Chelan PUD Commissioners recently voted to increase funding for the PUD’s energy rebate program by about $3 million.
Washington State-based Chelan PUD offers customers cash back on energy-efficient improvements to their home or business, including windows, insulation, lighting, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Since 2010, customers have saved nearly 25 megawatts of energy.
For every $1 Chelan PUD pays in energy efficiency rebates, it earns about $1.70 back by selling hydropower on the wholesale energy market. Revenues from energy sales allow customers to pay some of the lowest rates in the nation – 3.4 cents per kilowatt hour, which is about half of the cost to produce and deliver electricity, it said.
In 2022, interest waned in energy efficient upgrades due to inflation and supply chain issues. At the same time, the value of hydropower increased on the energy market. In response, Chelan PUD offered higher rebate incentives.
In 2023, participation in the rebate program by residential customers nearly doubled. The cities of Cashmere and Wenatchee approached Chelan PUD with opportunities to fund large-scale energy efficiency upgrades at two wastewater treatment plants.
With the $3 million budget increase, the rebate program budget is now about $7.67 million.
