FY2002 was a very busy year for your
Light Department (PMLD). PMLD continued
to upgrade its electrical distribution system, installed and connected electric
services for new customers, developed and approved the wind farm project, and
operated under tight financial control.
PMLD thanks all of its customers for their continuing support of public
power. PMLD is a non-profit public
service corporation, whose primary goal is to provide reliable and low cost
electric service to the residents and businesses of the Town of
By the end of 2002, PMLD provided service to 1352
residential, 3 Farm, 98 commercial, and 14 municipal customers. Almost 90% of our customer base is
residential customers. Customers
consumed approximately 15 million kWh in energy in 2002, and the average home
used approximately 780 kWh per month.
Besides providing low cost
and reliable energy, PMLD performs many other services for the Town and our
customers.
·
Discounted the
cost of Town owned streetlights by approximately 17% or $1,500
·
Installed the
annual Christmas tree, Town Common lights and other banners and signs
·
Included
periodic flyers from the Town Hall and Library with our monthly bills to save
postage and handling costs
·
Sponsored
electrical safety classes for our children at the
·
Supported
students requesting help for Science fair projects related to electricity and
power generation
·
Participated in the
Community Reading day at
·
Provided storage
and meeting space for the
·
Installed
approximately 30 new home electric services in FY2002
·
Offered new
energy efficient electric hot water heaters
·
Sponsored Town
wide battery and lamp collection and disposal program
·
Managed
Wachusett Earth-day household waste pick-up and collections
Rates
PMLD
continues to have lower rates as compared to Investor Owned Utilities (IOU) and
our neighboring municipalities. The average
home in
Over the past 18 years, PMLD has had
only four rate increases. This
represents an average rate increase of only 2.7% per year, less than the
average annual rate of inflation! PMLD’s
number one priority is to maintain the lowest possible rates while providing
the most reliable electric service.
PMLD’s commitment to protecting the environment and
purchasing renewable energy continued through FY2002. Purchasing renewable, "green"
energy makes a difference in our community. In FY2002 PMLD purchased
approximately 17% of its energy from various hydroelectric power plants. Our
sources of hydroelectric power come from four small-scale hydroelectric plants
in
The Richard
Wheeler Wind Farm, owned, operated, and maintained by PMLD, generated approximately
.5% of the Town energy in FY2002. This year's wind generation was lower than
the average 1% due to work at the site in preparation for the new wind turbines. Even though the power plant is 18 years old, the
40KW wind machines continue to provide renewable energy to the PMLD community.
The
remaining 82.5% of our energy comes from various sources such as oil, coal,
nuclear, and natural gas. Our competent
planning and financially sound power contracts allow us to accurately forecast
energy costs into 2008 and beyond. These
are also the driving factors that keep our electricity rates as low and predictable
as possible.
PMLD will continue to upgrade its electrical
distribution system, perform preventative maintenance, and explore new services
in 2003. Please come by the Light
Department and let us know how we are doing.
Thank you again for continuing to support PMLD.
Respectfully Submitted,
General Manager
Board of Light Commissioners:
Bradford Hubbard, Chairman
Scott Bigelow, Secretary
Richard Chase