You Asked, We Answered
An open discussion on questions facing utilities today.
Earlier this spring, RPU joined Mayor Kim Norton for a community town hall focused on some of the biggest questions facing utilities today, including reliability, rates, renewable energy, infrastructure, advanced metering, and Rochester’s future water supply. During the event, residents submitted questions ranging from thoughtful to humorous, but all rooted in topics we know customers care about. Here are a few of those questions, along with answers from RPU General Manager Tim McCollough.
“You run the utility, so I assume you personally control the weather, squirrels, tree branches, energy markets, water demand, inflation, and my bill. Why are you making all of those things so difficult?”
We don’t control the weather, regional energy markets, inflation, or squirrels, but we do control how we prepare and respond. Our job is to keep power and water reliable, safe, and affordable while planning for Rochester’s future. That means maintaining infrastructure, responding quickly to outages, and making smart long-term investments that protect reliability and help control costs over time.
“Why don’t we just shut down all the old power plants and run everything on wind, solar, and batteries?”
Renewables are an important part of the future, and they continue to grow. But reliability still requires a balanced mix of energy sources. Wind and solar depend on weather conditions, and battery technology is improving but not yet large enough to fully support around-the-clock demand. At the same time, energy demand is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. Our responsibility is balancing reliability, affordability, and sustainability for our customers.
“Why don’t you just bury all the power lines so we can stop cutting trees over and over again?”
Underground power lines can improve reliability, but they are expensive, costing roughly $1 million per mile. RPU currently invests about $500,000 annually into undergrounding projects, often coordinated with road reconstruction to reduce costs. Tree trimming remains necessary for overhead lines to operate safely and reliably. Our crews follow a regular trimming cycle to reduce storm-related outages and improve public safety.
“Are these new advanced meters going to spy on me?”
No. Advanced meters are designed to improve customer service and system reliability, not monitor personal activity. The new meters help detect outages faster, identify potential water leaks earlier, improve restoration times, and provide more accurate usage information. Protecting customer privacy remains a priority throughout the deployment process.
“I heard Rochester is going to run out of water. Is that true, or is that just Facebook doing Facebook things?”
Rochester is not running out of water. RPU currently draws from the Jordan Aquifer, a high-quality groundwater source that supplies about 5 billion gallons of water each year. What customers may be hearing about is long-term planning for future water sustainability. Like utilities across the state, RPU is studying future water supply options to ensure Rochester has reliable water service for generations to come.
“If RPU is not-for-profit and community-owned, why do my bills keep going up?”
Being community-owned means revenue stays here in Rochester and is reinvested directly back into the utility system instead of going to shareholders. However, utilities still face rising costs tied to materials, equipment, labor, infrastructure upgrades, and long-term planning. Our goal is to keep rates as low and stable as possible while continuing to provide safe, reliable electric and water service our community depends on every day.