PSE Flex program faces first real test as heat hits Puget Sound
Jul 20, 2026, 5:18 PM | Updated: Jul 21, 2026, 11:40 am
A couple walks by a public fountain on a torrid day. (Photo: Andreea Alexandru, AP)
(Photo: Andreea Alexandru, AP)
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is about to put its new Flex Peak Time Savings program to the test for the first time, and Tuesday’s heat is the trigger.
PSE rolled out the program last month to encourage customers to cut back when the power grid is under extra stress. Tuesday marks the first flex event.
How to earn PSE bill credits during the flex event
From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the 640,000 customers enrolled in Peak Time Savings can earn bill credits, anywhere from 25 cents to $3, just by making small adjustments.
“The really key thing is just a tiny adjustment on our customers’ part; when you have that many people making a small adjustment, it really makes a difference in the stress on the grid and lightening the load a bit,” PSE Spokesperson Melanie Coon told KIRO Newsradio.
Simple ways to save power during peak hours
To save power, you can turn the thermostat up a couple of degrees, fire up the grill instead of the oven, or do your dishes or laundry later in the evening.
Within that 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. window, the heaviest demand on the grid comes between 6 and 7 p.m., but Coon said PSE can handle it.
“We have a portfolio of different power sources to be able to maintain reliability,” she said. “This is just another tool in the toolbox.”
Who’s enrolled and how to check your savings
PSE automatically opted all of its approximately 700,000 customers into the program, Coon said. They all had the option to opt out. However, most of them chose to stay in.
About five days after the flex event, PSE will send customers an email outlining how much energy they saved and how much of a bill credit they will receive. They can also check it by going to PSE.com.
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
