In 2006, the Bangor (Maine) Water District received a notice that electric rates were about to rise sharply. Electricity was already the district’s second biggest expenditure, and a 30 percent increase for forward capacity charges would overshoot the budget.Management decided it was time to stop thinking like a water district. “We are a water utility, but we immediately took to learning and understanding the terms of the electric industry,” says Kathy Moriarty, general manager.Moriarty and the 30-person staff looked at the big picture to determine where to reduce power usage and costs. As the third largest water utility in the
