Supervising Editor: Jonathan White 253.857.1514 Produced by: North Woods Graphics www.northwoods-graphics.com

w w w.penl ight.org Phone 253.857.5950

Peninsula Light Company NewsletterCommunity Calendar

HOLIDAY CLOSURES: February 20th • President’s Day

• 2011 Outage Report

• Native Plant Sale

• New Hidden Account Numbers

• Don’t Wait - Activate!

If you have any upcoming events you would like considered for the Community Calendar,

please enter your event on the website at www.penlight.org under the quickLINKS Community Calendar.

Febmar

2012

The old adage by Thomas Fuller, “you never know the worth of water, until the well is dry” can apply to many of life’s experiences, including the loss of electricity. Other than the occasional winter storm that blows through from November through March, there are numerous causes of power outages: car pole accidents, trees and limbs, animals, equipment failure, people failing to call for underground locates while digging with a backhoe, and cutting trees down that unfortunately fall onto the power lines. No matter when we lose power, it always seems to

be at an inconvenient time.

Today we have deployed numerous smart grid technologies that provide us with valuable information as the outages occur. These new technologies

provide us with the ability to respond to and repair the outage efficiently, thus reducing the duration or time of the outage. Despite this, members want

to know three things when they lose power:

1. Do you know my power is out?

2. Are the crews on the way?

3. When will my power be restored?

Our outage reporting system (253-853-1388) provides a quick and easy means of reporting an outage. If we have your current home or cell number, our system knows the name on

the account, address, substation and feeder, and a system grid location. This information is immediately emailed to our support staff and call center 24/7 so we can mobilize a quick response.

ONGOING EVENTS & MEETINGSMultiCare CanCer Support Group

Meeting the second and fourth Friday of every month at 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, call 253.403.3169.

GiG Harbor lionS Club Meeting bi-monthly on the second & fourth Mondays at 7am, Madrona Links Golf

Course. For more information, please call Sandy Bradley at 253-858-8823.CatHoliC CoMMunity ServiCeS Senior lunCH proGraM

Meeting every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Jim and Carolyn Milgard family HOPE center at noon. Come early to socialize or play cards. For more information and to

make reservations, call 253.474.1200.St. antHony CanCer Support Group

On the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Jane Thompson Russell Cancer Care Center, survivors and caregivers learn about topics related to survivorship, share experiences and gain

strength from one another through the facilitated discussion by our cancer nurse navigator and other professionals. For more information, call 253.530.2642 or email jennalewis@fhshealth.org.

GiG Harbor KiWaniS Helping children in our community. Meetings are held every Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. at Madrona Links

Golf Course. For more information, visit www.gigharborkiwanis.com or call 253.691.7085. MattHeW’S MealS – a plaCe Set for everyoneFree dinner is served from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. the second Monday of every month at King of Glory Lutheran Church, 6411 154th St. NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. For more information, call 253.857.4574. Gifted HandS Meeting the second Monday of every month at the Peninsula Library on Pt. Fosdick from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Gifted Hands is a group of volunteer knitters, knitting hats and other items for chemotherapy patients. For more information, email bmuggeridge@centurytel.net or call 253.235.2001.GiG Harbor aMeriCan leGionPost 236 meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Gig Harbor Eagles Hall. For more information, email billmsgt@centurytel.net or call 253.265.2277.tHe open table Free food, good friends. Everyone is welcome the third Monday of every month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Gig Harbor Methodist Church. For more information, call 253.851.2625.freedoM froM tobaCCoFranciscan offers a FREE support group at St. Anthony Hospital on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Please call to confirm location before you attend your first group. For more information, call 253.223.7538 or email HeidiHenson@FHShealth.org.

aarp drivinG CourSeDrivers over the age of 55 may qualify for lower auto insurance rates by taking the AARP Driver Safety Program. The 8-hour course is $12 for members and $14 for non-members. For more information, call 253.858.3393.

CHapel Hill balanCed fitneSS atHletiC ClaSSeS Meeting Monday through Friday, with several class choices for varying levels of fitness.

For more information, visit www.chapelhillpc.org or call 253.851.7779.

In this issue and on your billing statement we have now combined your member/account number to make

your new 13 digit account number. Every month, five randomly chosen account numbers are hidden in Lights. If you spot yours, call Vicki at 253.857.1527

and you’ll receive a $50 credit on your next bill.

HIDDEN ACCOUNT NUMBERS

Peninsula light ComPany newsletter

[continued inside]

POWEROUTAGEnotificationskeeping members informed during outages

0749030706465DON’T WAITActivate!

Power outages are no fun and winter storms are just around the corner. With a little help from our friends (that would be you!) Peninsula Light can get your power back faster. But it only works if you activate your phone number in our new, automated phone system.

