Honey, Turn something OFF!

50 cents per kilowatt hour.

I'm reminded of a comedy skit where a father is described, standing by the electric meter, watching it twirl around and around.  I think when I get home, I'm going to make sure to use my hot tub because certainly we will be draining everything and shutting it down in the next few days.  Here's what is in the local news:

UPDATE : Juneau loses Snettisham power for extended period, avalanche to blame
Juneau has been choked off from its chief supply of electricity by an avalanche.

Gayle Wood of Alaska Electric Light and Power says it happened at about four this morning.

She says it was hardly noticed, except by Thane Road residents, because of diesel generation they had running at the time and low load demands at that hour.

She says it was a massive avalanche about three miles from the Snettisham power house that took out about a mile and a hour of transmission line. That includes damage to four to five towers, she says.

Wood says the community will be virtually reliant on diesel generated power for two to three months with the exception of power that can be generated through the Gold Creek, Salmon Creek and Annex Creek facilities.

The electric utility official says customers can expect to see some very high bills. 

Residential rates were at 11 cents per kilowatt hour.

Wood initially estimated it would go to 30 to 35 cents, but has since revised that figure to 50 cents and adds that's a conservative figure.

Since the area is very unstable, Wood says they don't expect to start repairs for two to three weeks since they need to wait for avalanche danger to subside. She describes the terrain in the area as very steep. At this point, they're trying to assess the damage from the air.

Wood calls it the worst disaster they've ever had on the Snettisham line. She used the word "catastrophic" and called it "a hard hit."

Wood stressed the importance of conservation during this time. Right now, she says they're trying to figure out how to secure enough diesel to handle this kind of long term need.