Monday Morning – January 10, 2011

News
 Public process begins. A 14-member citizens committee formed to provide feedback to AE
during the rate review meets for the first time this Thursday (Jan 13) at 6:00 pm in the TLC
Assembly Room. The Public Involvement Committee (PIC) will meet once a month through
June to review and discuss the AE data and decision points that will be used to design new
proposed electric rates. Austin Energy’s base electric rates (which exclude the fuel charge)
have not changed since 1994. A rate review website www.rates.austinenergy.com will
provide all materials and agendas for PIC meetings plus summaries of discussions and
decisions from each meeting. The meetings are open to the public. The goal is to implement
new electric rates in 2012.

 Ready for freezing weather. Electric Service Delivery and Customer Care are on alert this
week with temperatures forecast for as low as the 20s by Tuesday. ESD will have additional
crews on standby and is double checking their inventory of equipment and materials. The
utility Contact Center also has a well-established notification system to bring in extra staff
should large outage situations occur. The Contact Center can also activate an AT&T high-
volume call answering capability that can handle up to 6,000 calls simultaneously. The
system matches an incoming telephone number to a service address and sends the info into
the outage management system. If the incoming phone number does not match an address,
the caller will be asked for their Powerlink number, which is located in the right-hand corner of
utility bills.

 FPP scrubber online. The new scrubber on Unit 1 at the Fayette Power Project (FPP)
began operating last week and is capable of reducing sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by 95%
and mercury emissions by 20%. Similar scrubber equipment being installed on Unit 2 is
expected to go online this spring. AE and LCRA co-own units 1 and 2 and began the
scrubber project in 2002 at a shared total cost of $445 million. LCRA owns FPP unit 3, which
already has scrubber equipment.

 Racetrack substation. AE and LCRA are building a 30 MW substation to serve the Formula
One racetrack project in Southeast Travis County. Project developers will pay half of the $3
million cost of the substation, which will deliver power to the grandstands (will seat 120,000),
pit buildings, RV hookups and more at the $250 million 950 acre project. The track’s first race
event, scheduled for June 2012, is expected to draw more than 300,000 people over a three-
day weekend.

 Airport vehicle conversion. Austin Energy is partnering with Austin-Bergstrom International

Airport and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to study the economic and
environmental opportunities for replacing existing airport diesel and gasoline powered
equipment with battery-powered electric alternatives. The study will look at airline ground
support equipment (GSE) as well as vehicles used around the airport such as shuttle buses
 and security vehicles. EPRI will collect data, complete a technical analysis, and provide a
written report this spring.

Photo Gallery
 Interesting transmission project. AE is building three H-frame transmission structures to
lower the height of existing transmission lines near the airport from 90 to 35 feet. This will
enable LCRA to build a new transmission circuit above ours – but low enough not to interfere
with flight paths into or out of nearby Bergstrom. See a slideshow of transmission work.

 Unique solar array. AE and the City’s Art in Public Places division teamed up to build a solar
tree in front of the new Dittmar Recreation Center in South Austin. The unique solar array
stands 10 feet tall with a circular canopy (15 feet in diameter) that supports 10 solar panels,
each 200 watts. The array also features modules with solar cells on both sides. The top side
catches light directly from the sun while the bottom side catches light reflected upward from
the ground. During the night, the Solar Tree circular canopy as well as its shadow on the
ground, light up through small LEDs. On the ground, the LEDs are organized to mimic the
winter solstice of stars. This brings to 35 the total number of City facilities with solar arrays.
Click here for photos.

Housekeeping
 Bed bug issue resolved. Good job Customer Care, Facilities, ITT, Safety, HR and others for
the quick and highly professional response during last week’s evacuation of the third floor at
Town Lake Center following a bed bug sighting. Within two and a half hours, the entire floor
was vacated (125 employees) and AE’s pest control contractor was on-site. The contractor
did a thorough inspection of the entire floor and identified only two bed bugs in an isolated
area. As a precautionary measure, the entire floor was treated. Treatment involved the use of
a very fine steam (like that used in dry cleaning) on everything including desktops. After floors
were steamed, they were vacuumed several times. A pesticide (98% water mixed with two
non-toxic chemicals) was also applied in liquid form along the base of walls and cubicles.
After allowing to set and dry, baseboards and cubical frames where wiped down thoroughly
with soap and water to remove any residue. The contractor will conduct follow-up visual
inspections over the next few weeks. This is the first time Customer Care has activated their
business continuity plan, successfully vacating the floor without impacting normal business
operations. All employees returned to their workstations today.

