MARCH 2016 | BILL INSERT
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • Important information about your rate • Register to attend our free seminar and learn how to save money on your electric bill • Nominate a Cobb EMC member for a home energy efficiency makeover
Smart Choice Same Power. Different Hour.
THE SMART CHOICE RATE AND YOUR BILL The Smart Choice Rate gives you a smart way to manage your bill. Thanks to this innovative rate program, you have a simple way to reduce your annual electric bill. With the Smart Choice Rate, controlling your energy use at the right time allows you to control your bill. The highest energy need that you demand during Cobb EMC’s peak conservation hours determines your peaking service charge. If peak conservation hours kW have not been set, it will be based on the highest consumption used during the month. The peaking service charge that you set will affect your rate for up to the next 12 months. To monitor your daily and hourly energy use and to find out when it is the right time to control your energy use, visit www.cobbemc.com/smarthub. Let’s take a look at two key terms:
Sign up to stay informed Stay informed about peak notification days and receive alerts about peak conservation hours. Sign up for Cobb EMC newsletters to learn when to use your power at different hours and when to save energy during peak conservation hours. Visit www.cobbemc.com/smartalerts. Don’t forget to download the SmartHub® app today! The online and mobile application allows you to easily and securely pay your electric bill, monitor daily and hourly energy use and more.
Peak use (demand) is the maximum energy need for an hour—set by you, the member—for Cobb EMC to reserve a certain capacity of power. Cobb EMC must have the capacity ready at all times to meet everyone’s maximum needs during peak hours. Energy use, also referred to as consumption, is the total amount of energy used by the member—usually over a longer period such as a whole month. Example: If a 100-watt lightbulb is on for 10 hours, it consumes 1,000 watt-hours. The entire time it's on, it demands 100 watts or .01kW from the utility. That means Cobb EMC must have that .01kW ready whenever the member turns on the lamp.
Similarly, 10 100-watt lightbulbs burning for one hour consume 1,000 watt-hours or 1kWh.
Note that in both examples, the energy use is 1kWh, however, look how differently the second situation impacts Cobb EMC from a demand perspective. Cobb EMC must now be prepared to provide 10 times as much capacity in response to the demand of the 10 lightbulbs operating all at once.