2022: A Year in Review
After a few tumultuous years, 2022 felt like a step in the right direction and there was certainly plenty to celebrate. As we look ahead to an even brighter 2023, here is a sampling of the milestones, achievements, and accolades Seattle City Light marked in 2022.
It’s Electric!
Electrification was certainly a huge theme for City Light in 2022. We started off the year by completing our Electrification Assessment with industry-leader Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). This work will help us better understand our energy needs as we tackle the electrification of buildings, transportation, and commercial and industrial applications. The EPRI assessment is a key initial step in planning for an electrified future.
Have you ridden an all-electric bus yet? In March, we were on hand to celebrate the opening of the Metro Transit South Base charging facility for King County Metro’s new fleet of all-electric buses. These buses went into service that very day, supporting our efforts to provide accessible electrified public transit and help reduce air and noise pollution in communities that are most impacted.
City Light and Seattle Parks and Recreation hosted Gov. Jay Inslee and Mayor Bruce Harrell for a celebration honoring the completion of the Miller Community Center Microgrid. Check out this great recap of the event captured by Seattle Channel.
Who knew that electric vehicles would be so popular? We did of course! Last summer we began taking requests from residents asking where they would like to see curbside electric vehicle chargers installed in their communities. Following extensive media coverage, including this Seattle Times article about the pilot program, we received nearly 2,000 responses and identified 30 pilot sites to install Level 2 curbside chargers in early 2023.
Providing Valuable Assistance
In early 2022, City Light and Seattle Public Utilities began offering flexible payment plans with no late fees for all customers with past-due balances. We reached out to customers struggling to pay their bills, and connected income-eligible residential customers with ongoing and emergency bill assistance. Learn more at seattle.gov/UtilityBillHelp.
In December, we allocated over $9.7 million in federal funds passed through the Washington State Department of Commerce to help pay past due utility bills for more than 16,000 residential customer accounts. It’s noteworthy that we delivered this assistance in a matter of weeks!
Connecting with the community
To help inform customers about City Light programs and services we launched a new customer-focused monthly newsletter, Community Connections. Sent to more than 200,000 customers, the newsletter helps readers conserve energy, save money, and protect the environment.
In 2022, City Light launched a social responsibility program. As a local, not-for-profit, public utility, social responsibility is at the core of everything we do. The program shares the stories of City Light employees who give back to their communities. Our employees participated in Seattle’s Pride parade, adopted highways, helped build homes, and much more.
In April, we hosted 16 middle-school students and their mentors from SPIN Girls, a leadership program that provides immersive STEM experiences, for a STEAM in Power Workshop. Women from across the utility introduced participants to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) fields through hands-on activities at our South Service Center.
We’re #1
We finished the year on a high note. In November, J.D. Power bestowed City Light with the highest business customer satisfaction index score of any midsize electrical utility in the Western United States. The recognition is a testament to the work of countless City Light employees who make it their mission to be a champion for the customer every day.
But the awards didn’t stop there. City Light was recently named a 2022 Escalent Business Customer Champion, topping the Western region with the highest Customer Engagement Benchmark Performance index score (847) of any utility in the country regardless of size.
We thank our employees, community partners, and customers who create a shared energy future. Here’s to an even better and brighter 2023.