FAQ

A system impact fee is a fee assessed to new customers to help recover costs for new infrastructure to serve them. 

No. The proposed system impact fee is charged to new customers/meters when they connect to the electrical system. 

No, only new or growing customers will pay the system impact fee at the time that they connect or add load to the electrical system. 

The PUD will continue to conduct business as usual with regard to capacity reservation: we do not reserve capacity unless this is set explicitly through a contract. Existing regulations will remain unchanged. 

No. Growth will continue to occur in our area, which means more infrastructure to support that growth. These fees play an important role in the required cost recovery for this growth, and supports customers’ preference for smaller, incremental rate increases over time. Fees are continuously monitored and adjusted as costs change. 

Distribution substations are an important part of the electrical system. Substations reduce high-voltage electricity (transmission) to lower voltage electricity (distribution) for residential and commercial use. The PUD has 34 distribution substations located strategically throughout our service territory. A substation typically serves about 1,500 residential homes. Learn more here.