City Saved $32,569 in One Year : Electrician Knew What’s Watt on Meter

Keen eyes and a little curiosity have paid off big for Steven Zeiss--and San Diego taxpayers.

The 38-year-old electrician at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium was suspicious of nine electric meters used by Service America Corp., the stadium concessionaire.

“They read a little funny,� Zeiss recalled.

He did some digging and found out the industrial-grade meters should have had a multiplier on them to correctly determine the kilowatt hour usage. Since they did not, city taxpayers were unwittingly paying some of Service America’s electrical bill from San Diego Gas & Electric. Zeiss told city officials of his discovery and saved the taxpayers $32,569 in one year.

On Monday, Zeiss appeared before the City Council and was rewarded with a certificate signed by Mayor Maureen O’Connor and City Manager John Lockwood--and a check for $5,000.

Situation Corrected

Stadium Manager Bill Wilson said the mistake on the meters had been overlooked by everybody. The correct multipliers were put on the meters about a year and a half ago.

The city’s suggestion program began 25 years ago as a means of picking the brains of employees to find better ways of doing things, to seek common sense approaches to everyday bureaucratic tangles.

Earlier this year, James Meyer, a civil engineer, received $1,000 for his suggestion on how “to structurally repair manholes without having to replace them,� said Starlene Snead, the administrator of the suggestion awards program. This saved the city more than $100,000.

Last year, San Diegans saved more than $300,000 because of city employees’ suggestions for savings and $55,000 was divided among contributors.

Some recent suggestions have included:

- Convert conventional lighting in the B Street tunnel near San Diego City College to low-sodium lighting to save energy. Estimated savings: $15,656

- Use automatic timers for air-conditioning units at the San Diego Police Department so they shut off when not in use. Estimated savings: $19,806

- Use plastic replica stickers to cover school safety patrol stop signs instead of replacing the entire aluminum portion. Estimated savings: not available yet.

“One out of every four ideas submitted gets approved,� Snead said.

“Some of the suggestions are excellent but the city savings are hidden. These are called intangible savings and the idea originator gets $500 and a certificate.�

Others are given a portion of the estimated savings up front and the remainder on a prorated basis, depending on the actual amount saved, Snead said.