Stehekin Energy Demand

What's Happening Now

Summer is here, and this is a time when we often see peak demand in the Stehekin Valley. The best way that customers can help reduce this demand is to shift high-energy activities to non-peak hours.

Other ways you can help manage energy use in the Stehekin Valley:

  • Keep cool while reducing energy use by opening windows at night to let cool air in, closing curtains or blinds when the sun comes up, and using fans instead of air conditioners whenever possible
  • If you have not already, replace incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs
  • Reach out to PUD Energy Efficiency Advisor Josh Mitchell for recommendations to reduce your energy use or rebates to upgrade your home — find more information here or call (509) 661-4380
  • Contact the PUD early if you are considering adding additional electrical services in Stehekin
We recently mailed you a newsletter with these tips and other updates about energy generation and capacity in Stehekin. You can see that mailer here.
Graphic of energy conservation tips for Stehekin

Thanks for the Feedback!

In the Spring of 2020, staff completed a Draft Generation and Energy Resource Plan for Stehekin. This Plan included proposed solutions to meet the energy needs in Stehekin now and into the future.

We created an Online Open House to guide you through the work that has been done and get your feedback. A summary of that feedback is available here. You can view an archived version of the Online Open House here. 

What & Why

The electrical system in the Stehekin Valley is unique. A single small hydro plant generates power for the community. This electrical system is completely independent from the rest of the county. This means that the community is limited to the amount of power generated locally.

More Electricity Use, Same Generation

At some point in the near future, the Stehekin community will outgrow the current power available. This is expected to happen somewhere between 2021 and 2027.

Trying to use more power than is available can disrupt the whole community power system. All of us want to make sure that this doesn’t happen in the Stehekin Valley. So, Chelan County PUD has been working since 2018 with the Stehekin community to better understand and solve this problem.

Graphic of power generation system in Stehekin

We Want to Hear From You!

The best way for us to communicate with you is via email. Please update your email address at chelanpud.org/updateyourinfo.

Questions or Comments?

Send questions and comments to teka.sellers@chelanpud.org or call Teka Sellers at (509) 661-4294.