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East Grand Forks City Water and Light Commission raises AC tune-up rebate, receives infrastructure updates
Summary
The Water and Light Commission on May 6 approved increasing the AC tune-up rebate from $60 to $75 and received updates on a Central Middle School solar interconnection, a lead-service-line bid opening, Blue Peak fiber work, and several local service extensions and easements.
The East Grand Forks City Water and Light Commission on May 6 approved an increase to its AC tune-up rebate and heard progress reports on several ongoing utility projects.
Commissioners voted to raise the rebate from $60 to $75, a change the presenter said will be funded from the utility’s existing conservation budget and is expected to remain cost effective while encouraging participation. "What we decided when I was working with Peter with Frontier is to increase a dollar amount on that program from 60 to 75," the presenter said. The motion passed on roll call.
Why it matters: The larger rebate is intended to boost uptake of energy-efficiency tune-ups for residential units while remaining consistent with the technical reference manual used for program calculations.
Project updates and next steps: Utility staff reported work on several construction and interconnection items:
- Business Highway 2 lighting: staff said the work is at the substantial-completion punch-list stage with mostly cleanup remaining before final acceptance.
- Central Middle School solar: the utility said it is waiting for new drawings from Ziegler and is reviewing a change to connect on the primary side rather than the secondary side to simplify installation; staff noted once drawings arrive they will finish the interconnection agreement.
- Lead service line replacement: a bid opening is scheduled for next Tuesday at 10:00; staff said results will be returned to the May 20 meeting for award consideration.
- Blue Peak fiber installation: a preconstruction meeting was held and work began in the industrial park near 10th Street; staff said permitting with the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps is required where the city’s flood protection system is crossed and that permitting may delay work south of the Red Lake River this summer.
- Service extensions and easements: staff said they are preparing easements needed for Folsom Farms and the Central Middle School solar project and will solicit construction quotes for utility work at the VFW Arena, Folsom Farms and the Snowmobile Club.
Other operational notes: distribution staff reported six remaining residential meters to install, several housing projects under way, hydrant extensions completed or planned, and expanded transformer work at Folsom Farms. At the water plant, second-quarter disinfection byproduct samples and other site samplings were sent for analysis and results are pending. Distribution staff also reported an energy-stock inventory item described in the meeting as the 2025 "wrecks" totaling 65,824 MWh, which staff said they plan to put out for bid and bring back to the commission for approval.
Votes at a glance: The commission recorded and approved routine business during the meeting, including the minutes from April 15, 2026; a bills-and-payroll motion; and the AC tune-up rebate increase. The AC tune-up rebate motion was explicitly recorded and approved by roll call.
What’s next: Staff said they will return to the commission on May 20 with bid results for the lead service line project, recommended award items from the 2026 equipment and materials bids, and additional details about selling the 2025 energy inventory. Several administrative deadlines were noted for staff follow-up, including preparation of the annual electric utility report due July 1 and a June 1 deadline for state SIP eco reporting.
