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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
Back in 1913, electricity was still an oddity, although it was starting to become an essential part of people's lives at home and work. In Murray, in typical Utah we-can-do-it fashion, the community was getting frustrated with lack of availability, poor reliability and high electric prices....So, they formed their own electric utility.... This year, Murray City Power celebrates their 100th anniversary of being owned and operated by the citizens of Murray....
Today, Murray City Power provides electricity to 13,500 residential and 3,000 commercial customers.... It's the only municipally-owned utility in Salt Lake County and one of about 40 statewide....Nearly 25 percent of the energy used in Utah is provided by municipal power systems... And Murray residents pay around 9.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity, which puts them among the lowest rates in the region.
General Manager Blaine Haacke (hack-ee) says energy efficiency is key to this organization... That's why they not only go out and do energy audits on homes, they also talk to students about energy efficiency to tie into school curriculum.
A key for the success of Murray City Power is reliability. People want to know they'll have electricity when they want or need it, so they go to great lengths to make sure power is always on. That means an aggressive approach to keeping outages down, which includes handling their own metering and manning the substation. There, they can check the relays and open the circuits so it isolates any outages that may happen.
Right now, they're doing something different every month during the year to celebrate their 100-year anniversary. For example, they'll co-sponsor the 4th of July fireworks in Murray along with having a float in city parade. They're even providing the grand marshal... Happy birthday, Murray City Power! Here's to another 100 years.
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For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Murray City Power 153 W. 4800 South Murray, UT 84107 801-264-2730 www.murray.utah.gov