“I am very proud of Customer Care…the level of maturity and professionalism was

remarkable. When the group was told there was a need to vacate, they all remained calm,
knew exactly what to do and they achieved it as a team! This is truly a group who can turn a
difficult situation into a positive; our customers are in great hands. It is also an example of
how management cares about our employees’ well-being, and that AE is proactive when
issues arise.”  Cindi Perez, AE Process Manager, Utility Contact Center

 New billing system training. AE Contact Center staff are among the first City of Austin
employees to begin training on the new customer billing system, scheduled to go live this
spring. The training covers 24 topics addressing everything from how to navigate through the
new software to start, stop, transfer accounts to processing payments. Each employee will
attend 60 hours of training over a three-week period. Eight members of AE’s Training
Department are leading the courses, which must be delivered to approximately 1,200 City
employees, including 400 at AE. Visit http://cityspace/services/csp for more information on
the new CC&B system.

Industry & Professional

 Rogelio Zavala (Graduate Engineer "A") at the Decker Power Station Decker, recently
passed the Texas Board of Professional Engineers Engineer In Training (EIT) exam. This is
the initial step toward obtaining a Professional Engineer's (P.E.) License.

 Dorthy Kester (Power System Engineer Sr) authored an article, “Substation Squeezes Into
New Footprint” that was published in the November issue of Transmission & Distribution
World, a well-known trade journal for the industry. Click here to visit the website and read the
article. Great job, Dorthy!

Out in the Community

 AE employees make presentations or staff AE booths, handing out information and
answering customer questions on energy efficiency, free thermostat program, solar rebates,
customer assistance programs and Green Building, provide electrical demonstrations, tours
of power plants and more.

 Jan 12, Giddings Middle School, Science Fair Project Mentoring

 Jan 13, UT staff involved with Pecan Street Project, Mueller Energy Center tour
 Jan 13, International Facility Management Association, ECAD Ordinance

Austin Energy Family News

 Mona Sherman, daughter of Jackie Jones (Utility Service Supervisor, St Elmo), graduated
from the University of Texas Arlington on December 19, 2010. Her degree is in
Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Art History and Business.

 Ron Lee, Bastrop High School Senior and adopted nephew of Daena Bruce-Lee (Web
Portal Team) was named All District - 1st Team 16-4A Tackle in his first year playing varsity
for the Bastrop Bears, the 4A Division II State Quarter Finalist. Ron and the team were 10-4
during the regular season and averaged almost 50 points a game in their wins. They were 4-
2 in playoff competition. Click here to see a photo (Daena, Ron and Ron’s Uncle Christopher 
Lee) and congratulations, Ron!

News You Can Use

 Speaking of bed bugs. Lavender is a natural bed-bug repellent, as the bugs cannot stand
the taste or smell of the herb. Make lavender satchels by putting dried lavender between two
pieces of fabric and sewing around the perimeter. Place the satchels in your drawers and
closets and between your mattress and sheets.

 Laptop warning. If you use a computer on your lap for 4-plus hours a day, heat from the
laptop may trigger a brownish-red rash on your upper thighs—and it can be permanent say
dermatologists at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Jeans won’t protect you (the heat can
penetrate clothing). Solution: use a lap desk to help diffuse the heat and log off when your
skin feels warm.

 Moldy cheese. Is it safe to trim a splotch of mold off a block of cheese and eat the rest?
Generally, yes. However, the recommendation is that you trim one inch all around the spot.
And always throw away pre-shredded cheese that shows any mold. What happens if you
accidentally eat a piece of green Cheddar? It will taste bad, but it’s too small an amount to
make you sick, says Jim Dickson, PhD, of the Food Safety Consortium.
Retirements (12/31)
Brenda Banks Power Plant Mechanic Environmental Care & Protection
Richard Revetta Power Plant Mechanic Environmental Care & Protection

Contact Monday Morning

We always welcome feedback, comments, news and story ideas for Monday Morning. Feel
free to email or call anyone in our Public Information Office:

 Carlos Cordova (carlos.cordova@austinenergy.com; 505-3576)

 Leslie Sopko (leslie.sopko@austinenergy.com; 505-3678)
 Sarah Fusco (sarah.fusco@austinenergy.com; 322-6230)
 Ed Clark (ed.clark@austinenergy.com; 322-6514)