Public works professionals in several communities in the Magic and Wood River valleys recently gathered to share ideas and their achievements about energy savings.

Members of the Water Supply Optimization Cohort, a two-year Idaho Power training program for water-supply operators, represented the communities of Dietrich, Hazelton, Jerome, Kimberly, Twin Falls, Ketchum and Hailey, among others.

Idaho Power explained:

Supplying water is an energy-intensive process that can represent 30 to 40 percent of a municipality’s energy use. Program workshops provided tools to help water utilities understand how to prioritize water sources, use water storage efficiently, manage water pressures, avoid unnecessary pumping and implement other low- or no-cost efficiency actions. Participants learned the skills necessary to identify and implement energy efficiency opportunities on their own and ensure these energy and cost savings are maintained long-term.

“It is just as easy to operate efficiently as it is to not,” City of Kimberly Public Works Foreman Jed Kloer said at the final workshop, according to the utility company.

The takeaway from the meeting: The 15 members of the cohort saved more than 3.5 million kilowatt-hours by making operational improvements – or, according to Idaho Power, “enough energy to power 307 average homes for a year.”

Source: Idaho Power

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