Beat The Peak

URECC members have a set rate they pay for power. (Rate = cost of power + percentage to cover operations.) The URECC rate that members pay does not change during the day, but the cost of power URECC buys for members fluctuates hourly, costing the cooperative more at times during the day when electricity is in higher demand.

• Example: On a hot August afternoon, when the family comes home after work and school, they will turn on lights, adjust the thermostat to a comfortable temperature, turn on the TV(s), charge phones, use computers, cook dinner, perhaps run the dishwasher or wash clothes, etc. With families across the country all doing this at once, much more energy must be generated to meet demand.

Providing more energy will cost power plants more money for gas, battery storage, employees on hand, etc. The power-generating plants must pass those increased expenses on to the co-op with higher prices during demand time. The co-op, paying more for the power, then must pass those higher prices on to the members.

These times when power costs more, while people are home using more power, are known as “Peak Times.” Adjusting some of your household activities, or conserving power during these peak times, is a healthy way to trim your monthly electric bill. Cooking dinner, turning on a light or two, or adjusting the thermostat are essential activities, but doing laundry, running the dishwasher, and operating pool pumps can be rescheduled to off-peak times when power is much less expensive.

Those with residential solar systems, battery storage systems, or home generator systems can also offset their power bill substantially by utilizing the power they have stored or generated during these peak times of the day.

Having the same efficiency mindset with electricity that one would have with other products during higher price periods can save you a lot of money in a not-so-long time period. Example: If the price of gasoline suddenly climbs to a record high at the pumps, don’t we all curb unnecessary driving or even let prices influence where we drive for vacation? If we are dieting, don’t we avoid eating foods with super-high calorie content? Being aware of peak-time pricing can work basically the same way, putting the power of control and budgeting in your hands.