At South River EMC, we truly care about our members. We are always looking for ways to implement tools you can use to save energy. One such tool is the SmartView application. This application is a great resource for anyone looking to save energy, money and to catch potential issues early.

The SmartView application can be found on our member portal. To view yours, just login to the portal at sremc.com. You will need your South River EMC account number to set this up online. If you don't have a login, you may call our office and speak with a member service representative to obtain it.

Once you are logged in, click on the SmartView option located on the left side of the screen. A graph will appear that shows you the daily energy use in Kilowatt hours (kWh). Along with the usage, it shows you the high/low temperatures and puts it in a text format under the graph. You have the option of selecting a timeframe to view particular dates and export/download the information for your records. If you do not want to log in each day, you can sign up for a daily usage notification. The contact method options you can choose from are e-mail, text and a phone call.

Once you are accustomed to checking SmartView or receiving daily kWh notifications, you will have a better idea of how much energy your home uses on average.

Both the SmartView graph and daily notification are great tools for those who want to see how the weather and their daily routines/habits impact their daily energy use. They give you the opportunity to manipulate appliances and devices in the home to see the difference. You can pick a week where weather conditions are going to be steadily the same and try this. For example, go through one day with your normal routines and normal thermostat settings. Another day, change up your routine and adjust the thermostat accordingly with the season. Then compare that time frame to see the differences it had on your daily usage.

Lastly, these tools can help you find potential issues at your home early. Once you are accustomed to checking SmartView or receiving daily kWh notifications, you will have a better idea of how much energy your home uses on average. If you were to notice a day where the usage spiked without anything changing at the home, it could be an early warning that there is an issue. Finding issues early can help prevent further issues and deter a high electric bill. Issues that go unnoticed happen quite often. One example is when the heat strips on a heat pump are “stuck on”. Heat strips were designed to stage on when weather temperatures dip and the heat pump needs supplemental heat to maintain the thermostat setting. If a heat pump has an issue, sometimes these strips will stage on when they should not. The heat strips (emergency heat/auxiliary heat) can stage on if a system malfunctions and stay on 24/7. When the strips are on, they use a lot of energy. Another example is a water leak. A lot of times leaks are under the home or elsewhere, out of sight. Sometimes the leak is directly at the water heater. A water leak can cause the electric water heater elements to run 24/7 as it is trying to keep the water hot for you.

Both of these examples are the most common issues we find at homes that cause spikes in daily energy usage. Other issues could lead you to a duct that is down under the home or an HVAC condenser/fan not working. For more information and tools on ways to save, visit our website at sremc.com.