-- John littmann (LITTMANNJOHNTL@AOL.COM), May 06, 2001.

San Diego Gas & Electric has a similar program. But when I called to ask about incentive payments for "mothballing" a pool for the energy emergency entirely, I was told that for this, there was no incentive payment. Shutting down a pool and not using the energy guzzling pump at all should be worth a much larger incentive payment.

California will be paying upwards of $3 per kilowatt hour for energy this summer during peak periods. Rates may not even fall that much at night, because any excess power capacity will be sent north to Washington and Oregon, to allow this electricity-strapped region to conserve scarce hydroelectric reserves. Night rates will depend on how much power can be sent, relative to the available generation capacity that emerges at night.

-- Robert Riggs (rxr.999@worldnet.att.net), May 06, 2001.