Looking back on my 11 years at Seattle City Light, I'm most proud of the team that came together and what they were able to accomplish. The utility was facing some serious financial, cultural and service challenges as the new century dawned. Thanks to our smart, hard-working team, and with the support of the Mayor and City Council, we addressed the hard issues head on. City Light was charted on a new course. Debt was paid down, costs were controlled, reserves were built up, and risk management was enhanced. Most importantly, City Light was positioned to provide the best customer service experience of any utility. This online annual report highlights the powerful progress in 2014.

SEATTLE CITY LIGHT

Seattle City Light serves more than 415,000 customers in the City of Seattle and eight adjacent jurisdictions. The publicly owned utility relies on a mix of resources to fulfill its customers’ energy needs.

The current resource portfolio includes:

• City Light-owned generation resources;
• investments in conservation;
• and long-term contract resources supplemented with power-exchange agreements, near-term purchases and sales made in the wholesale power market.

STEWARDS OF A CRITICAL PUBLIC INVESTMENT

Created by the citizens of Seattle in 1902, today Seattle City Light serves approximately 415,000 customers in the City of Seattle and eight adjacent jurisdictions. Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public power system in the United States based on retail energy sales.

Customer Service Area Map

Nearly half of customers’ electric needs are met from hydropower dams owned and operated by City Light; most of the remaining power needs are met by hydropower purchased from the Bonneville Power Administration and investments in renewable and conservation resources.

Resources Map

"It's surprising that a lot of the people in Seattle don't even know that they own this place. This is their public utility." Oscar Soto,
City Light Crew Chief

THE NATION’S GREENEST

• Clean hydroelectricity supplies 90 percent of Seattle’s power. Our decision in 1905 to invest in dams and hydroelectric plants means that today we provide the cleanest electricity of any city in the country.
  
  
• In 2005, City Light became the first utility in the country to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint. Today we’re a model for clean electricity and energy conservation.
  
  
• The utility’s environmental stewardship and conservation programs have resulted in high returns of wild Chinook, steelhead and chum salmon on the Skagit River where three of City Light’s dams are located.
  
  
• Seattle City Light provides some of the nation’s lowest utility rates to Seattle, saving people another kind of “green.”

MAJOR STRATEGIC MILESTONES

Utility Discount Program hits target

City Light’s customer care division successfully exceeded its 2014 enrollment goal for the Utility Discount Program. The utility increased outreach to eligible customers, extended enrollment periods, and expanded access to affordable power for low-income households.

Reduced utility vacancy rate

Following the economic downturn in 2008, City Light’s job vacancy rate climbed to 10.9 percent. However, by 2014 the utility successfully reduced its vacancy rate to 5 percent and even pared down the amount of time needed to fill open positions.

Engaged broader cross section of population

From interviews on Univisión Seattle and viral videos of Washington’s only native caribou to hosting City Light’s first Social Justice Equity Fair, the utility connected with customers and the public in new and diverse ways.

Enhanced sustainability and exceeded conservation goals

City Light continued its legacy as the nation’s greenest utility and met its 2014 conservation goal. Through zero-carbon footprint energy, affordable solar power, and electricity generated mostly from hydropower, the utility conserved the annual energy use of 12,731 homes.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

J.D. Power and Associates

City Light’s customers rated the utility as one of the best midsize utilities in the West, according to J.D. Power and Associates. The utility’s overall customer satisfaction increased over 2013 results, putting it in the nation’s top 20 utilities.

White House names Seattle “Climate Action Champion”

The White House recognized Seattle as a Climate Action Champion as a result of the utility’s decade-long track record as a 100 percent carbon-neutral electric utility.

Contributes to Most Sustainable City rating

Seattle achieved a 5-STAR Community Rating with the help of City Light’s commitment to 100 percent carbon neutrality. The city achieved the highest score to date and is only second in the nation to receive the 5-STAR rating.

Tree Line USA utility

City Light’s commitment to protecting urban forests and providing customers with clean, reliable, affordable electricity earned recognition as a Tree Line USA utility from the Arbor Day Foundation.

National Employer of the Year from Association of People Supporting Employment First

City Light’s Supported Employment program, which hires and assists employees with development disabilities, won the 2014 National Employer of the Year award by the Association of People Supporting Employment First. The program received multiple awards in 2014 including “Employer of the Year” from Governor Inslee’s Committee on Disability and Employment Issues, and “Outstanding Employer of the Year” from the Community Employment Alliance.