Green EPUD

EPUD strives to be a practical example of what we recommend to our customer-owners and communities. Here are just a few examples of "green" EPUD:

Solar In Schools

Emerald has installed 1 KW Photovoltaic (PV) systems on all four of its high schools located in Elmira, Marcola, Cottage Grove and Pleasant Hill. All of the PV systems come with an educational curriculum developed in conjunction with the University of Oregon’s Regional Solar Radiation Data Center. Students are able to access their PV systems on a “real time” basis though a monitoring system which is web-based. The PV systems serve both as an educational tool and a power provider to the schools.

Emerald PV System

In 2007 Emerald became the first utility in Lane County to install a PV system on its headquarters when it installed a 15.2 KW PV system on its main building, 33733 Seavey Loop Rd. The system produces about 17,500 KWH per year of electricity, offsetting the needs of the building. There is a monitoring kiosk located in the front lobby which shows details of the system as well as the system output on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. (Click here for KVAL Video)

EPUD Building

Read about EPUD's award-winnding building here.

Hybrid Vehicles

Emerald purchased two hybrid vehicles in 2007, a Toyota Camry and a Toyota Prius. The purchase of these two hybrid vehicles has resulted in a net decrease of approximately 17,500 lbs of CO2 per year being emitted into the atmosphere when compared to the non-hybrid pool cars previously owned by the utility.

Arbor Day Program

Each year Emerald visits one grade school in its District on Arbor Day and plants “Power Friendly” trees on the school grounds with 3rd grade students. Power Friendly trees grow to a height of no more than 20 feet and are recommended by the utility to customers who wish to plant trees under power lines near their homes. In addition to the tree planting, Emerald staff educate the students about energy conservation and the importance of trees to the environment. After the tree planting a pizza party is held with the class.

Climate Master Initiative

In 2008 Emerald signed on as a sponsor to the University of Oregon’s Climate Master Initiative. The initiative is a series of classes provided by the University to the public on the importance of energy conservation, recycling and other efforts to help combat climate change on an individual and household level.

Paperless Billing and E-Newsletters

Like many Utilities, EPUD promotes paperless billing, on-line bill pay and automatic payment options. EPUD also has an option to receive your newsletter via e-mail. Currently EPUD has 1500 customers participating in paperless billing which saves the utility $10,000 is printing and shipping costs per year and saves many pounds of paper and materials. Click here to sign up for paperless billing.

Avian Protection Plan

EPUD has a full avian protection plan in place to protect birds who come near or around our lines. Included in this plan are procedures to install adequate perches or deterrents on existing pole structures and build nesting platforms at sites where nests have been found or rebuilt. EPUD also insulates conductors and installs guards to prevent electrocutions.