Wiregrass Electric issues “Peak Alert” for Jan. 24, 2016

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
Date: Jan 22 2016 7:48 PM

Cooperative sees great success with last year’s alert —asks for more participation this year

HARTFORD, Ala. — With temperatures expected to dropbelow freezing Sunday morning, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative has issued a “Peak Alert” to help save energy and keep costs down. A similar campaign was ran last year, and thanks to member participation, WEC was able to “Beat the Peak” by lowering demand.

Peak demand is the point at which WEC members use the most electricity. “Peak” represents the highest demand for electricity, and it’s the number of kilowatt hours that WEC’s wholesale power supplier, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, uses to determine the amount of electricity they must be prepared to provide us during the year. A higher demand creates a higher peak, which means higher wholesale energy costs.

“As part of the Peak Demand Alert, we are asking for our members’ help in holding down power costs,” says Brad Kimbro, COO at WEC. “By using electricity more efficiently during the peak hours Thursday and Friday, members can help themselves by helping the Wiregrass Electric system use less power.”

During the hours of 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday, members are asked to consider ways they can use less electricity:

• Set your thermostat to 68 degrees (instead of the common 72 degrees or higher).

• Take showers the night before, if possible, to avoid extensive use of water heaters.

• Likewise, run your dishwasher and washing machine the night before, later in the morning or in the afternoon.

• Limit the use of TVs (especially large, flat-screen units), gaming consoles, computers and unnecessary lighting.

In January of 2014, WEC issued its first Peak Alert, with a campaign on social media, local news stations, radio and more. It was a success.

“Last year, our members heard our pleas and they did a great job of helping keep our peak as low as possible,” says Kimbro. “By helping their cooperative, they are really helping themselves keep cost of electricity as low as possible. When we set a high peak, it causes our wholesale power prices to be higher, which is turn causes everyone’s electric bills to be higher for the following year.”

WEC hopes that as members become more familiar with the concept of a Peak Alert, participation will increase. “Our members want to help,” says Kimbro. “We have the greatest cooperative family anywhere in the nation, and I believe that given the right information, people do the right thing to help us control demand.

“We want to make sure everyone understands that Wiregrass Electric will have the capacity to meet this region’s energy needs, no matter how much electricity our homes and businesses demand,” says Kimbro. “But by working together on these cold mornings, we can limit the peak demand and hold down wholesale power costs for everyone.”

For more information, visit WEC’s website at www.wiregrass.coop and click on the “Peak Demand Alert”graphic in the header.

"I want our members to know that Wiregrass Electric appreciates their efforts to help us control peak demand," Kimbro adds.

About Wiregrass Electric Cooperative:

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is an electric distribution system located in Southeast Alabama with more than 3,500 miles of power lines providing reliable and affordable electricity and energy solutions to approximately 23,000 homes and businesses in Houston, Geneva, Covington, Dale and Coffee counties. For more information, visit our website at www.wiregrass.coop.

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