Water Heater Load Management

Water Heater Load Management...

We Can Pay You Now or You Can Pay Us Later!

Join our Water Heater Heater Load Management Program and receive $20 (new load management customers only) up front and $2 off monthly!

What is Load Management ?

Your cooperative is a distribution cooperative, which means we do not produce the electricity we provide you. Currently we purchase that electricity from Alliant Energy. Alliant assesses us a monthly charge based on their systems peak demand on any given day during the month. This demand charge is then passed on to co-op members. To help minimize the demand charge we utilize a device that can shutoff items such as ater heaters for a few hours during anticipated peak usage times. The control or shutoff days and times fluctuate, but will never occur on weekends or major holidays.

Unfortunately we don’t know when Alliant’s Peak Demand will happen so we use a best guess estimate. We’ve seen longer control times during the summer’s months due to the various contributing variables of demand usage – air conditioners, irrigation systems, garden watering, etc. We’ve found the winter months to be a bit more predictable which leads to shorter control times. The amount of interruptions will vary depending on the weather. Most likely interruption will occur during weather extremes. The ideal situation is when the extreme weather hits early in the month like it did in September. If you recall, the Tuesday after Labor Day was quite hot. That day ended up to be the only day that month we interrupted power. During what I call transition months (April, May, September & October) it generally becomes harder to predict when Alliant will reach its peak. The more consistent temperatures in those months lower the electrical consumption of the higher usage items, which make predicting Alliant’s peak usage tougher. That is why you’re seeing the extended and multiple load interruption periods at this time. A review of last year’s interruption days showed October was highest month with 11 days. As winter approaches we anticipate the hours of interruption will decrease to between 2 and 3 and the amount of days drop to 3 to 5.

Most water heaters have a 4.5KW element, meaning that when they are on during that hour each month our supplier peaks, it costs us $67.50 just for that hour. It is easy to see why we would want to control that water heater to save those charges.

To receive the $20 credit a three year commitment to the load management program is required. This offer is only for new members to the water heater load management program.

For More information or to sign up for the program call 1-800-377-2932 and ask for Mark Forseth.