Bountiful power director outlines local utility's resources, reliability and tips for residents

Alan Johnson, director of the Bountiful Power Department, spoke about the city-owned utility’s operations, resource mix and customer guidance during a city presentation.

Johnson said local control and proximity of crews allow faster response times and closer customer contact than would a nonmunicipal provider. "The citizens are the owners of the power department," he said, adding that residents can visit the office or call for help and that many linemen live within about 20 minutes of the city.

Johnson framed reliability and safety as the department’s central priorities. "Our mission is to supply the reasonably priced power and have a very reliable and safe system," he said, noting recent investments in looping circuits, pole rebuilding and new underground cable to reduce outages. He told the city there are 37 full-time employees in the department, including four three-person line crews, a three-person in-house tree crew and two contract tree crews.

On the utility’s electricity supply, Johnson said the department is a member of a joint action agency (referred to in the presentation as "US") that helps combine purchasing with other cities. He described a diversified portfolio: nearly 40% of Bountiful’s power comes from the Colorado River project (Lake Powell/Glen Canyon), about 7% from two city-operated hydro plants, roughly 10% from two utility-scale solar projects, and a dispatchable power plant that supplies about 9% of the city’s needs at times of high demand. He also said the city has "an ownership or share of the IPP power plant in Delta, which is coal at this point, which would be changing the natural gas where we can bring power in." (Alan Johnson, Bountiful Power Department director)

Johnson warned that supply-chain lead times for key equipment are long: "transformers of nearly 2 years delivery time," so the department maintains inventory and plans procurement about two years ahead to avoid multi-year outages if equipment fails.

Johnson highlighted safety performance: the department has gone more than six years without a lost-time accident, including during a significant wind event when outside crews assisted with restoration. "No accidents through that period of time," he said.

He offered practical guidance for residents to help keep rates and system stress down. Summer peak use is concentrated around 6–7 p.m. and can carry until about 10 p.m., he said; winter peaks start earlier because it gets dark sooner. Johnson recommended delaying operation of large appliances and electric-vehicle charging until off-peak hours, such as after 10 p.m. and through the night into the early morning, to lower costs for all customers.

On rooftop solar, Johnson said about 10% of the city’s power comes from solar but cautioned consumers to vet installers and assess shading and roof condition before investing. He noted several local rooftop systems could not be energized after installers went out of business or because of poor siting that reduced output.

The presentation included praise for the power commission and city council for supporting equipment purchases and training that staff said improved reliability. No formal decisions or votes were recorded during the presentation; the session was informational.