Sierra Pacific Power Company
Contact: Gary Aldax
Phone: (775) 834-5508

For Immediate Release

Sierra Pacific Power today surpassed the company's previous record of new electric meters set in one year. As of noon on Wednesday, December 17, a total of 9,585 meters had been set in 2003. The previous record of 9,555 meters was set in 2001. It is expected that the 2003 total will reach between 9,650 - 9,700 before the end of the year.

As reported earlier this week, new residential housing developments are being built at a record pace to meet the demand of people moving to northern Nevada. According to the Builders Association of Northern Nevada, so far this year, 3,423 permits to build homes have been issued in Reno, Sparks and Washoe County, with more expected. Last year, 3,728 were issued, and the 2001 number was 3,845.

Mike Smart, Sierra Pacific Power's vice president of Distribution Services says the growth is not just isolated in the Truckee Meadows area. Most of Sierra Pacific's service territory is seeing new growth, with Carson City, Minden and Fernley hooking up new customers at a record pace as well.

New gas meter hook-ups will reach over 5,100 this year, just a couple hundred shy of a new record. Gas servicemen set over 700 new gas meters in the month of November alone. Sierra Pacific Power serves approximately 125,000 natural gas customers in the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.

According Gary Smith, director of New Business for Sierra Pacific Power, nearing and breaking old records is no easy task."Our workforce has been flat, while the work demands have been increasing. However, work efficiencies have been achieved through streamlining our processes, maximizing new technology, plus improved communications between company personnel, local governments and the developers helps to speed up the timeline from customer application to meter installation."

In addition to hooking up record numbers of new customers, Sierra Pacific is managing the costs associated with these new customers. On average, a new electric meter hook up today costs Sierra Pacific $1952, approximately $750 less than it did in 1999.