One unusual measure of both the weather and the tourism industry could be the Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC’s) monthly statistics on water and electric usage.
On May 5, 2010, Billing Clerk Jan Smith reported to the PUC that electric usage was down 515,000 kilowatts in April, contributing to a total drop of 887,000 kilowatts in two months. She attributed this to the warm weather this spring. The PUC brought in $49,000 less than in previous months because of the drop.
Water usage was also down. Close to 400,000 fewer gallons of water were used in April than in previous months. Smith attributed this to a decrease in the number of hotel guests in Grand Marais.
Electric usage among Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) customers is down throughout the state, PUC Commissioner Hal Greenwood said. Grand Marais buys its power from SMMPA.
“People might be conserving more, too,” Electric Superintendent Mike Taylor said. Smith did not think conservation could bring usage down over 500,000 kilowatts a month, however.
Greenwood said he supported the initiative to obtain a grant to help pay for electricitygenerating solar panels at Gunflint Hills Golf Course. The city and the county have agreed to provide some matching funds if the Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP) is successful in obtaining a grant to install the panels.
The twice-monthly PUC meeting was shorter than last month’s nine-minute meeting by a couple of minutes.
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