In this edition of “Ask Your Energy Advisors,” Brooke and Doug give real-life examples of one of REMC’s most valuable programs: Energy Usage Alerts. In each situation, they change the names of the REMC member-owners, so you can focus on the problem and the solution. Remember that REMC members can always call Brooke and Doug to perform a free home energy analysis. They will evaluate the energy efficiency of your home and help you understand the ways you use energy. Call 1-800-672-8212 to schedule an analysis.

Dear Brooke and Doug,

My neighbor told me about a program that REMC offers called Energy Usage Alerts. He says he has received text messages that tell him when his home is consuming an unusual amount of energy. That sounds good, but I already receive so many texts, so I’m not excited about signing up for more texts. However, if the program saves me money, I should do it. Can you provide some examples of what these alerts are and how they work?

Wondering in Westmoore

Dear Wondering,

Thank you for asking about this program. You are correct —the alerts can save you money on your bill. They help you identify potential problems like an appliance with increased usage, devices that may be using power even when turned off and faulty equipment that consumes excessive energy. They can also help identify if you are using energy at peak times without realizing it.

Sometimes members get the alerts and then call us to their homes to try to get to the bottom of the mysterious and sudden increased energy usage. While we can’t necessarily fix the problem for them, we can help to identify the culprit so the members can take the appropriate action. At the top of the next page, we have provided three examples of what we have seen while on the job. We have changed the names of the members to keep the stories anonymous. We hope this helps you understand the Energy Usage Alerts program more!

Sincerely,

Brooke McNeill, Energy Services Manager
Doug Loflin, Energy Efficiency Specialist

EV Charging All Your Money Away

Bob called REMC because he started receiving high Energy Usage Alerts. Doug asked him if he had recently bought any new appliance that consumed energy, and he said he had just that week bought a new EV for the first time. He had installed a home charger and began charging as soon as he returned home from work, around 5:30 p.m. This time corresponded to the time on his account when energy consumption spiked. Doug helped Bob realize that if he stopped charging his EV during peak times and instead programmed his car to charge from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., his bill would not be as high. Charging an EV at home by taking advantage of REMC’s off-peak rates is the best way to prevent your electric bill from getting out of control. Bob solved his problem by adjusting his habits.

Hot Tub Hiccup

Brooke received a call from Helen who, like Bob, did not know why she was receiving high Energy Usage Alerts. Much like Bob, in our earlier story, Helen had recently bought a new piece of equipment: in this case, a hot tub. Brooke told Helen that hot tubs, which use electricity to heat the pool water, can significantly increase power bills, but Helen was not inclined to believe this. Brooke asked Helen to turn off her hot tub for one day to test this theory. Helen did, and did not receive a high use notification that day. Brooke advised Helen not to keep her tub on all the time if she wasn’t planning to use it frequently. She also encouraged Helen to examine her daily energy usage in her online account. This will help Helen pinpoint exactly when higher consumption begins and ends.

Cool Connections

Brooke and Doug went to Carla’s house after she received a week of high usage alerts. At first glance, everything inside Carla’s doublewide seemed good, until Doug put his hand in front of a vent on one side of the house. Brooke and Doug then realized that vents on one side of the house had forced cool air, while vents on the other side of the house had no air flow. Brooke and Doug then went under Carla’s house into the crawl space and discovered what they had suspected would be the culprit. Under her house, her crossover duct was disconnected. This meant that Carla’s air conditioner was forcing air into the crawl space under the house instead of adequately cooling her home. Connecting the duct solved Carla's problem.