Do You Qualify for the Senior Disabled Discount?
Your Grays Harbor PUD offers discounts of up to 35% through the Low-Income Senior and Disabled Discount program. The amount of the discount depends on household income, which means if you are a senior or disabled customer of Grays Harbor PUD with a total household income of $34,225 or less, and meet other eligibility requirements, you may receive a discount on your power bill. To learn more about the Senior and Disabled discount program, go to the Grays Harbor PUD website at www.ghpud.org, or call Grays Harbor PUD Customer Service at (360) 532-4220. If you are already enrolled in the Senior Disabled Discount Program, the PUD will be mailing renewal forms in February.
Save $$ and Power with Energy Efficiency
When temperatures drop and heaters are turned on, energy bills go up. Your Grays Harbor PUD has incentives and programs available that can help you save energy and reduce costs. Aging windows, leaky ductwork and inefficient heaters can cause heat to flow out of your home and money to flow out of your wallet. Call the PUD Energy Services Department to learn more about rebates for improvements to your heating system and weatherization projects, BEFORE you begin your project. The PUD also offers free home energy audits which can help pinpoint areas where your home energy efficiency may be improved. For information on audits, rebates, and other programs, call Energy Services at (360) 538-6383.
The PUD is Prepared and You Should Be Too
The 2022-23 fall and winter has seen a variety of power outages for your PUD crews. Being in Grays Harbor, we know that we will face the challenges of being on the coast and all the exposure our electrical system has to high wind and big trees, but your PUD team has also dealt with the impacts of rain storms, ice, early snow, and a number of car vs pole collisions. These elements have kept our crews busy from the coast from Tokeland to Clearwater and in East County, from North River to Oakville.
Being prepared for the weather starts long before the wind starts to blow. The PUD budgets money each year to do vegetation management, and it sure pays dividends in the long haul. However, the geography of the area and the large number of trees that are growing around our power lines keeps the PUD team on high alert. Whatever the cause, your PUD team is ready to go and prides itself on getting power restored to our customers as quickly and safely as possible. I know that losing power on a cold night or in the middle of working from home can be frustrating, but when a tree comes down across the power lines or a car destroys a pole, it may not be a quick fix. The PUDs response system during these outages works well. Our dispatch center is manned 24/7, so when there is an outage, they can get a serviceman to find the problem and a crew and supplies out to restore power.
At the PUD, we like to remind customers that our crews are ready, and customers should be too. Tips on outage kits, safeguarding your home and appliances with surge protection, and remembering to never touch or move a downed power line are just some of the messages we send out to customers every year.
Getting through the fall and winter storm season can be tough for all of us, but being prepared makes it a little easier.
By Arie Callaghan, District One Commissioner
Commission Meeting Dates
Meetings are held in the Nichols Building, 220 Myrtle Street, Hoquiam.
February 2023
Monday—February 6
Tuesday—February 21
March 2023
Monday—March 6
Monday—March 20
Utility workshops are held at 3:30 pm. Regular business meetings are scheduled to begin at the conclusion of the utility workshop. Public comment periods are included at the open and close of every meeting.
Commission meetings may be cancelled, and special meetings may be scheduled. Commission meetings are open to public attendance. Those who wish to attend virtually may do so. For more information, go to www.ghpud.org.