Annuual Meeting – 2026

The Elmhurst Mutual Power & Light Company held its annual membership meeting on April 23, 2026, in the Reception Hall at Marvel Café. We extend our sincere thanks to Marvel for once again providing such a welcoming venue.

Ed Ramos of DP&C, Elmhurst’s independent auditor, presented the results of the 2025 audited financial statements. As a nonprofit corporation operating in Washington State, Elmhurst is required to undergo an annual financial statement audit. We are pleased to report that Elmhurst received a clean audit opinion for the year.

Greg Huebner, Power Account Executive with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), delivered his annual power supply and water conditions report. For those unfamiliar with BPA, it is 1 of 4 federal power marketing administrations in the United States — a self-funded agency under the Department of Energy that oversees approximately 15,000 miles of transmission lines.

Elmhurst’s existing power contract with BPA expires in September 2028. We are pleased to announce that Elmhurst successfully executed a new long-term contract securing power supply for our members from October 2028 through September 2044.

Greg provided an overview of BPA’s fuel mix, composed of 75.3% hydropower generated across 31 dams and 12.9% nuclear power from the Columbia Generating Station. The remaining 11.8% comprises market power purchases and small wind resources. Power generation is closely tied to the annual water cycle, drawing from storage reservoirs at 11 U.S. dams and 3 Canadian dams.

The 2026 water year brought below-average snowpack across much of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, while Canada experienced higher-than-average accumulations. Mild winter temperatures and above-normal rainfall characterized the season. Forecasters are anticipating a warm spring and early summer, with dry conditions expected to persist across the Pacific Northwest through July. Estimated water availability for April through September is projected at 96% of normal. Increased spill operations will be required at eight federal dams through August, and BPA is actively preparing for the summer wildfire season.

Andy Gerde of Evergreen Energy Partners presented a summary of Elmhurst’s energy efficiency programs for 2025. Over the course of the year, Evergreen administered 107 projects, distributing $120,434 in member incentives and achieving a Bus Bar energy savings of 223,908 kWh.

Programs spanned a broad range of improvements, including residential heat pump installations and replacements, commercial lighting upgrades, door and window replacements, appliance purchases, and insulation projects, among others.

Looking to 2026, Evergreen’s priorities include expanding member awareness of available incentives, identifying and converting commercial efficiency opportunities, streamlining program administration, and deepening participation among income-qualified households.

Bryan Bertacchi, General Manager of Elmhurst, provided a comprehensive update on Customer Service and Operations. He noted continued progress on Elmhurst’s 10-year meter replacement initiative, designed to provide members with enhanced usage data, reduce outage response times, and enable more sophisticated outage management. Elmhurst continues to advance its integration of National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) software, while Asplundh Tree Experts remains engaged for ongoing vegetation management. Pole testing and replacement efforts continue on schedule, and Elmhurst’s cybersecurity audit results reflect a strong security posture.

Members were also presented with a rate comparison benchmarking Elmhurst against 7 other regional utilities. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported an average residential rate of 17.45 cents per kWh nationally as of January 2026. Washington State’s average residential rate for 2025 stands at 13.81 cents per kWh —a 17% increase from 11.8 cents in 2024. By comparison, Pacific Gas & Electric in California averages 36 cents per kWh. Elmhurst’s current residential rate remains 6.9 cents per kWh.

While Elmhurst remains committed to maintaining electricity affordability for all members, we are navigating challenges that include accelerating commercial and residential growth, constraints on power supply availability, and rising costs. Key capital projects underway include the reconstruction of the Holmes Substation —now more than 45 years old — to accommodate increasing load demand along Canyon Road; the procurement of emergency transformers to strengthen resilience against potential substation threats; and new power circuits interconnecting the Haakenson, Grazzini, and Holmes substations.

We are grateful to all members who attended the meeting and contributed thoughtful questions. The opportunity to engage with our membership in person remains 1 of the most valued aspects of our annual gathering.