Anyone Use Peak Power savings with electric company?

[Whisperwindkat]

I am considering changing our useage from the typical family dwelling to either peak power or demand power plan with the power company. Peak power is where you get charged more for using power during a certain time of day depending on the season. Demand power is when they charge more when you use more appliances at one time creating a larger demand. During the off time for peak power you get charged a much lower rate than the typical family dwelling. I was wondering if anyone else does this and do they really save much money? Thanks, Kat

[Jennifer L.]

I've had it for years because the farm qualified when I still had the dairy. They wanted only bigger users to do it at the time, don't know what it is now, but the milking and cooling equipment, feed augers, water pump, etc, for the cows added up to a lot of power. Even then the farm was not too far over the threshold to qualify for it.

In my case, I didn't save very much. You need a different meter for the different times you are using power, and the cost of the meter itself ate up quite a bit of my savings. But as I say, this was a small outfit. I may have gained a couple of hundred bucks a year on a 45 cow dairy.

If you don't have to pay for the different meter, then it's a money maker for sure. Right now, I am in the Spring rates, which means my electric is dirt cheap, all day/everyday until June 1. June 1 rolls around and once again I am aware when I run my electric dryer and dishwasher. Later in the summer when the air conditioner is up and running, I'm more aware of keeping it turned down during the day. Stuff like that. Lots of things you can't do much about, like the cows drinking water and making the pump run, using a hay elevator, etc. High rates in the summer for me are between 11 AM and 5 PM.

September 1 comes around and rates are low until December 1. Then it's high winter rates until March 1. Winter rates are highest between 5 PM and 8 PM, and that was hardest on the farm, to delay milking or at least finishing milking towards 8 PM so the majority of milk cooling went on after 8.

All weekends all year round are the low rate.

It's kind of a game, and you can work it as much as you want to. I truly only really watch things when it's the peak periods in the summer and winter. The shoulder periods are not so bad, and if you have a timer on your house hot water heater you are in pretty good shape.

It's hard to say if you are a smaller electric user, whether it would be a good deal for you or not. You just have to run the numbers and consider what you are willing to change. And be sure about the cost of the meter itself. As I said, it's nearly a deal breaker for smaller accounts.

[littlebitfarm]

I did it a few years ago. I think I saved just over $200 for the year. The only thing that was hard was trying to do laundry at good times. My house is very insulated. In the summer I would run the AC at night, cool the house to 60º and then I could wait until after 6 PM and turn it back on. The house would still be less than 70º.

I stopped doing it the summer that I had surgery. Knew I would be home during the day for a few weeks in the summer and that would throw things off.

There used to be huge differences in the price during the course of the day. Last time I checked the price differences are much smaller. Our town now bids our electric rate, so rates are lower now to begin with. Doesn't seem worth it like it was, but then my power bill is never over $80 and spring and fall can be under $50.

[billinwv]

I haven't heard of this program. This is my first time in an all electric home. 1800 sq. ft. on a full basement. 1 dusk to dawn light, 4 heated water troughs and 1 heat lamp outside. Heat is a heat pump. Major water filtration with uv light and resin and softener that each back-flush 2x/week. Water source is well. We had temps way below normal here until last week. Elec. bill ran about 11$ per day for Jan. and Feb. I was pleasantly surprised.

[mnn2501]

Nope. Number one power eater in Texas is Air Conditioning - Runs 24/7 June - Sept.
Certainly do not want to pay more for that during the day time hours when the temps outside are 100F+.

[Wolf mom]

I used to have it in AZ., then changed to regular billing. The cheaper times were not on my schedule and I didn't enjoy rescheduling my life to save a few bucks. I was also charged a flat rate (I think it was 20.00 a month) for using the reduced rate. Remember, the cheaper times are for the benefit of the utility - not the user and they will make up what you don't pay them some way - like with what was said - with a meter charge.

If I were to look at it today, I'd check the reduced rate hours vs my lifestyle and find all the "hidden" charges to see just how much I was saving overall.

[Whisperwindkat]

Thanks everyone. We are still considering it. House is not that well insulated, but it is heavily shaded which helps a lot in the summer. We also now have heavily insulated curtains on all the windows which should help keeping the heat out. Normally we can get through part of June without turning the ac on at all. I know we could do just fine with just cycling the AC the rest of that month. Cooling during the off times. I am just worried about July and August, when it is almost unbearable 24 hours a day. We do have ceiling fans and they help a lot also. I am home so can easily adjust useage of other things and we turn off the hot water heater when we aren't using it anyway. I already do my laundry in the off peak hours so that I can get it on the clothes line early. Winter hours I am not so worried about as summer. Thanks, Kat