Some of you may wonder why we remain focused on managing peak demand. Please allow me to clear up some possible misconceptions, clarify our motivations, and discuss some of our initiatives.

James Green, Manager of Member Experience

There have been media reports that our country’s grid is aging and needs to be replaced. You can be assured that BEMC’s system, our grid, is in excellent shape. We have been keeping ahead of growth for decades while maintaining high reliability and stable rates. We want to reduce peak demand because we want to make wise financial decisions on your behalf. If we can lower peak demand, we can reduce the amount we pay for wholesale power. We want to control the peak in order to control costs for you. Shifting power usage from peak times lowers our costs and delays the need for expensive additional infrastructure, which in turn reduces the need for, or the amount of, future rate increases. We have the ability to provide all the energy you want when you want it, but if we can keep the peak down, everyone benefits.

Demand control programs are designed so that lowering peak demand and lowering your monthly bill can go hand in hand. Signing up for Time-of-Use rates and shifting your usage to off-peak times is an excellent way to keep your power costs as low as possible. Participants in the new Bring Your Own Thermostat program to receive an initial $50 bill credit and a $4 bill credit every month for allowing BEMC to adjust their thermostats by three degrees during peak events. We have more than 1,600 members enrolled in this program, and we’re seeing a significant, measurable reduction in peak demand as a result. Signing up is easy.

Bring Your Own Thermostat is the first of several programs we’ll be bringing you under the Connect to Save umbrella. Connect to Save initiatives use the latest technology and our power in numbers to make an impact on peak demand. The same collective strength that makes the thermostat program work can be replicated with water heaters, and for the very little inconvenience, we’ll be offering you an incentive to enroll yours. We’re excited about the impact that home battery storage systems, which can be charged during off-peak times and disbursed back into the grid at peak times, can have on-demand. And there is potential with EV charging as well. We’re working on these and other ways to reduce wholesale power costs and make participation beneficial to you.

We hope you’ll choose to join fellow members in the Connect to Save options that fit your lifestyle. There is truly strength in numbers, and together, we can control costs and make the most efficient use of the grid.