
Electric Outage: 1-844-484-2300
Water Emergency: 541-685-7595
EWEB Main: 541-685-7000
At EWEB, we do what we can to help others in need. That’s been the reality for several of our electric and water crews over the past few weeks as we’ve responded to mutual aid requests for storm response and drinking water restoration, locally, and out of state.
Find Out MoreDespite an ice storm and a few windstorms in Eugene and the McKenzie Valley in the past few weeks, EWEB has so far fended off widespread weather-caused power outages – largely because of investments in year-round system maintenance and infrastructure improvements.
Find Out MoreEWEB has 800 miles of transmission and distribution lines transporting your drinking water underground throughout the city. It eventually comes out of your tap as delicious thirst-quenching water. But what goes into maintaining all those pipes? And what happens when one gets a leak? We went to find out.
Find Out MoreEWEB makes electric mobility available to anyhone though e-bike rebates, car sharing and grants for local organizations with electric mobility projects.
Find Out MoreEnergy Efficiency tips to help you reduce your energy usage for National Cut your Energy Costs Day
Find Out MoreCommissioners unanimously voted to approve a Record of Decision endorsing the General Manager's Recommendation to decommission the Leaburg Hydroelectric Project and approved Resolution 2302 directing the GM to develop a Leaburg Hydroelectric Project Decommissioning Action Plan
Find Out MoreWe all know LEDs use less energy, but what does that mean for your holiday budget in real dollars?
Find Out MoreAt Alton Baker Park this week, Eugene 4J elementary students bid farewell to baby salmon they’d raised from eggs in their classrooms this fall. The activity was part of the Salmon Education Program funded by EWEB grants.
Find Out MoreEWEB is developing a plan to ensure that Eugene has a sufficient supply of reliable, affordable and clean electricity in the decades ahead, and is inviting the community to participate in the process.
Find Out MoreEWEB has joined 10 other Western utilities are to help ensure clean energy resources will be adequate to serve the growing demand in the region, while also managing costs and maintaining reliability for customers.
Find Out MoreFor their final meeting of 2022, on Dec. 6, the EWEB Board of Commissioners grappled with some major decisions and looked ahead to a new year.
Find Out MoreCommissioners supportive of General Manager's recommendation to remove Leaburg Dam
Find Out MoreIn the years ahead, EWEB will have to make a lot of decisions about where to get the electricity that we deliver to customers.
Find Out MoreOn a chilly November day, third graders from Adams Elementary School in Eugene learned about the lifecycle of native salmon on a field trip to Lake Creek near Triangle Lake. The field trips take place all month as part of a program funded by EWEB grants. EWEB dedicates a portion of customer rates to inspiring kids to explore the wonders of science and learn about watershed health, water quality, and emergency preparedness.
Find Out MoreFor EWEB, preparing for harsh winter storms is a year-round responsibility. While we can’t control the weather, we can make our electric infrastructure more resilient to withstand storms that bring snow, ice and wind to Eugene.
Find Out MoreNovember 24, 2020
On Thanksgiving day, you will likely fire up the oven and cooktop around mid-morning, and keep those kitchen appliances running strong until early afternoon. Have you ever wondered what happens to the electric grid when millions of households follow the same pattern?
Peak power occurs when the highest level of electricity is used in our region within a specific timeframe. There are seasonal peaks, daily peaks, and even hourly consumption peaks.
Peak power is a concern for utilities and consumers because peak electricity is more expensive, affecting power supply and infrastructure costs and ultimately, your utility bill. Supplying power during peak times can also increase greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
So should you be concerned about peak power on Thanksgiving?
The answer is an ambiguous yes and no.
On a typical November weekday, the Northwest experiences two peaks—in the morning when people wake up and start getting ready for work and school, and then again in the evening as people return home.
Unlike a typical morning when electricity usage peaks around 7 or 8 a.m., Thanksgiving ramps up at 9 a.m. as people begin cooking their turkeys and pies, peaking around midday when most of the cooking is wrapping up. Around early evening, once the feasting is concluded, energy loads wane and stay low for the rest of the day.
So the overall result is a shift from two daily peaks to one, slightly larger midday peak.
Just because the grid doesn't experience a massive increase in peak demand on Thanksgiving doesn't mean we don't need to be concerned about peak power. That's because peak power consumption can affect electricity costs and the climate.
EWEB, like most utilities, buys and sells power on a wholesale electricity market. During periods of peak demand, the cost of electricity goes up. Ultimately, higher power costs can impact the price of electricity charged to customers. Peak power can also increase infrastructure costs, as additional generation and distribution capacity are needed to supply our community's energy needs.
Although EWEB's energy portfolio is composed almost entirely of carbon-free power, we are part of a highly integrated regional energy grid that includes coal and natural gas. When the highest level of electricity is being used in the region, there is more of this carbon-intensive energy on the grid.
We should all be interested in managing peak power year-round. Reducing peak power demand allows for more efficient use of clean energy resources and can help limit future price increases.
In a nutshell, when you use electricity can be just an significant as how much you use.
Shifting your energy use to "off-peak" can be as simple as running the dishwasher, charging your electric car, or doing the laundry later at night (after 9 p.m.) or mid-day (between noon and 5 p.m).
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Mailing Address: 4200 Roosevelt Blvd., Eugene, OR 97402
Phone: 541-685-7000
Toll free: 800-841-5871
Email: eweb.answers@eweb.org
Customer service phone hours: 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Monday - Friday