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Heavy rain, isolated thunderstorms and strong wind gusts are expected from today into Tuesday, with the highest risk early Tuesday morning through Tuesday afternoon. These conditions may cause power outages.

Many trees are fully flushed with leaves. In stiff and gusty winds, that means they can topple more easily and damage power equipment, and branches can take flight and hit power lines.

Our crews are preparing and ready to respond as conditions allow. If outages occur, it can take at least 24 hours after the weather has passed to provide an initial estimated restoration time. Our first step is damage assessment—understanding the extent of damage and what repairs need to be made—once it is safe to do so.


alert 

Safety first:

  • Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized.
  • Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.
  • If you’re using portable heaters, keep them away from furniture, draperies and other flammable materials.
  • Always use flashlights instead of candles.
  • Be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning: Never install or use a generator indoors or in enclosed or partially enclosed areas, even those that are ventilated.

Conservation voltage reductionProviding more efficient power to your home or business

Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) is an enhancement to the electric system that improves the system’s efficiency. CVR lowers energy consumption, reduces environmental impact, and ensures reliable service through the fine-tuning of the system voltages for our customers.

 

How it works

Per WA State code WAC 480-100-373, PSE delivers to customers a voltage that is required to stay within +/- 5% of the nominal service voltage, which for a 120V service would be the delivered voltage can be operated between 114 and 126 volts. CVR is a method of managing the voltage via regulation devices to more in the lower half of the range (114-120 volts) rather than the upper half (120-126 volts). Operating in the lower range produces energy savings and efficiencies without impacting customer appliances and electronics.

 

What you can expect
  • Smooth Operation: Your appliances will continue to perform reliably, even with a slightly reduced voltage.
  • Reduced Wear and Tear: Devices like refrigerators, air conditioners, and LED lights may benefit from lower electrical stress from increased efficiency, potentially extending their lifespan.
  • Unchanged Performance: In most cases, you won’t notice any difference in how your appliances work from day to day.
  • Settings Adjustments: Some appliances may require adjustment in their voltage settings to reflect the minor adjustment in voltage being delivered. Examples of this might be uninterruptible power supply (UPS), backup generator, equipment controllers, and variable frequency drives.

 

Questions?

Contact us at cvr.program@pse.com or 425-462-3644 with your CVR related questions.