FIND YOUR UTILITY PROVIDERS IN CENTRAL OREGON
With some of the lowest utility rates of the nation—30% lower than the national U.S. average to be exact—this is just one of the many reasons you'll want to make Central Oregon your home.

Telecommunications
QWest Communications, the incumbent provider, along with several other local carriers, provides telecom services to the region including ISDN, DSL, voice messaging, call forwarding, as well as T-1, T-3, OC-12 lines on a self-healing network. Points of Presence (POP) are provide by QWEST Communications, AT & T, and the Oregon Enterprise Network.  Uniquely, the region has three major fiber cables running through it including BPA, Qwest and Enron (which includes the long-distance carriers of Sprint, MCI WorldCom, Electric Lightwave, and others) to give communities in Central Oregon some of the best telecom infrastructure of any communities of similar size in the country. 

Additionally, cable companies in the area offer expanded services including cable modems and interconnectivity within the communities of Central Oregon.  The region’s excellent telecommunications infrastructure is continually upgrading its capacity as well as providing options for telecom-dependent users, such as e-commerce businesses.

Electric Power
Electric users rely on a diversified supply of low-cost, wholesale power generated both by hydroelectric and thermal gas-burning power plants.  Three electric utility companies,  Central Electric Co-op,  Midstate Electric Co-op, and Pacific Power serve the region with rates that average between $0.045 and $0.05 per kilowatt hour.  High volume users normally pay toward the lower end (and even lower in special cases) of the range. 

Reliability, a major concern in today’s and the future age of computers and information technology, is outstanding in the region.

For information on current utility rates, please visit one of Central Oregon's three utility company's website:   Central Electric Co-op,  Midstate Electric Co-op, or Pacific Power.

Natural Gas
Natural Gas customers also find competitive rates and ample supply for industrial, commercial or residential uses.   Rates are based on therms, which equal 100,000 BTUs, or 100 cubic feet.  Rates are as follows:

Commercial:
$0.80493 per therm
Industrial:
$0.76550 per therm*

* for larger industrial customers using unbundled rates call Cascade Natural Gas, (800) 422-7559.

Municipal Services

Water
In spite of the region’s high-desert location, water supplies easily meet the demands of our growing economy.  Clean, clear water from mountain snows and underground springs supply several communities that have utilized a watershed system for the past 90 years.  Other municipalities outside the reaches of mountain watersheds use high capacity wells to tap into an enormous, pure, deep-aquifer created when the region’s landmass was formed by volcanic forces. 

Areas of development outside municipal boundaries use wells also, often through water districts,  private companies, or neighborhood associations that maintain residential water systems.

Sewer
With some of the best maintained and most innovative sewer systems in the country, Central Oregon is able to maintain its (and the state’s) reputation for being environmentally pristine.  For example, Prineville incorporated a municipal golf course into their sewer treatment facility – a feat that has made them a model for similar systems elsewhere in the state. 

For specific utility resources for the area of Central Oregon you'll be moving into, follow this guide:

Bend -
Cable Company: Bend Broadband
Phone: Qwest (800) 244-1111
Electric: Pacific Power (888) 221-7070
Natural Gas: Cascade Natural Gas (800) 426-0242
Garbage/Recycling Service: Bend Garbage & Recycling (North of Greenwood)  541-382-2263; Cascade Disposal (South of Greenwood)  541-382-6660
Water/Sewer: (541) 388-5515
Internet Access: Bend Broadband or Qwest

Sunriver -
Cable Company: Chamber's Cable (541) 593-1296
Phone: Qwest (800) 244-1111 or Sunriver Telecom (541) 593-2900
Electric: Midstate Electric (800) 722-7219
Garbage/Recycling Service: Sun Country Disposal (541) 382-6660
Water/Sewer: Sunriver Utilities, LLC  (541) 593-4197; Water Wonderland/Sunriver  (541) 593-2902
Internet Access: Chamber's Cable or Qwest

La Pine -
Cable Company: Bend Cable
Phone: Qwest (800) 244-1111
Electric:Midstate Electric (800) 722-7219
Garbage/Recycling Service: (541) 382-2263
Water/Sewer: Wilderness (541) 536-1194

Redmond -
Cable Company: Bend Broadband
Phone: Qwest (800) 244-1111
Electric: Pacific Power (888) 221-7070
Garbage/Recycling Service: High Country Disposal (541) 548-4984
Water/Sewer: City of Redmond  (541) 923-7765

Sisters -
Cable Company: Bend Broadband
Phone: Qwest (800) 244-1111
Electric: Pacific Power (888) 221-7070
Garbage/Recycling Service: (541) 382-2263
Water/Sewer: (541) 388-5515

Prineville-
Cable Company: Bend Broadband
Phone: Qwest (800) 244-1111
Electric: Pacific Power (888) 221-7070
Garbage/Recycling Service: (541) 382-2263
Water/Sewer: (541) 388-5515