Have questions? Find the answers here using our extensive knowledge base. Discover information about your Vera account, our services, company information, and more.
Top Questions
- No. For safety reasons, please do not attach anything to power poles. Nails and staples can increase injury among utility workers, especially since line crews climb power poles.
- We all have seen or hung up posters of missing pets, upcoming garage sales, and other miscellaneous announcements on utility poles. While it may seem like a harmless act, with no malice intended, these little pieces of paper can cause big harm to utility workers and are illegal.
- Utility workers are tasked with climbing those same utility poles to work around power lines that carry 7,200 or more volts of electricity. Foreign objects such as staples or nails embedded in the pole can lead to the utility worker snagging or getting a hole in their gloves.
- Those gloves are meant to insulate workers from high voltage and protect them from being electrocuted.
- Hunting stands and basketball hoops are other items that have been found attached to utility poles.
- It is extremely dangerous for utility workers, yourself, and anyone who uses these items. Keep as much distance between yourself and overhead power lines when doing any outdoor activity. Satellite dishes have also been found attached to utility poles.
- This is not only a hazard for utility crews, but also the dish installer, and under no circumstance should be attached to utility poles. There’s also a public safety risk that comes with posting signs and other items on utility poles.
- Nails, staples, and other materials put into wooden utility poles can cause poles to deteriorate more quickly. This can reduce their structural integrity and stability, increasing the risk for the pole to fall over when struck by a vehicle.
- “Fallen poles mean power outages, which at the very least are an inconvenience,” says Catherine Cronin, communications manager of Vera Water and Power. “Utilities must spend valuable resources on repairing or replacing damaged utility poles.”
- Downed lines also create dangers for pedestrians and motorists.
- If you see a downed power line, stay away and call 9-1-1.
- Keep yourself and those in your community safe by not posting or hanging anything on utility poles. Find other alternatives to post in your community, such as yard stakes or online community groups.
If you’re like most of us, chances are your refrigerator or freezer is 1 of the largest energy users in your home. They consume up to 8% of your home’s annual energy costs. Because they are on all the time, they use between 100 and 200 kWh a month.
At Vera’s 2017 rates, the cost to run your refrigerator/freezer generally costs between $6.58 to $13.16 monthly or $78.96 to $157.92 annually.
14 Ways to Save – Refrigerators & Freezers
- Proper maintenance
Inspect the door seals. If the seals are damaged or cracked, or if air is leaking out, replace the seals. - Unplug
Do you have an extra fridge or freezer in the garage? If it’s not filled, unplug it. You could be wasting energy. - Set your temperature
The most efficient temperature for your refrigerator is between 38°F and 40°F and for the freezer, 0°F. - Buy high-efficiency units
New, high-efficiency refrigerators use half as much energy as older units, so they cost half as much to operate. The EnergyGuide label can help you with your decision. - Defrost
More than ¾ inch of frost makes your freezer work harder, so defrost regularly. - Clean those coils
When the condenser coils are dirty, the frig must work harder and uses more energy. Coils, found on the back or bottom of the refrigerator, need to be vacuumed and checked at least twice a year. - Keep it level
The door gasket may not seal properly if the refrigerator is not level. You can set a glass of water on the top and adjust the legs until it looks level. - Keep it cool
Keep your refrigerator in a cool, dry place. Never place it next to the oven, stove, water heater, clothes dryer, or other warm places where the frig must work harder to keep cool. - Keep it closed
The unit works most efficiently when you open the door as infrequently as possible. - Keep food covered
Covering food will reduce moisture build-up on the inside of the refrigerator. Also, wipe moisture from bottles and other containers before placing them in the refrigerator. - Keep the heat out of your refrigerator
Before you store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer, allow them to cool slightly. Your refrigerator or freezer won’t have to work as hard to cool them. - Flip that switch
You can save energy by keeping the EnergySaver switch turned on. - Keep it full
Refrigerators operate most efficiently when they are full, but not overloaded. It’s true that frozen foods help to keep the air cool, but too much food in either compartment can prevent cold air from circulating properly. - Don’t cool it if you aren’t going to save it
Why cool something you’ll probably throw out anyway? If you’re going away for a few days, get rid of foods that are likely to spoil. If you are going to be gone for more than a month, consider cleaning out your refrigerator, unplugging it and leaving the doors open. Some older models are impossible to open from the inside and are a hazard for children and pets. Also, older models may have difficulty restarting.
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Hours
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday (except holidays)
Mailing address
PO Box 630, Spokane Valley, WA 99037
Physical address
601 North Evergreen Road, Spokane Valley, WA 99216
24-hour phone
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Power strips and surge protectors look similar, but they function very differently.
- Power strips have several sockets on a shared bar that plug into 1 outlet. Power strips do not provide surge protection. Be sure you are relying on the appropriate device for protection.
- Surge protectors can help prevent damages to your electronics. The point-of-use surge protector protects only the items that are directly plugged into the device from most electrical surges.
Notes:
- No surge protection device can handle a direct lightning strike. The best surge protection is to unplug devices from the wall if you suspect a surge might be coming.
- Power strips and surge suppressors don’t provide more power to a location, only more access to the same limited capacity of the circuit into which it is connected.
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If you have a water bed, knowing what it costs to operate can be a real eye opener. It uses from 100 to 150 kWh a month depending on whether you make your bed or not.
At Vera’s 2017 rates, it costs between $6.58 and $9.87 monthly to operate a water bed.
If you have 2 water beds, it could be double trouble. Taking some steps to control these costs can help you have a more restful and inexpensive night’s sleep.
