Gwen Kautz, Dawson Public Power District General Manager
By Gwen Kautz, Dawson PPD General Manager
gkautz (at) dawsonpower.com
308-324-2386
I’ve worked in the energy industry for 35 years and have seen a lot of changes. A great majority of the changes affect internal processes, and some affect our wholesale provider in order to comply with federal regulations. One night, I wondered if Dawson PPD would change anything if we didn’t have to?
Nothing has changed about electricity itself. It’s the same today as it was in 1937 when Dawson PPD was formed. The structure of delivering energy to your home has not changed either – we’re still using poles and wires. It’s true that equipment, such as transformers, reclosers, breakers and meters used to deliver power, have improved in efficiency and reliability. Our protective equipment designed to stop problems has improved. We’ve upgraded billing systems at least three times since I’ve been here. Our mapping system is now electronic. Advances in technology have improved our processes. But electricity in and of itself has not changed.
A lot has changed over Dawson PPD’s 79 years of business, including its trucks.
So, if it wasn’t broke, why did we look for ways to improve the system? One thing that we changed related to the wire is to use conductor that is more resilient to Mother Nature. Increasing the size of wire allows us to extend line a bit further without degradation of energy. Putting in taller poles was necessary to meet national safety standards. Adding protective pieces ensures the district protected its investment. Those three things alone provided more reliable electricity.
Utilities were forced to look at safety aspects far sooner than they ever looked at process improvements. It was imperative that our linemen’s safety come first, so we’re always looking for ways to improve that.
As technology moved into the utility world, we began seeing advantages not only for us, but for our customers. Back when homes only needed light bulbs or simple plug-ins for small appliances, customers were happy to have those modern amenities well after the cities were electrified. Today, customers are tuned in to reliability and cost.
Reliability requires an investment in modern equipment. But we must also weigh the cost of such equipment in order to keep our rates as low as possible. Customers want to know how much electricity they use and when they use it. Dawson PPD uses an app called SmartHub (available for iOS and Android) – which allows customers access to their usage and even lets them pay their bill from their smart phone. Today’s consumer recognizes the value of knowing how and when they use energy.
So, would we have made changes anyway? Yes. If not just for the reasons cited above, but because our customers deserve to be served by a company that monitors the industry and looks for the best, most economical way to serve them.
November 2016