Our power is still a bargain, and we use a lot

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Despite this winter's huge rate increases, electricity remains a bargain in the Northwest.

But we use a lot of it - far more than the national average.

In 1999, Washington ranked lowest among the 50 states in per-kilowatt cost of power for residential users but seventh in energy consumption, according to the federal Department of Energy.

So while we pay the least for our power, our monthly bills are far from the lowest.

Maine residents are the stingiest in their energy consumption, using an average of 493 kilowatts per month; that compares with 1,144 kilowatts in Washington.

But folks in Maine paid at least 13 cents for a kilowatt-hour in 1999; the same amount cost just over a nickel in Washington.

Prices of 1999 have become the stuff of nostalgia. Even so, electricity in the Northwest remains relatively cheap.

TXU Electric, one of the world's largest electric and gas utilities, compared year 2000 residential bills among the nation's top 25 cities; Seattle's average monthly bill of $45 was the lowest. New York, where monthly bills average $172, led the list.

Longtime bargain prices are the result of bountiful rains that fuel the region's massive hydroelectric dams, built with federal subsidies in the 1930s.

"It's kind of an accident of history and geography that we have these resources so beneficial to our region," said Arne Olson, the state's energy economist.

The largess of the mighty Columbia River lulled Northwesterners into using lots of electricity, especially for home heating.

Energy Department studies show that, in 1997, fewer than 30 percent of the homes in the country used electric heat. But electricity was the source of heat for 40 percent of Seattle City Light customers, 50 percent of Puget Sound Energy customers and 56 percent of Snohomish County Public Utility District customers.

"Historically, there was an effort to encourage people to heat with electricity in the Northwest," said Olson.

"Until the late '70s, we had surplus, and electricity was viewed as a modern, clean fuel. It wasn't until the '80s that the tables turned and we encouraged people to switch to natural gas."

Natural gas became such a popular alternative that only about 10 percent of single-family homes served by Seattle City Light still use electric heat, according to spokesman Bob Royer.

Now gas rates also are seeing double-digit increases.

The draw on power, regardless of source, is compounded by architecture. Many Seattle-area houses were built about 50 years ago without much thought to energy efficiency.

"We built a lot of homes in the decade after most of the big dams came in, so power was plentiful and cheap," said Mark Glyde, a spokesman for the Northwest Energy Coalition. "That doesn't create much incentive to build tight homes."

Now, with drought sapping the rivers and energy bills doubling and tripling, conservation is in vogue.

"We complain about our bills going up, then you hear about someone paying $250 a month in Kentucky for their gas bill alone," said Marilyn Meehan, a spokeswoman for the state Utilities and Transportation Commission. "We've gotten very spoiled by this."

Susan Gilmore can be reached at 206-464-2054 or at sgilmore@seattletimes.com.