- Buy the best
If you’re in the market for a water bed, do your research. Some offer better insulation properties than others, which can save you energy and money. - Making your bed saves about $5 monthly
A king-size water bed set at 90°F (with a room temperature of 65°F) covered with a comforter, uses only 100 kWh per month to keep warm. Yet, the same bed unmade uses about 175 kWh per month. That means that by making your bed, you can save about 75 kWh monthly. At Vera’s 2017 rates, that saves you about $5 per month, per bed. - Invest in a thicker pad
Covering your water bed mattress with a 1-inch foam pad will save energy. That’s because you can turn down the water bed heater temperature. The foam pad will keep your body away from the cold water in the bed and maintain body heat, keeping you toasty all night long. - Monitor your bedroom temperature
If your bedroom temperature drops, you may spend more on your water bed heater than you would spend on your furnace heating the air in your room. - Don’t turn it off
If you’re gone for a week or longer, lower your waterbed’s thermostat setting but don’t turn it off. It is less expensive to maintain the lower the temperature than to reheat it.
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How Can I Prevent This?
We hear this question from time-to-time, and there’s no one easy answer. There may be several things in your fridge or freezer that give off smells that the ice absorbs. Food, packaging, metal and plastic ice cube trays, and other items produce odors.
If you have an automatic icemaker, harmless bacteria can grow in the water feed line and make the ice taste odd. Smelly substances in use near a freezer may be absorbed into the ice. “Freezer smell” can sometimes be noticed in empty metal ice cube trays.
Though annoying, these “off flavors” are not harmful and can sometimes be lessened by cleaning and defrosting your freezer and ice cube trays more often. To help prevent odors in the freezer altogether, put an open box of an odor absorbent, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), in the freezer and refrigerator units.
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Water Service
Are you curious about who handles what when it comes to our water service? Let’s break it down – think of it as sharing yard duties, but for water.
Customer Responsibility
Your slice of the pie, or in this case, the area shaded in that light brown on the images below, includes a few things you’ll want to keep an eye on. This area is like your personal garden of water responsibility.
- Shut-off valve: It includes the house shut-off valve, which is your go-to for turning the water off to your home. Pretty handy during a plumbing emergency or when you’re doing some home improvements.
- Service line: That’s the pipeline that brings the water right to your place.
- Sprinkler control valve box: The sprinkler control valve box with backflow preventer keeps your sprinklers running right and your drinking water safe from contamination.
- Water meter: Your water meter, your window into water use.
Vera Water & Power’s Responsibilities
Now, on to our part– marked in that deeper shade of brown. Our responsibilities include the system infrastructure.
- Water main and corporate stop valve: We are responsible for the water main, which is the primary pipeline supplying water to your neighborhood, and the corporation stop valve, part of the system that controls the flow of water in the larger pipes.
Think of it kind of like a team project. We both have our parts to play to keep the water flowing. If you ever have questions about your part, or spot something concerning in ours, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. We’re here to help. Whether it’s a quick question or you need some guidance, remember, help is just a phone call away. Together, we’ve got this water thing down!
Property with The Water Meter in The Basement
You are responsible for the area indicated in the lighter brown and noted in lighter text. This includes the house shut-off valve and water meter and the service line. Vera’s responsibility area is the darker brown and noted in darker text and includes the water main and corporation stop valve.
Property with An Outdoor Water Meter
You are responsible for the area indicated in the lighter brown and noted in lighter text. This includes the house shut-off valve, service line, sprinkler control valve box with backflow preventer and water meter. Vera’s responsibility area is the darker brown and noted in darker text and includes the water main and corporation stop valve.
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Vera Water and Power is organized, and operates, under Chapter 87 of the Revised Code of the State of Washington. The financial records are audited annually by the Washington State Auditor, and, along with other records, are available to the public during normal office hours.
The district is governed by a five-member Board of Directors. The Directors are elected to serve staggered, three-year terms, by position. The election is held on the second Tuesday in December each year. In order to file for election, a Declaration of Candidacy and Petition of Nomination must be filed by 5 p.m. on the first Monday in November. The Declaration must indicate which position the filing is for. If only one candidate files for office, no election is held and the single candidate is declared elected.
The Board of Directors is the policy-making body. They are responsible for the adoption of rules and policies which will implement Chapter 87 of R.C.W. The Board of Directors hires a general manager, who is responsible for the administration and day-to-day operation of the district. All employees report to the general manager.
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4 Ways to Prevent Frozen Pipes
Water expands when it freezes and can stress your water pipes, causing them to burst. Here are four ways to help prevent this problem.
- Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in your garage.
- Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate the plumbing.
- Let cold water drip from exposed pipes. Even a trickle helps prevent pipes from freezing. We recommend running a pencil lead size stream of water.
- Keep your thermostat at the same setting day and night.
Protect Your Water Meter to Keep It from Freezing.
It’s not just your water pipes that can freeze. Be sure to protect your water meter, too. By taking these steps now, you could avoid trouble later.
- Water meter insulation blanket: Install a water meter insulation blanket: Ch. Is there a white foam blanket on top? If not, stop by the office, and we’ll give you one for free. Please do not use home insulation as it can soak up water, freeze and become ineffective. These blankets are located right next to our front door in a marked box.
- Water meter vault cover: If your meter vault cover is missing, broken or cracked, contact us for assistance. We have replacements, and you must keep your meter vault covered.
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Renters
Notice of occupancy change will only be accepted from the property owner or the property manager in writing at least 3 business days in advance. The minimum information required:
- Transfer date
- Names of all responsible parties
- Contact information for the tenants
- Forwarding address for the previous tenant, if applicable
Owners
If you are moving in, out or closing your account, requests will only be accepted from the closing agent or another responsible closing party. The notice must be provided at least three business days in writing prior to the date of transfer or closing. The minimum information required:
- Closing date
- The names of all responsible parties
- Contact information for the new owners
- Forwarding address for the previous owner