Public Power Week celebrates American tradition that works

Public Power Week is an annual celebration of the benefits of a community-owned power system. (Artwork by American Public Power Association)

Just the thought of life without electricity—a world of “conveniences” like gas lights, pot-bellied stoves, ice block refrigerators and lukewarm baths—should inspire a celebration of the not-for-profit agencies that provide this valuable service to 43 million Americans.

American Public Power Association and its 2,000 member utilities agree, and will observe Public Power Week October 2-8. Since 1987, municipal utilities have set aside the first full week in October to remind their consumer/owners about the benefits of a community-owned power system. “The Power Week motto is ‘Public power—an American tradition that works,’” said APPA Communications Director Madalyn Cafruny.

This year’s theme goes into specifics, stating, “Public power: good for consumers, businesses, communities and the nation.” APPA produced a four-part brochure that addresses each aspect. It will be included in the 2005 toolkit available to member utilities to promote their own Power Week events.

Utilities open doors to consumers

Those activities range from open houses to media campaigns to utility-sponsored athletic events. “Our members are very creative about understanding what kind of event is going to be right in their community,” Cafruny said. “The ones that seem to work best are the ones that get the most people involved—children, adults, educators and policy makers.” During Power Week 2004, several Western customers invited consumers to visit their facilities.

More than 250 visitors from local schools toured Lodi Electric Utility, in California ’s Central Valley . Students, teachers and chaperones picked up electrical safety tips, watched operations demonstrations and learned how electricity is delivered to Lodi residents and businesses. The tours ended with bucket-truck rides and Lodi staff snapping class pictures in front of a Public Power Week banner. Visitors went home with “goodie bags” containing promotional items and educational brochures.

In 2003, Pasadena Water and Power gave tours of its recently renovated powerplant. Guides explained how two new 45-MW combustion turbines would help reduce the strain on PWP’s system during peak demand and provide emergency backup during unexpected outages. Visitors received PWP pencil sharpeners, flashlights and safety coloring books; conservation tips and additional information.

Campaigns, events reach into community

Other utilities went out to meet their consumers. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power set up information and display booths in three sections of its service area. The booths included information on energy efficiency, water conservation, customer service, Trees for a Green LA, and electrical safety.

Tuning into their local cable channel, residents of Palo Alto, Calif., might have seen an 11-minute video, highlighting the benefits of its more than 100 years of public power and local control. The City of Palo Alto Utilities produced the video which also ran in City Hall throughout the month of October. CPAU also held a successful solar home tour with 11 homes.

One unusual event combined a football rivalry with charity fundraising. Murray City, Utah, and College Station, Texas, Utilities each committed to give $500 to a charity chosen by the utility with the winning football team. The Utah Utes beat the Texas A&M Aggies and representatives of both utilities presented a $1,000 check to the “Make-A-Wish Foundation” of Utah during Public Power Week.

Time to promote accomplishments

Utilities often use Power Week to publicize their successes or launch a new program. In addition to holding a week-long open house, Woodbine, Iowa, Municipal Light & Power  launched its "River Winds" green power promotion. CPAU accepted a "Green Power Leadership Award" from U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency honoring the success of its “PaloAltoGreen” program.

IID Energy chose Public Power Week 2004 to communicate its recent accomplishments to the Imperial Irrigation District board of directors and staff, and announce its goals for the coming year. The central California irrigation district had spent the previous year restructuring to focus on becoming a leading energy utility. Future plans focused on helping to shape state energy policy, advocating geothermal use and development, increasing operations efficiency and upgrading its distribution and transmission infrastructure.

Local radio is another good venue for connecting with the community, Cafruny said. “Utility managers have made appearances on radio shows during Public Power Week to take questions from consumers,” she explained.

Support materials available

Whatever the medium, the purpose of Public Power Week is to get the message out. Public Power Week began, Cafruny recalled, as a grassroots response to a lack of understanding about community-owned electric providers. Spurred by government efforts to privatize Federal power marketing administrations in the mid-‘80s, APPA set out to educate political leaders and the public about the benefits of public power.

An opinion poll the association conducted showed that most people didn’t understand how public utilities worked. “This was the case even in communities that were served by municipal providers,” said the communications director.

Public Power Week has given utilities an opportunity to establish a two-way dialogue with consumers, Cafruny added. “It enables power providers to talk about their mission, the system’s reliability and the economic benefits of locally owned services.”

APPA gives member utilities plenty of support to make the most of that opportunity. On APPA’s Website under Special Utility Programs, utilities can learn how their peers celebrated Public Power Week and access promotion materials. Free resources include sample news releases, guest columns, public service announcements and more. Special event items, communication and marketing tools, educational material for children and Power Week bill stuffers can be purchased.

The materials are available throughout the year, so that utilities don’t have to wait for the first week in October. After all, we use electricity every day, so Cafruny insists, “Every week is Public Power Week.”