Many of us make efforts to reduce our electric bills, by turning off unnecessary lights and televisions, adjusting the thermostat to conserve energy used for heating or cooling, and dialing the water heater to no more than 130 degrees.
Another effective way that you can help control the cost of your electric bills is by participating in the Peak Alert program.
Why Peak Alert?
HOEC asks you, our members, to participate in the Peak Alert program to help reduce the cooperative's collective peak demand for electricity, which can keep the cost of our electricity from going up in the future.
As a general rule, here's when to expect Peak Alerts:
Peak demand usually occurs in the summer during extremely hot days between 2 and 7 p.m.
A winter peak usually occurs on extremely cold winter days between 5 and 9 a.m.
The reason a Peak Alert makes sense is simple. Electricity must be produced on demand, when you turn on an appliance. Generating electricity during extremely high demand periods requires the use of additional generators and resources. This means it costs more to produce energy that we all use during peak periods.
Since the cost that your cooperative pays for electricity goes up every time we set a new record usage level, a small effort by many cooperative members can make a big difference in avoiding a new peak and keeping rates from going up.
How it works:
Peak Alert is used only when necessary to avoid a new peak electrical demand. It doesn't mean that we're running out of electricity; it simply means we're striving to save cooperative members money.
When we anticipate that a new peak demand level may occur, we'll make Peak Alert announcements on area radio stations, we'll post the alerts on our website and facebook page, and we'll send out SmartHub® notifications.
When you see or hear a Peak Alert announcement, please limit your use to one major electrical appliance at a time, adjust your thermostat a few degrees, and turn off or unplug any lights, televisions, or small appliances not in use. Remember, every little bit counts... and the money you save will be your own.