It’s quick, easy and totally private.Activating your phone number takes less than a minute. Here’s all you need to do - really!

1. Pick up your phone

2. Dial 253-853-1388

3. Select Option 3

During an outage, here’s how it works:

It stores your phone number so we •know who’s calling

Tells us the location of the outage•

Helps our crews respond faster•

Thanks for your participation!

0 1 7 5 7 5 0 0 2 3 5 7 2

For More Information Call Member Services –––

at 253.857.5950 or Toll Free 1.888.809.8021Peninsula Light Company Newsletter

february/march 2012

POWER OUTAGES [continued]

Using our smart phones, we are always connected to our outage reporting system to monitor outages as they occur.

Keeping members informed during an outage has always been a challenge, but now we have several social media channels that can help us push this information out. Today, many of our members are using a cell phone as their primary and secondary number. We can push outage information out through social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook and link these updates to our website. We currently have over 800 followers on Twitter who are passing this information on to their followers. Passing this information on like this begins to work exponentially. As long as you have cell coverage and a data plan to send and receive text information, you can follow the outage updates. To follow us on Twitter you don’t need to set up a Twitter account, you can send a text message to 40404 and type in the message box, follow penlightco. You’ll receive a confirmation response.

By the fall of 2012, we’ll have an outage map on our website that will provide outage information (see map). We have been testing this map internally this winter and enhancing its features as needed. The map will be viewable via mobile web too. The web map will allow members to view outages and restoration updates from their laptop or while they are at work or staying with family or friends. The outage information is fed automatically into the mapping system from the outage management system monitoring outage calls and meter and distribution status. Augmented with onsite personnel evaluating the damage, we can predict the time needed to restore power.

Our member survey this past summer indicated that our members want us to do a better job of keeping them informed during an outage. We know that we can improve our outage communications, and we’re working on meeting that expectation.

Always call 811 before you dig

Outage Notification Map

Trees & Limbs

Prearranged Outages

Equipment Failure

Member/Contractor

Cable Faults

Unknown Causes

Transmission Line Failures

Animals

Trees & Limbs

Prearranged Outages

Equipment Failure

Member/Contractor

Cable Faults

Unknown Causes

Transmission Line Failures

Animals

Causes of Outages, 2011

Surrounded by wooded vistas in every direction, PenLight’s members are fortunate to live in an area unsurpassed in natural beauty. However, with this natural beauty comes the

never ending effort of keeping the growing forests out of our power lines and maintaining a reliable distribution system. Throughout each year we track the causes and duration of

outages to improve our reliability record.

As you can see by the chart, there are many causes for power outages, but 2011 was a relatively good year for PenLight. We experienced fewer large storms than in the past few years; however,

we still experienced 122 tree related outages that accounted for over 40 percent of all the outages in 2011. These tree related outages can still occur despite our aggressive tree management and underground

reliability program. Another leading cause of outages and somewhat out of PenLight’s control were outages caused by members/contractors. These accounted for nearly 10 percent of outages in 2011, and most of these were due to digging into underground lines or accidentally felling a tree into a power line. We cannot stress enough the importance of calling in for locates before doing any excavating (811). Equipment failures (transformers, poles, cross arms, etc.) were also a leading cause of outages in 2011, accounting for 30 outages.

PenLight is in the process of developing a comprehensive inventory of all its equipment. This will aid in identifying and proactively replacing equipment reaching the end of

its service life. While we strive to eliminate outages caused through aggressive maintenance, inspection, and reliability improvement programs, we still need your

help. Many outages are avoided by the timely call of one of our members who sees something that just doesn’t look right. A report of a crooked pole, a

sagging wire, a leaking transformer, a dangerous tree or limb will help tremendously.

OUTAGEREPORT2011

Know what’s below; Call before you dig!

PIERCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT 21st Annual Native Plant Sale

Walk-Up Sale March 3, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.5430 66th Ave E, Puyallup, WA 98371

The PCD is featuring 31 species of plants native to Western Washington as well as plastic tree tubes and

spray on repellent to protect the seedlings from deer, rodent and grass trimmer damage. The sale features 6-24

inch conifers (including western red cedar, douglas fir, Fort Lewis ponderosa pine, and

noble fir), 10-12" deciduous trees (including pacific madrone, quaking aspen, and Oregon

white oak), ground covers including kinnikinnick and salal, and a number of favorite wildlife species

such as; evergreen huckleberry, mock orange, red flowering currant, and many more. Prices range

from $6 - $23 per bundle of five to ten plants.

If you would like to request a plant list, please call the Pierce CD at (253) 845-9770 or email renes@

piercecountycd.org. You may also download the list from their web site, www.piercecountycd.org

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