Energy crisis jolts agencies Filed: 12/23/2000

By CHRISTINE BEDELL Californian staff writer e-mail: cbedell@bakersfield.com

And you thought you were in for big energy bills.

Local governments like the county of Kern and city of Bakersfield are bracing for increases in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

To blunt the blow, they're installing more efficient lighting systems. They are moving big-ticket energy-saving projects higher up the priority list.

The county is even hiring extra help to oversee the preparations.

Some of the planning is designed to head off immediate energy cost increases. But most of it is in preparation for even bigger rate boosts in 2001.

More money spent on power, of course, means less money for other services constituents demand.

"Energy is the No. 1 issue on government's plate to tackle," said County Administrative Officer Scott Jones.

Like everybody else in California, local governments expect to see the first wave of energy cost increases in the next month.

The Public Utilities Commission hinted last Thursday that it's about to lift an electricity rate freeze to keep electric companies in business. But it did not say what the new rates will be.

In the near future, both the county of Kern and city of Bakersfield expect their electricity rates to jump 10 percent and their natural gas rates to increase 20 to 30 percent.

That is substantial given that Kern County budgeted about $4.7 million for gas and electricity this fiscal year, said Assistant County Administrative Officer Bill Wilbanks.

That covers power to all but a few county facilities through June 30.

The city of Bakersfield spends about $2.8 million on energy each year, according to General Services Supervisor Brad Underwood.

"I'm watching this pretty carefully," Underwood said of the rapidly changing, crisis-averting policy decisions that state and federal energy officials have been making lately.

Anticipating these troubles, the county set aside funds earlier this year to hire an energy coordinator.

He or she, expected to take office this month, will look for ways to conserve energy and seek out grants or loans for retrofit projects, Jones said.

The county recently retrofitted the lighting systems of 19 small county buildings. It's putting a higher priority on future energy projects such as small power plants.

Lighting projects tend to pay for themselves in four to seven years, Wilbanks said. The county would probably see savings from the power plants in 15 to 20 years, he said.

The Board of Supervisors will review some options in late January.

"They are a good idea and economical," Wilbanks said of the projects. "But we really have to look at the numbers."

The city of Bakersfield has been retrofitting its buildings to save energy over the last 10 years and is about finished, Underwood said.

Three years ago, it installed more energy efficient red lights in traffic signals and saw an energy savings of more than 50 percent, he said.

The City Council will consider doing the same for green lights next month, Underwood said.

Counties throughout California are making similar contingencies, said Karen Keene, legislative representative for the California State Association of Counties.

To help out, the association is considering sponsoring legislation to create a statewide grant program that would help local governments pay for energy projects.

Governments need help as soon as possible. They expect their energy bills to skyrocket even more next summer when people turn on their air conditioners.

http://www.bakersfield.com/local/Story/262921p-246839c.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 24, 2000