• Electric Service
  
• Power Outage Concerns and Helpful Hints
  
• Load Management Program
  
• TV and Radio Interference

Owatonna Utilities purchases all of its electric energy requirements from the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA), a joint action agency consisting of 18 Minnesota cities, including Owatonna. SMMPA owns a 41 percent share in the 875-megawatt Sherco 3 power plant, the largest coal-fired generating station in Minnesota, in partnership with Northern States Power. This 1987 power plant, located northwest of Minneapolis, burns low-sulfur western coal. SMMPA also has under contract a number of generating units located in member communities to provide additional power supply and back-up capabilities. Two 161,000-volt and three 69,000-volt transmission lines serve the community, providing excellent reliability and capacity for growth.

• Check your own fuses and circuit breakers.
• Loud bangs are caused by blown fuses; quite often caused by squirrels shorting the wire.
• Check with your neighbors to see if their power is off; have they reported it?
• If the trouble is not with your wiring and if the outage may not have been reported
  • Call 451-1616 after: 5 p.m.
  • Call 451-1616 or 451-2480 during business hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

You can help OPU hold energy costs down!

The rising cost of wholesale electricity concerns us all.  To help maintain low rates, OPU offers a cost-reduction program called Load Management.

Your interest and response can insure success!

Here are answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

What is Load Management? Load management is a practical way of reducing what OPU pays for electricity. This is done by turning some types of electrical appliances “off” for short periods in order to reduce the peak rate of use.

How does load management save money? Load management saves money by moving some load away from any period that is likely to establish the monthly peak load. This would be done by controlling residential air-conditioners for very short periods.

When do peak loads occur? A peak load occurs when our customers use many electrical appliances at the same time.

Do I pay for the demand charge? Yes! All customers pay their share of demand charges as part of their electric bills. The total on your bill is your share of the demand charge plus the amount of energy used.

How can I reduce electricity cost? As a volunteer, you can help to reduce the peak load, and resulting demand charges, by allowing OPU to turn your central air-conditioner OFF and ON (cycle) during brief peak periods.

Why cycle air-conditioners? These power hungry appliances contribute greatly to the peak load on hot summer days. Cycling air-conditioners OFF and ON for short spells during peak demand periods is usually not noticed by the participant, but effects substantial savings by lowering the peak load.

How long will my air-conditioner be OFF? 7.5 to 11 minutes at a time.

Will my monthly power bill be reduced? Savings to OPU from load management will help us maintain stable rates. The load management program will dramatically reduce the rate of increase in your power bill. You will receive a 5% monthly credit on electric commodity billed.

How can I participate in load management? You can participate by joining those who volunteer for this program. by permitting OPU to place a special switch on your air-conditioner you will be allowing your utility to cycle this appliance on days when a peak load is likely.

Will it cost me anything to have this switch installed? There will be NO CHARGE to you. The switches will be purchased by OPU and installed by qualified personnel.

What if I have another question or two? Call the Owatonna Public Utilities office at (507)451-2480 between 8:00 - 5:00. We will see that your questions are answered.

OPU service is rarely the cause of TV and radio interference. The trouble is usually found in the set, in the antenna or in your home. In fact, some of the most common causes of electrical disturbances are easily corrected and include:

• Loose light bulbs, switches, connections, or fuses.
• Solid-state dimmers and controls.
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Electrical kitchen appliances, large and small.
• Other TVs, radios, computers, type players, etc.
• Frayed wires.
• Small bathroom appliances, such as shavers and hair dryers.
• Electric tools or fences, burglar alarms, cordless phones and fish-tank pumps and heaters.

To correct an interference problem, follow these steps to pinpoint the source of the problem through a process of elimination:

• Turn each light, switch and appliance on and off while observing the radio or TV's behavior.
• If reception improves when several appliances and lights on the problem circuit are off, the problem may be eliminated by moving some appliances or lights to another circuit.
• Adjust the direction of the antenna for the best reception. Look for any broken wires or loose connections. An adequate antenna, properly installed, is necessary for good reception in steel-framed or concrete buildings.
• If the interference affects a plugged-in radio, walk around the house with a portable radio to find the place where the noise is the loudest. This will help pinpoint the source of the interference. If the interference is steady, it's probably from a stationary source. If it rises and falls, it could be from a moving source, such as an automobile, airplane or helicopter.
• If the radio develops an on-and-off buzzing sound or if the TV picture is streaked, check outside. Some causes of these symptoms include nearby electric motors, elevators, electric signs, x-ray machine, cars and spark plugs in vehicles. Sometimes moving the antenna or set will remedy the problem.
• If the radio or TV picks up citizen's band, police calls or dot-dish codes, the trouble is probably in the radio or TV itself. Ask you repair person to service the unit.

If these procedures don't identify the problem, the cause may be from electrical facilities outside your home. In this case, call OPU at (507) 451-1616.

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