Aug. 18, 2008

Media contact
Chris Gleason, Community & Media Services manager, (253) 502-8222

Tacoma Power has hired Stephen Bicker to manage its energy efficiency and conservation group, and lead the effort to quadruple the amount of electricity conserved by customers each year.

Bicker spent the past 24 years working in a variety of energy efficiency positions at Northwest Natural – a gas company that serves customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. His energy efficiency experience ranges from program design and management to policy analysis.

In his new role, Bicker will manage a team of 32 people, who are responsible for residential, commercial and industrial conservation.

“As a result of its recent strategic planning and integrated resource planning processes, conservation has emerged as one of the utility’s top priorities,” Bicker said. “I am excited to dive in and meet our increased conservation goals – which will be a significant challenge.”

As part of the requirement of Initiative 937, which Washington voters passed in 2006, Tacoma Power customers must conserve four times more power than they do now – an increase from 1.2 megawatts to about 5 megawatts per year. The utility must first meet this conservation goal in 2010. 

Energy conservation makes sense from a financial perspective for Tacoma Power, as it is generally lower in cost than construction of new generating resources. It is anticipated that conservation will significantly offset the amount of new power supply the utility would otherwise need to acquire to meet expanding customer demands.