Utility can extend time-of-day rate plan

State regulators gave Puget Sound Energy permission yesterday to expand and extend its time-of-day pricing program.

Scheduled to expire Oct. 15, the program has been extended by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission until May 31, 2002.

The utility was also given permission to expand the program to 20,000 nonresidential customers. It was started last May for about 300,000 residential customers.

Consumers in the program pay varying rates for electricity depending on when they use it. The program is intended to give customers an incentive to use electricity during off-peak times, which saves the utility money.

Customers can opt out of the program, even if Puget provided them with electronic meters needed to participate. But so far, only 2,180 eligible customers, or fewer than 1 percent, have opted out. Customers paying variable rates have shifted about 5 percent of their electricity use away from peak hours.

Average residential winter rates in the program are:

• from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., 6.8 cents per kilowatt hour,

• from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 5.8 cents per kilowatt hour,

• from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., 6.8 cents per kilowatt hour, and

• from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and all day Sundays and holidays, 5.1 cents.

The average residential customer not paying time-of-day rates pays about 5.8 cents per kilowatt hour under the winter rate.

Lynda V. Mapes can be reached at 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com.